Identity or No Identity?

Identity has undergone a tremendeous change. Today, we don't see a homogeneous identity but it's rather heterogeneous and hybrid. Since the waves of immigration from Europe and other parts of the world to the New World, we have started talking about identity as doubled. Also, the Old World itself is no longer homogeneous; it's becoming more and more multicultural. The partisans of globalization say that time has come to talk about the world citizen and demographic realities on the ground stand by their idea. The evolution of international traffic has accelerated people's immigration thus identity has changed. We are more and more talking about the roots, the descent and the origin. Identity is more hyphenated than it was in the past. Hyphenated adjectives like Italian-American or Algerian-French are present everywhere. Besides, we started talking about multiple citizenships and not only two; Monica Seles and Carlos Ghosn are perfect examples of this multiplicity. For globalists the one-citizenship age is falling apart. For nationalists, it's still strong. We cannot control human migration because it's a natural human phenomenon. It's not an artificial one. One of the chracheteristics of the human being is to move, to settle and to resettle and history has proven that.

How to Campaign to Release a Jailed Blogger

Some bloggers are jailed in developing countries because of their political or social activism but there are a few steps that can be undertaken to help release them.

1- Send appeals to the embassy of the country of the blogger in your country.

2- Send to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the jailing country on Twitter: @Minister-of-Foreign-Affairs

3- Spread the word on Twitter- use #blogger's-name and #name-of-his-country.

4- Add a banner on your blog/website

5. Write blog posts demanding the freedom of the jailed blogger.

6. Spread the videos related to the blogger.

What Does Gamal Mubarak Want?

It seems that the chapter of inheriting the presidency will not be closed in the Arab World as many rumors stated that Gamal Mubarak, the son of Egypt's president's Hosni Mubarak, is willing to submit his candidacy to the presidential election of 2011. Gamal Mubarak and his father have been denying the succession scenario but Gamal is doing his best to boost his credentials as the best successor for Mubarak. He is currently the General Secretary of the Policy Committee which is the third most powerful position in the party and the starting point for most of the government’s actions. In addition, he has embarked in an Obama-style strategy to gather supporters; he previously made an open debate on Facebook and he constantly polishes his image. Gamal Mubarak is a handsome, intelligent and well-educated young man with an experience in politics and business. What do you want more? Are all those qualities and expertise not enough?! It seems that he is the perfect fit for the position but its genealogy that may prevent him. He is the son of Hosni Mubarak. Many factions in the Egyptian opposition categorically disagree with the attempts of the succession as they do not want to be ruled by another Mubarak. Gamal Mubarak is taking regular and consistent steps to become the de-facto president of Egypt and if he fails in his quest, then he will become a kingmaker or an indispensable figure in the Egyptian politics for the years to come. It's wise to recall the citation that says don't look at someone's words but look at his deeds.

How to Preserve the Diasporas' Identities?

Diasporas are growing everywhere; their numbers are accelarating. Many of the members of those diasporas are fearing to lose their identities and their roots. I understand those fears but many measures can be taken to preserve those weakening identities. Language is an essential part of one's identity and culture and a lot of third-generation immigrants are not speaking a single word of the language of their fathers . They, later, deplore the loss of their identity. Parents should speak at home the language of their fathers in order for the kids to be accustomed with that language or accent. Also, the names of the newly-born babies should be related to the culture of the original identity, thus society becomes multicultural and diverse. History has proven that multi-ethnic societies are stronger than the mono-ethnic ones. The interaction between those ethnicities is a source of creativity. The diasporas should also worship the religion of their ancestors and venerate the saints of their original lands. For Christian Lebanese who are outside Lebanon, it is Our Lady of Lebanon which should be venerated. Frequent visits to the fathers' land are also encouraged in order for the new generations to know where do they originated from. Parents ought to instill in their children and grandchildren the notion that they should be proud of their origins. Grouping a certain diaspora in institutions and associations is a unifying factor for the immigrants and their descendents. The diasporas should be treated by their original states as full citizens and they should be granted citizenships, the right to vote and seats in the parliaments. An emphasis can be put on the original cuisine and on media related to the ancestors' land. Maintaining the diasporas' identities is a burning issue but previously-given clues can be very helpful.

How to Teach Team Work Inside Your Family

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Why Is It Almost Impossible for Morocco to Get Ceuta and Melilla?

Many factors hinder Morocco from getting Ceuta and Melilla. In the Spanish mind those two cities are considerd Spanish as Algeria was once considerd French. Also, the demographics are in favor of Spain: The ethnically Spanish people who were born there consider their birhplace as the hometown and if Morocco acquires them what she will do to those dwellers? Also Spain invaded the enclaves many centuries ago when modern-day Morocco didn't exist. It seems that history wiped out all the Moroccan calls for sovereignty over the two lands.

How Abu Dhabi's Rise is Good for Dubai

Following the footsteps of neighboring Dubai and Qatar, Abu Dhabi has set a vision for itself. The latter aims at building a developed society in the city-state by 2030. After Dubai's real estate bubble's explosion by the fall of 2008, Abu Dhabi has witnessed a magnifcient rise. Many analysts see that Dubai has callapsed as Fast Company magazine wrote "Bye-Bye, Dubai" on the cover of September 2009 issue while others believe that the society and the system that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has built is strong enough to fall in few months. The proponents of the second viewpoint say that Dubai can benefit from Abu Dhabi's rise.

During the Arab Strategy Forum held in Dubai in 2004, Fareed Zakaria said that Dubai shouldn't fear from Qatar's progress. He added that it is in Dubai's interest that Qatar accumulates more power. Following the same logic, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are not determined to fight each other. They may compete and more importantly they have to compliment each other. Dividing the roles gives an opportunity of specialization and focus. Dubai will be visited by thousands of Abu Dhabi's tourists. When asked by journalists whether Abu Dhabi is competing with Dubai, Dubai's ruler said that the cities belong to one unifying state and there is no competition between the two emirates. Abu Dhabi's eminence will exert more pressure on Dubai to excel. If left without any serious competitor, Dubai might stay in the comfort zone. This race is healthy for the UAE and for the GCC as a whole. Time has come to talk about the Gulf Triad: Dubai, Qatar and Abu Dhabi or the Gulf Quartet when Saudi Arabia is added to the triad. In the United States, for example, Los Angeles and San Francisco are two neighboring and "rival" cities but they didn't eclipse each other. This is a healthy example that Arabians can contemplate.

Dubai will become a more competitive city due to the rise of Abu Dhabi. In the Middle East, several finanacial and cultural centers are emerging. The world has statrted talking about Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Riadh, Ras Al Khaimah and Beirut-the always vibrant city and the regional hub of the past and of the present. These centers may be regional ones but they meet and sometimes beat the international standards in many fields: finance, commerce, tourism, transport, real estate, architecture, media, fairs and education.