DEAR SULTAN by Warren Bennis

“Step One: Immediately draft a tutor to help you understand ‘social networking.’ Do not repeat the mistake of Mubarak who was pig-ignorant about the contagious power of the Internet. The young, in Egypt 40 percent of the population is 35 and under, are more familiar with Facebook than your official daily newspaper.

Step Two: Keep in mind that among your own and other Middle Eastern countries; there has been no stable civil society for centuries. Nor is there the infrastructure for that, let alone a fully democratic state. Transitioning into a situation where your various constituencies (or ‘subjects’ in some cases) can put together the scaffolding for a new and stable order will not take weeks, or months, or even two to three years. No one knows, with any certitude, how long such advances take; especially so for a royal dynasty or a charismatic dictatorship. If any of your advisors tell you they know, fire them. Figure on a time period between today and the end of this decade, maybe longer.”