"Tribes With Flags" is part of a phrase attributed to Tahseen Bashir, an Egyptian diplomat (April 1925 – June 11, 2002). 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"."Tahseen Bashir, Urbane Egyptian Diplomat, Dies at 77", Neil MacFarquhar, The New York Times newspaper, June 14, 2002.
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 (Apr. 1990) and Tribes With Flags: A Journey Curtailed (1992), both by Charles Glass.
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