Despite entrenched views about tribes and tribalism as premodern phenomena, this form of social organization and identity is relevant today no less than in the past; in some cases, it is even more relevant. Even without exact statistics, one can safely assert that a large proportion of the Middle East's inhabitants belong to a tribe and adhere to tribal social norms and cultural values. Whereas tribe and tribalism in English have somewhat negative connotations—they refer to divisiveness, rivalries, sectarianism, and favoritism—in the Middle East the term tribe is used as a matter of fact, a part of reality. It has equivalents in the local languages (‘ashīra, qabīla, ṭā’ifa) and a long history, from the days before the emergence of Islam in the 7th century. It is a term used by local people, usually in a positive rather than a pejorative way; people are proud of their tribes and see them as building blocks of their societies.

Objective: To evaluate the perinatal outcome of MC twins with selective IUGR (sIUGR).

Study design: A prospective study, which included three groups of MC twins: Group A, uncomplicated MC twin pregnancies (n = 91); group B, sIUGR with normal umbilical artery Doppler (n = 19); and group C, sIUGR with abnormal (absence or reversed EDV) umbilical artery Doppler (n = 18). The latter were routinely hospitalized in the high-risk ward under strict surveillance.

Results: Neonatal outcome of fetuses complicated with sIUGR and normal Doppler was similar to controls. Neonates born to pregnancies complicated by sIUGR and abnormal Doppler had significantly increased incidence of CNS findings, RDS, NEC, sepsis, and neonatal death compared to controls. Adverse outcome in this group was independently associated only with gestational age at birth.

Conclusion: The perinatal outcomes of MC twins complicated with sIUGR and normal Doppler are similar to uncomplicated MC pregnancies. MC twins with sIUGR and abnormal Doppler have reasonable outcomes, yet significantly more neonatal complications compared to non-complicated MC twins.

The tribe was the main solidarity group in Transjordan on the eve of the establishment of the modern state in 1921. As in many tribal societies in the Middle East, the creation of the state system in the aftermath of World War I brought about dramatic changes in the lives of tribespeople, and nomads in particular. The emergence of colonial governments with centralizing ambitions; the creation of international borders; rapid economic changes; and the spread of national ideologies were among the factors that threatened the survival of old tribal order and indeed put enormous pressures on tribespeople everywhere. Nevertheless, in the case of Transjordan, twenty-five years after the process of state-formation and modernization had been launched, tribal identities had not disappeared. Rather, tribes remained important social and cultural categories, having adapted to new realities and transformed in the face of them. Moreover, in the course of this process, the tribal population of Transjordan became the backbone of the Hashemite regime and among the most enthusiastic supporters of the kingdom. Even today, tribal identities, though significantly modified since the days of the Mandate, continue to play a major role in Jordanian politics. Scholars of modern Jordan have acknowledged the special relations between the tribes and the Hashemite monarchy. They have also emphasized the centrality of tribes and tribal political culture in contemporary Jordan. The historical roots of these phenomena, however, deserve further exploration.