Newsweek has just come out with an article making Friedman's point about Libya. It turns out the two power centers in Libya are the province of Cyrenaica in the east (think Benghazi), and the province of Tripolitania in the west (think Tripoli). The rebellion is centered in Cyrenaica, Gaddafi's supporters are centered in Tripolitania. It wouldn't surprise me if these represent two "tribes."
The only reason Libya exists as a nation is that the Ottoman Empire folded Cyrenaica and Tripolitania into a single colony and the Italians kept them that way for administrative convenience. Across Africa and the Middle East most national boundaries are this sort of colonial artifact which hardly anyone dares change, even though they make little sense.
