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      An interesting article  published in Al Ghad newspaper two days ago reminded me of national songs we used to sing at the school assembly every morning. The writer contemplates patriotism, and its extreme manifestation in the Arab world, giving accurate examples that no Arab reader can deny. The writer raises questions about the deep love affai r an Arab citizen has with his country, contrasting this unconditional love he or she has to offer with that of a citizen from a developed country. The writer's embarrassment with this exaggerated emotion perhaps drove him to declare that the nation is an unnecessary term for developed countries as it is one nostalgic term, used only when the country is threatened. Unlike the case of an Arab country, no one in Sweden would be shouting patriotic slogans in a demonstration. The writer stressed the need to redefine the concept of a "nation" in the Arab world, in a less romantic form, where inst...

        Interesting was the visit of Obama to the region, or perhaps the minimized region, where important allies sat together to agree on agreeing. Most interesting about Obama’s visit were the quite coincidental peace offering initiatives: ever so proud and victimized Israel, led by a grossly arrogant Netanyahu, apologized to Turkey for the Gaza flotilla incident.   Not only was the unprecedented Israeli apology a surprise, but Erdogan’s quick acceptance and instantaneous resumption of diplomatic relations after much rhetoric also raises eyebrows. Moreover, Jordan revisiting its conscience and accepting to keep its borders open to future Syrian refugees (of course the much publicized 200 million dollar aid package had an important role in that) is also intriguing, given the country’s dire economic conditions. And lastly, the most troublesome Kurdish Labor Party leader suddenly offered an olive branch of peace from his prison cell, renouncing violence and i...

       Karl Deutsch defined social mobilization as a process in which “old social, economic and psychological commitments are eroded or broken and people become available for new patterns of socialization and behavior”. He suggested that political mobilization involves the induction of the socially uprooted into socially stable new patterns of behaviors and commitment, adding that among the most important results of the process of political mobilization are the increase in the number and membership of political organizations.          This transformation in the social values, expectations and orientation in Jordan - following the Arab Spring and its strengthening of the political culture - saw the engagement of people in political life, whether through voting, protesting, running for elections and forming/joining political parties. Jordan currently has 23 political parties and political activists were able to form 61 national lists runn...

El libro de Robert Michels Partidos Políticos ofreció un debate contemporáneo del movimiento social democrático y argumentó la relación entre la organización, burocracia, oligarquía y democracia.  Michels introdujo el término “ Iron Law of Oligarchy ” que estipula que todos los tipos de organizaciones se desarrollan con el tiempo a oligarquías. Esta ley incluye todos los niveles de la organización social, incluso el estado. Siendo un socialista su mismo, Michels criticó la realidad de los partidos socialistas en Europa, que aun tenían una ideología democrática y provisiones de participación ciudadana, parecen ser dominados por los lideres de estos partidos, igual que los partidos conservadores. Su conclusión es que el problema está en el fondo la naturaleza de la organización y la burocracia. Quien dice organización, dice oligarquía (Michels, 1968:241). A pesar de la importancia de su libro en el análisis de los partidos socialistas, su organización, su liderazgo, su tra...