Primates, Coalitions and Small Group Politics

Many scholar's have commented upon the tendency for human decision-making to be subject to shifting coalitions. Madison, among others, noted that this could lead to instability. This paper suggests that there is a biological basis to this propensity. Two case studies of "chimpanzee politics" are examined; both indicate that chimpanzee coalition behavior seems to be underlaid by a kind of cost-benefit calculus. Since chimpanzees are humans' closest relatives, this implies the possibility that human coalition behavior has an evolutionary basis. Implications for human politics are discussed.