A functional impotence

During the civil war, sectarian taïfas parties established a system of quotas whereby each party that controlled a separate geographical area took over parts of state institutions. This privilege, considered as a spoil of war, became a symbol for the sectarian taïfa leaders, founding their societal relationships. Retaining those spoils became a priority for them in their decision making process.

In the exceptional situation we live in, where the viability conditions of the existing system have vanished, it becomes impossible for involved leaders to make decisions related to the disaster because it requires them to make cross-sectarian choices. Any decision they make will harm the interests of one social group in favor of another. They cannot afford conflicts with part of their sectarian taïfa that would jeopardize the structure of relationships inherited from the war and they will not get additional support from the favored group in the other sectarian taïfas.