(Photo by Spencer Irvine) How do you wage a civil war, get accused of using chemical weapons on your citizens, avoid a US military strike, admit that you actually have chemical weapons, sit for two US televised interviews and pretty much guarantee that you’ll stay in power? Ask Mr. Bashar al-Assad - because that’s exactly … Continue reading Syrian President Assad: Brilliant Politician
Author: globalnexter
I am the president and founder of Global Next Research Group and Leadership Institute. I go places. Sometimes I take people with me - mostly students and young business people. I haven't been everywhere, but I've been to the right places. I haven't met everyone, but I've met the interesting ones.
In a nutshell, I'm all about shaping the way people think about life, leadership, purpose and a complex world. And I'm also a little bit about the right suite case and comfortable shoes.
Guns, Violence and Distractions
A gunman opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday, September 16th. Thirteen people are dead - including the gunman. At least eight others were injured. Aaron Alexis, from Fort Worth, Texas was identified as the gunman. It’s been reported that he was a Navy reservist, but had been discharged for a pattern of … Continue reading Guns, Violence and Distractions
Benghazi: One Year Out
It’s the 12th anniversary of 9/11 - a dozen years have passed. 9/11 has definitively changed the world and the way people look at safety, security, terrorism, radicalism and how nations interact with one another and against one another. But today is also the one year anniversary of another event: The murder of US Ambassador … Continue reading Benghazi: One Year Out
Leadership in Lexington
I’ve just returned from Lexington, Kentucky where I spent a week speaking for and working with the students and teachers of Lexington Christian Academy, a large private school in Blue Grass country. The week was filled with lectures and classes that ran the gamut from personality profiling and leadership philosophy to cultural shifts and geopolitical … Continue reading Leadership in Lexington
Waffling on Syria
First, we have a leadership problem. Regardless as to whether or not I think military action in Syria is a good idea or not, if a president is going to make big “red-line” statements, then he should do what he says he’s going to do. Or don’t say anything. Obama said he was going to … Continue reading Waffling on Syria
Syria, Chemical Weapons and the US Response
My source inside of Syria contacted me today. He’s a Syrian journalist in Damascus covering the ongoing civil war. He doesn’t want me to use his name, but I trust his information - I’ve literally put my life in his hands when I worked on a project in Damascus back in 2009. After giving me … Continue reading Syria, Chemical Weapons and the US Response
Six Reasons Why You MUST Travel
A big part of the work of Global Next involves the magic of travel. One of our primary programs is taking students and young professionals to international locations where we host leadership conferences. These conferences are held in places like Oxford University, Paris, Germany, Prague, Athens, Rome, Poland and Jerusalem. Each location offers a different … Continue reading Six Reasons Why You MUST Travel
Five Reasons Americans Should Care About What’s Happening in Egypt
The pursuit of democracy is messy. Sorting out a society when all you’ve had since you can remember is tyrannical dictatorships is going to take some time. Many of my colleagues in Egypt believed that they had achieved freedom and democracy on February 11, 2011, when President Mubarak was ousted. Not true. Removing Mubarak was … Continue reading Five Reasons Americans Should Care About What’s Happening in Egypt
Egypt in Context
Of course I have to blog about Egypt. My organization, Global Next, has an office in Cairo. We offer numerous training conferences and run an internship program there. I have witnessed first-hand the impact of the first revolution in 2011, the presidential election of 2012, the subsequent violence in the winter of 2013 and the … Continue reading Egypt in Context
Post Office Boxes and Wisdom
I was standing in the post office in Frisco, Texas, where I live. Standing just ahead of me was a man of, shall we say, advanced years. I do not know exactly how old he was - my conservative guess is somewhere around 112 years old. I do know that his youngest “child” was 65 … Continue reading Post Office Boxes and Wisdom
