Were Mesopotamians Critical Regionalists?

 I have always struggled  with trying to realize pure Critical Regionalism. I know there are numerous examples of architects who achieve this status in their works but isn't there always room for debate? When Tzonis and Lefaivre’s talk about critical regionalism they assure that one must build to their surroundings while also building globally. But I must ask how do you draw the line? When does one go too far into trying to achieve critical regionalism and begin to imitate history? At the same time how does one not design in a way that takes away from the critical approach to the region and begin to hurt itself? I personally think the answer is found from critics of the region you are building in. But if so, does that mean that one can only achieve critical regionalism if they have lived in or have been raised in a particular area for a certain period of time?