They're Muslim, I'm Christian, explains Colonel King, a Virginia-born Lutheran with a blond crew cut and a ruddy, boyish face. So I try to explain to them that we're both believers, and I can go to specific verses in both the Bible and the Koran...

...The coalition has been slow to realize the importance of tribal affiliations in Iraq, earning criticism from analysts and anger from the sheikhs. If the Americans heard our advice from the beginning - our repeated advice — all this chaos wouldn't be happening now, says Sheikh Hussein Ali al-Shaalan, striking the table with his forefinger.

But King, a veteran of Special Forces and Psychological Operations missions in the Middle East and Latin America, sees the sheikhs as key to securing Iraq. I realized early on that the sheikhs have a place, says King. The idea is not to build controlling little warlords, but to use the information that the sheikhs have to benefit the country...

...The first time that I met Mr. King, I felt that he was exerting himself to learn about tribal affairs, said Shaalan, graciously inclining his head toward King, who tried to look modest. So I also exerted myself to get to know Mr. King.

A scholarly soldier steps inside the world of Iraq's potent tribes - The Christian Science Monitor, 30th December 2003.