Gathering Storm

7 www.digitaldaya.com Remarkably, Mohamed ElBaradei has built a strong Facebook following rapidly swelling to 225,000 followers as of today. The race between Mubarak and ElBaradei has been heated at times,but the rhetoric isn’t inflammatory. Neither candidate is calling for revolution in the streets, which is one of the things that makes this particular political race so interesting and intriguing.This could be considered the first online campaign for political control within the region of the Middle East. U.S. President Obama employed the W3 as an excellent means of putting forth his message to the people. Others would point to the half a billion U.S. dollars of campaign funds Mr. Obama raised through his web site. Both are positive, producing connectivity with the people and lessening the control of special interests.Instead, the people are financing the campaign – a truer, purer form of democracy. This will be an interesting race to follow in the months and years ahead. With Gamal Mubarak and ElBaradei vying for political influence within Egypt demonstrates the power of the world wide web to alter regimes through engagement with constituents. BUILDING POLITICAL COALITIONS - PRIME MINISTER SAAD HARIRI OF LEBANON The second son of Rafiq Hariri,Saad,took over the leadership of Lebanon upon his father’s death and after a long,internal struggle,Saad Hariri became the country’s prime Minister in November,2009. Saad also took the lead of the“Future Movement,” which was founded by his father. He also led the “March 14 Alliance” responsible for the “March Revolution.”This revolution forced Syrian troops to leave Lebanese territory that it had occupied since the country’s civil war that took place in the mid- 1970s.The Forces of the 14th of March maintains a Facebook account with over 7,000 fans. The current Prime Minister of Lebanon was educatedattheMcDonoughSchoolofBusiness,part of Georgetown University located in Washington, D.C. After graduation, Saad managed a significant part of the family’s financial empire, placing him in the middle of an expanding global economy based on free market principles – principles Saad Hariri learned during his years at Georgetown University. The young leader faced stiff opposition within Lebanon,taking several months to form a coalition cabinet. His willingness to reach out and embrace differing views enabled Hariri to build a solid coalition within the government, creating stability among the country’s political,business and financial communities. Further, Hariri has reached out to Syria, long- time occupiers of parts of Lebanon, traveling to Damascus to meet with Syrian President Basher Assad. Reconciliation soon followed. Finally, because of strong business ties,the country’s leader maintains strong ties with the Saudis and has the solid backing of the United States and many other Western democracies. Once again, Saad Hariri is an example of how government connectivity with constituents creates stability and, even more, makes citizens a part of daily governance.Prime Minister Hariri’s popularity with the people is, in part due, to his on-going dialogue with the Lebanese people through his web site at www.saadhariri.com. With Gamal Mubarak and ElBaradei vying for political influence within Egypt demonstrates the power of the world wide web to alter regimes through engagement with constituents. Facebook: A Platform for 21st Century Politics Winning Hearts and Minds on the World Wide Web