Tribes with Flags
"Tribes With Flags" is part of a phrase attributed to Tahseen Bashir, an Egyptian diplomat. Regarding his belief in the centrality of Egypt within the Middle East he opined: "Egypt is the only nation-state in the Arab world; the rest are just tribes with flags".
Another version of Mr. Bashir’s ‘flag’ quip is:
Two book titles based on this quote are Tribes With Flags: A Dangerous Passage Through the Chaos of the Middle East and Tribes With Flags: A Journey Curtailed, both by Charles Glass.
