I have been thinking in terms of "tribalism" rather than "rule of law" lately. Rule of law seems to be easily corrupted.

It seems that the flaws of tribalism (it's inflexible nature, for one) may be outweighed by the flaws in rule of law, especially in allowing technicalities.

At the end of the day though, in ANY system, it's up to the individual to understand what is right and wrong, and to have the strength to carry on with that. That is a cultural trait, or at least cultures can reinforce the trait.