The Vision Leadership Institution – A Vision for Israel and the Region

Israel suffers from a grave lack of leadership.The recent war in Lebanon has proven it again. The main sources of leaders in Israel are the military and political parties, but both are providing very poor leaders. The vast majority of these leaders have all grown to adopt the narrow view of seeing the "other" as the enemy.The resulting vacuum in true leadership has been filled with leaders created by advertising campaigns and funded by affluent figures who are devoid of values.One of the main requirements for a true leader is a value-based vision constituting an integral component of his/her self-identity, but which leaves room for adjustments in a continuing dialogue with changing realities.Finding the most judicious balance between this inner visions and shifting external realities – without compromising either – is the essence of leadership. It is also a mark of leadership that one must not sin in despair or delusion. Thus, maintaining a vision which stands fast in the face of setbacks while not shutting oneself off from the world is the main virtue of the leader.What is to be done?What would I suggest for example to a potential donor who wishes to support the Archimedes Point engendering hope for Israel? My answer is: invest in leadership, a leadership institution fostering and training the future leaders of Israel. One of the principal shortcomings of Israeli leaders has been, as stated above, their narrow horizon. They developed in tight military or political tracks where they accumulated their social capital and converted it, in due course, to a political one. In these confines, there is no available track for an ordinary citizen who aspires to join the country's future leadership without relinquishing his own occupation, and who is not rich enough to finance his aspirations. This kind of candidate finds him/her sooner or later out of the running.Most businessmen have an interest in supporting old-fashion leaders with an eye to being rendered subsequent favors. Those who really care and possess a value-oriented creed are rare, and when they attempt to finance candidates of similar disposition they generally fail in getting them elected– their generous spending notwithstanding.The common trouble, however, with vision-oriented leaders is that they often exhibit alienation from their intended constituencies. They are unable to speak to them in simple, uncluttered language and they are sometimes inconsiderate of their traditional and cherished values. An effective leader must in fact be both open-minded, with world-wide perspectives, and at the same time, and no less important, rooted in and attuned to the consensual traditions of his country.I find Europe a potential and refreshing partner in helping to create such leadership Institute because it knows how to appreciate the value of tradition, the catastrophe of war, the benefits of prosperity, and the worth of deep creative thinking. As an objective arena, Europe can provide a refreshing deliberative atmosphere for the future Israeli leadership generation, joining forces with European, Palestinians, and any "others".It goes without saying that I find the American government and civil society, as traditional committed supporters of Israel, natural partners for the enterprise. The American experience with civil society organs, with its theoretical and practical knowledge, is a vital source for the initiative.This program of the institute is not to be a short-term affair but an on-going enterprise, investing in intelligent and committed future leaders able to range far and wide in their thinking. The most important resource of the institute has to be a deliberative arena which gives the best conditions for the emergence of leaders. In 1870, France established the Ecole Science Politique. It was founded after the war with Prussia with the intention of providing the French nation with better leadership for the future. To this very day, this institution has been one of the main sources of French leadership.Fifteen years ago, a more or less similar institution was established in Israel by the Jewish- American Mandel foundation, focusing on fostering leaders in the educational system. A national leadership program could well avail itself of Mandel's wide experience.Another model for the program can be obtained from the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs in Harvard University whose is to "encourage the highest practical level of personal and intellectual interaction among a diverse community of scholars and practitioners. It is distinctive in its recognition that knowledge is a product not only of individual academic research, but also of vigorous, sustained intellectual dialogue among scholars and non-academic experts".One of the institute most vital character should be a networks of other institutes Collaborating with EU programs like the EU Erasmus program and the Italian think tank Vision, which is well established in Europe.The Vision think tank in Italy can be the base for European activities, conducting open seminars and engaging in workshops and conferences. All The partners should conduct running dialogues on a maximum tabula rasa basis, so as to formulate a host of fresh ideas, while sharing the belief that the idea of true leadership should be at the top of its agenda and that it is indeed a realistic one.I and my colleagues, some of them graduates of Mandel's two-year leadership program seeing our self as the future leaders of our country.We are committed to lead, as an integral constituent of the region, a true dialogue. A dialogue based on open-mindedness and a wide and fruitful range of ideas.We seek to find a path for true and good citizens to become leaders of this country. As we are people of hope – not of delusion or despair – we ask that all who sympathize with and believe in our vision, to lend us their support.

The new war in Lebanon

24.7.06

The new war in Lebanon is the free men war. Today is the 13 day for the new war that emerged on us. This is a new war for us First – all the north part of the country is the frontSecond- we all feel it is a just war , except some crazy people .What is also new for us is the understanding and backing of most of the world – most because some EU'S still need to show their Hippocratic character. Iwe do not expect them for nothing – maybe after bombing their cities they will understand something about right and wrong- good and evil.What is not so new but still we have to remember is the fact that the post modern war do not need big armies or large territories – they just need fundamentalist leaders, big money and a poor regime to host them . the proliferation of deadly weapons is every where – just buy it with some bkack money and hide it well in a poor man house within a week government .The Islamic lunatics try to provoke war everywhere they can . they would not stop and any dialogue is a time for them to refiil weapons and train more forces of death .They want their fellow people to stay poor , down and helpless – they destroy them and keep them out of modernity only for the reason that they could be their saviors.The bombs on my parents home in HAIFA are not directed on Haifa or on my families – they are for all of the free families in the world – this is the way the extremist islamist talk.The post cold war world has to understand that it cannot sell democracy like potatoes in the market. He has to create the demand for it by cultural and economic prosperity that will create the need for freedom and than democracy prevails.Evil will stay forever – we have to dry out its terrains . the Lebanease people got rid of Syria but not from the extension this cancer left in the hurt of the country.The whole European union is 375 millions population with 130 billions dollars on the security budget . the U.S is 280 millions inhabitants with 300 billions security budget .The numbers reflect the policy thinking - Europe has to realize that cultural liaisons and diplomatic moves are not enough .The U.S. has to remember that security and intelligence are not enough too .The two have to be united around one mission – to give the free people the right to be free and to give the non free people the chance to be free.To be continued,