Leadership at the Time of No Leadership

The notion of leadership has undergone many changes throughout the ages. Nowadays, we don't have the type of leaders like the prophets and Alexander the Great. We don't have lands to conquer and monotheistic religions to preach but we have markets to conquer and minds to reach. Thus, the vision of the leaders has changed. Also, we don't have a crisis of leadership as the number of leaders is mushrooming and the margin of maneuver is lessening. The leaders who want to be remembered by history should explore new fields in order to be innovative and pioneering.

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.