ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses in three stages the dynamics within the traditional political system. First, some considerations on the concepts of legitimacy, authority, and power applicable to Al-Karak are put forward. Second, the acquisition and maintenance of the various political leadership roles are surveyed with reference to the whole of the society as well as its parts. And third, we enter upon the true dynamics of the political society by citing examples of different types of political action. The traditional legal system with its associated institutions is the strongest base for authority within the political society. When a man feels that he has been wronged and wishes the wrong to be corrected by the traditional legal institutions, he must establish a claim through a counter-stealing or the threat of violence in order to force a settlement. The traditional leadership roles of the society are based on different combinations of groups and varying balances of ascriptive and achievement criteria.
