But none of this will necessarily stop Mr Milosevic from continuing skilfully to divide and rule.

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Fahmy Huwaydi, a widely syndicated columnist with close ties to the Brotherhood, dismisses the supposed split between Sunnis and Shias as part of a plot to divide and rule Muslims.

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The new head refused to listen to advice from experienced members of staff and had a "divide and rule" policy, dropping team meetings and - Mr A says - losing the respect of staff and pupils.

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That is what the trial starting in The Hague on Monday is for - to decide whether Mr Taylor is guilty of responsibility for atrocities, or whether, as he says, the whole affair is part of an attempt to divide and rule the people of West Africa.

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In the past Mr Ecclestone has handled the teams brilliantly, using divide-and-rule tactics to prevent any serious rebellion and to keep a large share of revenues for his firm.

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But almost all known groups of foragers divide men's and women's work the same way, which makes it likely that the same rule applied in the past, and for the same reasons men tend to be stronger and faster, and women are more likely to be occupied with childcare.

ECONOMIST: Palaeoeconomics