"rged a system of artificial nation states that corresponded in no way to the region's tribal loyalties, sectarian identities and mental geography.But in a place of such mixing - Sunni, Shia, Christian, Jew, Druze and other religions and sub-groups besides - how could it?Perhaps, then, in my young guide's mind, Napoleon stood for all the colonial and neo-colonial meddling that had followed him: the" . . . . . .