TRIBAL LEADERS
Local and tribal leaders are emerging in various parts of Iraq In the south, tribal sheikhs are reported to have pre-empted the political process of setting up an interim government by establishing local councils of their own.
These leaders often draw their authority from tribal or family ties. Some tribal leaders were courted by Saddam Hussein and won over to his rule through patronage.
Ahmed Chalabi, the head of the Iraqi National Congress and the US Pentagon's favourite for ruling the new Iraq, has been attempting to win over tribal leaders as he seeks to build a constituency in Iraq.