Armed members of Karbala clans lift their guns as they take to the streets in a show of force and to keep order amidst ongoing anti-government protests, on December 8, 2019 in the southern Iraqi city of Karbala. - As state structures break down in protest-hit Iraq, an old force is making a comeback: the tribes. With their own hierarchies, justice systems and huge arms caches, Iraq's tribes have once again become one of the most powerful actors in the rural and oil-rich south. (Photo by Mohammed SAWAF / AFP)
