I think the notion of tribalism has run its course. Everybody forms identities and then makes political alliances with people with whom they believe they share goals in common. To argue that Hitchens was above tribes, and this explains both his international socialism and his support for the invasion of Iraq doesn't pass muster. There was other people who shared similar commitments and with whom he made common cause. Nobody is going to label their own group a tribe, but everybody who opposes you is doing so because of base tribalism. It has no explanatory power.
Also, ironically, this article reads like an apologia for a saint, trying to square the circle of all his inconsistent opinions. Maybe Hitchens was a very clever writer and was particularly well-equipped to speak about his age, but he far from a great thinker.
Also, ironically, this article reads like an apologia for a saint, trying to square the circle of all his inconsistent opinions. Maybe Hitchens was a very clever writer and was particularly well-equipped to speak about his age, but he far from a great thinker.