QUOTE: Sunni tribes in bitter rift over Isis’s Iraq gains

THE FINANCIAL TIMES: Other Iraqis say the focus on arming Sunni tribes skirts the real problem: the state’s inability or unwillingness to reform its security forces. Zaid al-Ali, author of The Struggle for Iraq’s Future, a book about rebuilding the country, said the idea of arming the tribes “sends shivers down my spine” because the weapons would end up being sold to Isis on the black market — which is what happened with armaments handed over in the Sahwa. “The whole thing is ludicrous. What were they hoping to do? Give tanks and heavy weapons to tribesmen? “What you need is a real army. Local communities should not be expected to keep themselves safe.”