European voters are getting rid of austerity and there is civil unrest from Madrid to Athens. England and Spain are in double-dip recession. Austerity seems to be coming to and end, but is the idea of no more nation states coming to an end as well? Watch a really interesting video looking at how the idea of one world living in peace with no borders has been tried – and failed – throughout history:
Sarkozy, as we know, lost the election in France and Greece is in turmoil with the winners being the far left as well as neo Nazis. And it looks likely that Greece will leave the Euro.
Is the one world concept just a dream?
The Roman Empire, the Catholic Church, Napoleon, The British Empire, the Soviets and Americans during the Cold War and the European Union are good examples of attempts to unite the world under "one ruler".
People have dreamed about a united world for thousands of years. Probably since the beginning of time, actually. But so far, the concept has failed. Again, and again, the world has reverted to nation states.
Western idealists breathed new life into the European Union when the Berlin Wall fell. We were all pro uniting Eastern and Western Europe under one entity. To European free trade was added open borders and a single currency. Simultaneously the Americans got rid of a lot of protectionism. It all looked set for finally achieving a one world free trade market area. Free movement of labour was considered essential since the market would regulate everything. But it didn't quite work out that way, did it?
Do you believe libertarianism with the whole world united under one ruler, be it Napoleon, Hitler, the Pope or multinationals is now dead as a concept? Do we need to start dismantling everything that has been built up during the last 30 years in the name of libertarianism and go back to the way it used to be? Or do you believe we will be able to finally create a world in peace without borders? Maybe another option is that uniting the world has failed again but someone, somewhere will again in the future have a go at succeeding? Most likely, since conquering the world and be its ruler is probably the most intoxicating ego trip there is. But is it a realistic concept? It's all very well when things are working according to plan. But are people of different nationalities interested in showing solidarity with other countries in trouble? Doesn't seem to be the case in Europe at the moment.
A multitude of people are going through a tough time at the moment. Even millions of Europeans who have been spared for decades. When feeling hopeless, it's important to remember that what's not possible today may be possible tomorrow. Winston Churchill understood that nothing is impossible – the impossible only takes longer. He rallied the British people behind him, they went through hardship together but eventually succeeded:
The spirit of Churchill is well described in a book I came across by Robert H. Schuller with the title “Tough times never last – But tough people do” years ago in a bookstore in the United Arab Emirates. Loved the title so much I bought it. Unfortunately the book didn't live up to its wonderful title. But "Tough times never last, but tough people do" – that 's how life works, isn't it? No matter what happens you must never give up but keep on trying until you succeed. If not, you are doomed. You must build new bridges and move on. And that's simply not possible if you start feeling sorry for yourself. Be strong, positive, innovative and courageous and it's just a question of how long it takes before you achieve what you are aiming for.
Rome wasn't built in a day
But Rome wasn't built in a days, so don't expect results overnight. An Indian woman I knew in Dubai had a note by her desk saying “God's delays are not God's denials”, and that's so true. Sometimes it is as if life is testing you to see if you really have what it takes to succeed. If you give up whenever there's a set-back you will never succeed. And set-backs there will be, no matter what you try to achieve. It's just a question of constantly finding solutions.
Yes, it's boring I know. But what's the alternative? Everybody would like plain sailing but things are never as easy as they seem, unfortunately. So you have to have faith in yourself and your ability to succeed. If you don't have, why should anybody else?
Nothing is impossible – the impossible only takes longer
Nothing is impossible, the impossible only takes longer, as Churchill said. Now is the time for you to aim for the impossible. Because what's worthwhile many times seem impossible until you have succeeded. What's the point in aiming for something you are not passionate about? If you are not really determined to get what you aim for you will never succeed anyway but give up at the smallest adversity. And in times like these when things are really changing the odds of going for the impossible and succeed are even higher.
Be flexible and open to new possibilities
So set your goal, make a plan and start taking action to get there step by step. And be flexible since once you know what you want you will find new ways that will be milestones on your road to success.
Whenever I really want something I always succeed. It's just a question of how long it takes. Sometimes I even succeed way beyond expectations. The first time I was in Saudi Arabia on a short assignment for a business magazine I found it so interesting I wanted to spend more time there. So I made up my mind I was going to do that. Little did I think that once I was there again working for another publication I would be headhunted and become the only Western woman ever to have held a senior management position in a one hundred percent Saudi owned company in Riyadh. And not just a small company but a diversified conglomerate with 10,000 employees. Didn't even think that was possible.
Think big
Think big, aim for the stars! It doesn't matter if it's for your company, career or whatever, set your goals high. What's the point in using up the energy it takes to just achieve something mediocre? Dare, try, take a risk, learn and be determined. And don't count your chickens before they hatch. Keep your goals to yourself and just do it. When the road turns, turn or you will end up by the side of the road. Broadcasting what you are going to do to all and sundry isn't always a good idea. Not least since some will try to talk you out of it. What do you, for instance, think people would have told Obama ten years ago if he had told them he was going to be president of the United States?
You will be hit in the head a few times until you get reach your goals. But remember, the person who experiences most wins. All serious daring starts from within so make sure you are physically and mentally fit since not only does it make you happier, think better but it also gives you the energy to succeed, even when you have set-backs. Don't forget that people who have really achieved something big in this world have, on average, lost everything they had 3,1 times. Life isn't easy, but to make the most out of it is entirely up to you.
Criminal syndicates are increasingly turning from smuggling drugs to human cargo, and governments and law-enforcement agencies are, despite huge efforts, not able to do much about it. Watch Angelina Jolie talk about the desperation of refugees that make them turn to people smugglers:
Unfortunately it's not just between Africa and the Arabian peninsula people are being smuggled. And lamentably there is only so much humanitarian organisations can do to alleviate suffering.
Who benefits apart from the smugglers?
Frequently Africans are then smuggled from the Middle East to Europe at the cost of approximately $10,000 per person. The most popular destinations are Scandinavia and Britain. But once there some immigrants fail to integrate into society because they they really do not want to be in Europe, but because they can't make a living back home they felt they had no choice. Can't help thinking that all this is so unnecessary and the only ones benefiting are some vested interests and the gangsters making money smuggling them. The latter charge hefty fees of $10,000 per person but many migrants still die en route. Or remain in debt to the people smugglers with all that entails.
So how can we enable poor people to support themselves in their home countries hence depriving people smugglers of their lucrative income? Aid doesn't seem to do the trick, at least not so far. So why should more foreign aid suddenly be able to remedy the current situation?
Trade instead of aid
Am a firm believer of replacing aid with trade by helping developing countries trade themselves out of poverty. And the swiftest and easiest way of doing so would be to enable them to sell their agricultural produce on the international market.
The EU spends almost two fifths of its entire budget (EU budget for 2010 around 139bn Euros) on the Common Agricultural Program, CAP, and even pay European farmers to overproduce. Those products are then dumped at ultra low prises in developing countries, whose farmers are not able to produce at such low costs. Result – poor farmers become even poorer and developing countries even more dependent on imports to feed their population.
Scrap CAP and US farm subsidies
Scrapping CAP as well as US farm subsidies would thus go a long way towards improving the lives of poor people in developing countries and hence reduce people smugglers income. But chances of that happening are slim, unfortunately, since farmers are a strong lobby group in the US and out of 27 EU member countries only four are interested in gradually getting rid of CAP.
All consumers in the world would benefit from abolition of EU & US agricultural subsidies since agricultural products would suddenly become much cheaper. Less immigrants would would be forced to use the services of people smugglers since more of them would be able to support themselves back home. Less Westerners become farmers anyway, so why don't we press fast forward and make this world a better place for all, apart from people smugglers?
What's the point in depriving developing countries of their ability to trade themselves out of poverty? The only thing Western Agricultural subsidies achieve is preserving a profession that is in decline in the West anyway? Wouldn't it be better to take a more holistic view and find solutions that are beneficial to all, instead of just a few? We also have to improve the global trade regime that has been crafted over the years by the WTO to benefit not only multinationals in the North but also the poor in the South. But abolishing Western agricultural subsidies would make an excellent start.
Will R&D departments be replaced by crowd sourcing? Or at least partly? A problem solved is a problem halved, the old saying goes. But what happens when you share a problem with an abundance of people instead of just a few colleagues?
Research and development is usually regarded as top secret and fiercely guarded against prying eyes. However that seems to be changing a bit due to the increased use of crowd sourcing, which allows you to tap into a much wider pool of knowledge and specialist skills.
Reach out to experts you don’t know
The idea behind crowd sourcing is to harvest both internal and external knowledge to solve problems by reaching out to capable people outside your company and regular network. And more and more companies post challenges on web sites and offer a reward to anyone who can solve it.
Get some of the brainiest people in the world competing to solve your problem
A good exampel of such a web site is InnoCentive. It has a network of about 200,000 of the brainiest people in the world that will be able to look at your problem from an objective point of view. The rewards are substantial and to get $50,000 for solving a problem is normal.
A tool for industrial espionage?
Needless to say there are voices are raised against crowd sourcing in particular when it comes to security and the dangers of industrial espionage. InnoCentive believes it has solved that by being responsible for the IP process by making both the source that posts the problem and the sources that solve them anonymous to start with.
Money saver as well as new job market
Crowd sourcing is becoming increasingly popular and new sites are appearing on a continuous basis which seem to indicate that companies are increasingly regarding it as an efficient way of handling innovation. R&D is extremely expensive and by out sourcing, at least part of it, to freelancing scientists not only save a lot of money but also give companies access to some of the best brains in the world. It’s also interesting to note that it is creating a new job market for the intelligentsia of the world where they can pick and chose what they want to work with.
Goldcorp struck gold
One good recent example is that of the Canadian mining company Goldcorp, which was struggling financially and unable to find gold on its land in northern Ontario.
When a new chief executive arrived he put all its geological data online, asked for help on where the gold was located and put up $500,000 in prize money for accurate suggestions.
"They got submissions from people all over the world, including people using 3D computer modelling techniques. They found $3bn worth of gold on the property and Goldcorp became one of Canada's biggest mining companies."
Secrecy versus solutions
Where would Goldcorp be today if secrecy had been more important to them than solving the problem? Crowd sourcing actually enables small and medium sized companies, as well as individuals for that matter, to have an R&D department comprising some of the best brains in the world. With worms like Stuxnet around is it actually possible to keep anything secret nowadays? Unless of course you don’t in any way involve computers in R&D (you don’t even have to post it online for Stuxnet to get access to it).
Useful tool for governments?
And governments are starting to use it as well. It can be particularly useful when there are difficult decisions to be made, such as where the axe must fall in terms of cutting public spending. Critics on the other hand, say it has been proved that crowd sourcing for governments gets out of hand and becomes a tool for lobbyists.
Crowd sourcing in your personal life
Are you using crowd sourcing to solve your own problems? You can actually do so even as a private person. Networks such as Globe Forum allows you to post your problems to their global pool of networks and instantly have a team of experts collaborating to solve your challenge.
What are your feelings about crowd sourcing? Do you believe it’s the way of the future? Or is safety more important to you than a solution? Will crowd sourcing enable small and medium sized companies to better compete with the giants? Do you already use, or plan to use, crowd sourcing?
Even in the West, inequality and poverty are on the rise. Poverty has, in fact, reached the levels of 1933. Devote 4 minutes to watching Thomas Pogge, professor of Yale University, talking about the current international system that allows a large part of the world's population to live in abject poverty:
The global economic downturn has been pushing millions of people into poverty, or worse, extreme poverty. Add to that the fact that people all over the world are moving into urban areas to seek their fortune and we have a danger of slums increasing tremendously.
How do we keep them safe in urban areas?
There hence is a huge need to reduce vulnerability in urban settings. Half the world's people now live in cities, a share that will rise to 70 percent by 2050.
So what are we going to do to give more people in the world a decent life? If we don't do anything the amount of people living in shantytowns will rise, everywhere. Or call them homeless, if you wish.
Extreme poverty leads to crime – or worse
Countries with a lot of poverty easily gets trapped in crime or worse, become failed states. And I don't need to tell you how easily failed states can follow in the steps of Afghanistan and Somalia, do I? So it's in the interest of all of us to start eradicating poverty in the world.
And let's not forget poverty in the developed world
Frankly find it unbelievable that child poverty is on the increase even in a country like Sweden. So is poverty in all age groups, for that matter. And the same applies to Europe as a whole and the United States. Like South Koreans a decade ago, people are starting to committ suicide in Europe due to being wiped out financially. Isn't it, like Thomas Pogge put it, a crime against humanity?
Isn't it time to put Milton Friedmans theories on the shelf and, again, start implementing what Keynes ordered? Or do we really want a world where poverty is increasing and the middle classes are in decline? By now we know the side effects of Friedman's ideas as mentioned in do you concur with Joseph Stiglitz on market fundamentalism? Just look at what has happened the last few decades in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Russia. And since 2007 the American middle class has been severely affected by the same side effects of his policies. The Euro zone is currently being hit which has an impact on Europe as a whole. China has been spared to some extent since it implemented Friedman's ideas but never completely opened up their markets. And Iraq failed miserably because the shock theraphies implemented there went too far.
Negative for much of the world's population
One hundred faculty members at University of Chicago wrote a letter of protest when university president Robert ZImmer announced the creation of a $200m Milton Friedman Institute stating that "The effects of the neoliberal global order … strongly buttressed by the Chicago School of Economics, have by no means been unequivocally positive. Many would argue that they have been negative for much of the world's population." Since the time when Reagan was president the Chicago boys have dominated not only Washington but the world, not least through the IMF. So now when the recession keeps on causing substantial increases in misery isn't it time to stop implementing policies that favour multinational companies at the expense of the majority of people in the world?
Do you agree with Pogge that many of the people who support the current international system are like passive Germans during the Nazi era? Do we really want the world's middle classes and poor to be worse off? Is it really a good idea to have more people across the globe living in shantytowns? Or being homeless? No wonder Occupy Wall Street swiftly spread to 1,500 cities all over the world. Is it the beginning of a new era where 99% of the world's population say enough is enough and demand to get a share of what now goes to the top one percent? Is equality only justified if it benefits all human beings? What's your opinion? Is it time to put market fundamentalism aside and start stimulating economies in order to grow again and give more people a decent life? The Euro zone would make a good start. Or are you of the opinion that Friedman's version of capitalism is the way forward?
Without a clear strategy you will lose an abundance of opportunities of doing PR that will not come back, you will react too slowly and lessen the impact of what you are doing.
To be able to swiftly react to news you really have to know what you are aiming for with your PR activities. What's your target group? What's your message? Who's your spokesperson? What issues do you want to be associated with?
Whenever headline news is associated with what you do, contact media and make a statement. Journalists are keen to hear from companies involved in the sector.
Contact news agencies
Whenever there is news you would like to comment on call news agencies immediately and make a statement. The earlier you call the higher the likelihood of you being quoted.
Focus on developments in your area
What's being debated in parliament? What events are taking place? Inform journalists about news in your company that are related to what's going on and issues being debated. Don’t forget to give them background, facts and comments.
Scoops give opportunities
Whenever a newspaper has a scoop you can give them additional information and your points of view. Journalists will be keen to publish what you say since you prove that their scoop really was remarkable.
Take advantage of lack of headline news
When there is lack of news it's easy to get an interesting story published. And getting your company in the papers during the weekends is not as difficult as during the week. It’s not for nothing that Wikileaks always release their documents on Fridays. Always be prepared to take advantage of not much happening in the world by having press releases and articles ready to submit. And make sure that spokespersons are available to comment.
Anniversaries and jubilees are good occasions
An easy way to start a press release is by stating something like "with our national day coming up…" and then going on to whatever it is you would like to get published. Volvo for instance got a lot of coverage by taking advantage of International Women's Day by launching a car developed by and for women in connection with it.
Timing is key
Save your news until you need publicity, for instance because of fundraising or an IPO. A good example of that is how some fundraising organisations try to get as much publicity as they can at the end of the year which is the time when they raise funds.
Lobbying
If you want to impact decisions being taken you need to start lobbying long before the matter will be decided upon. For instance, if you are keen on being voted entrepreneur of the year it's a good idea to start submitting articles to the opinion section of major newspapers just before the jury will meet to decide who will be the lucky one.
Avoid days when much is happening
The day the budget is released, war breaks out somewhere or someone famous is taken to hospital it's a waste of time to try to get your press release published. It will not work for the simple reason that other more important events are taking place.
Forget about sending emails
Call the journalists. This is by far the most effective way to connect with media because they receive hundreds of emails every day. While everyone else is scared of getting a big no in their ear, having a bit of courage will get you further in the PR game.
The press release is dead. At least, the old press release where you e-blast news desks, reporters, and news-wires. While online media releases do serve SEO purposes and have track-able metrics, in a world of spam the last thing an editor wants is another generic email about the launch of something.
How are you handling your PR? Still sending press releases by email? Do you usually get your press releases published? Have you developed good relations with journalists in key papers? What strategies have you tried and which ones work for you? What suggestions do you have for companies trying to get more impact from their PR activities?
Media coverage can make wonders for your business. So solid news media strategies should be part of well-rounded publicity campaigns. As opposed to advertising, articles have high credibility, are read and for free – if you manage to get the editors’ interest.
So how do you get journalists to publish your news? What can you do to improve your chances of getting published in newspaper, radio, television or online?
Develop contacts in the media
Learn how journalists and editors work and decide what to publish. It's easier than you believe. Media is constantly looking for news and are happy to write about companies and business people, provided they consider the story to be of interest to their readers. Do you have a story to tell, positive news or wish to comment on something in the news related to your business? Pick up the phone and call the journalist. This can be particularly fruitful if your organization has an ongoing need to be in the newspaper or on TV.
Create news
Editorializing your news is crucial. What subjects are media interested in and why? What would make them interested in what you have to tell? Read, watch and study as many news outlets as possible and try to understand what makes news. Then present it in ways that make the journalist feel it is newsworthy.
Get to the point and keep it short
When sending press releases to media covering your field keep it short to the point. If it's long and complicated the editor may not even read it. Don't make it appear like advertising, boast or complicate it because that can work against you. Focus on what’s new, trendy, unusual, interesting, and of significance to the broadest numbers of readers. News organizations also love stories that arouse deep emotions – love, sympathy, hate, fear, anger – feelings that people can identify with.
Call the media swiftly
Journalists are flooded by emails so the best way of succeeding is to call him/her. Once you have got them interested in your story you can proceed with sending an email with information. And be swift. Nobody is interested in yesterday's news. If you spend too much time contemplating how to best get results you will miss the boat. Arrange a news conference if you believe, or know, you news will generate significant media attention.
Need help?
If necessary use a PR & Communications consultant. It doesn't have to cost a fortune but is well worth it. Media coverage can be make or break for your business so until you master the art of handling the press it is money well spent.
Don't hesitate to be interviewed and profiled in the media because it increases your chances of getting your news published. Look at Richard Branson. He masters the art of using himself as a living "advertisement" for Virgin Group. And I don't need to tell you how successful he is. Where would Virgin be today if Richard hadn't manged to get an abundance of media coverage? Don’t be afraid to ask for coverage and propose specific ideas. Your story could become the centerpiece on the front page. Don’t be discouraged or argumentative if your idea falls on deaf ears. You will learn from the experience. And don’ forget that the editor may turn you down today simply because the staff ’s time is taken up by other assignments. Be persistent. Be positive. Develop more and better ways to pitch your organisation into the news media. And whatever you do, don’t forget that if they don’t like you they will not publish your news. So make sure you come across in ways that make both you and the company look good.
“The most successful leader of all is the one who sees a picture not yet actualised. He invents the things which belong in his present picture but which are not yet there” US political scientist Mary Parker Follett once wrote. And she's right because if you don't know where you are going and can't see it, how are you going to get there?
Followers actually want a leader with a compelling vision of the future and research shows they respond to a leader who can articulate a vision reflecting their own aspirations. It needs to be engaging, capture their hearts and get them to pay attention. Those who hear it should want to be a part of it.
So what does your vision of the future look like – what's the image? When you make colleagues travel with you, what will they see? Will they be able to visualize it, remember and make an effort to achieve it?
Inspiration the name of the game
Great leaders provide inspiring visions and passionately believe they can make a difference by inspiring people to achieve more than they ever dreamed possible. You must be able to provide a clear picture of a change beyond the horizon with a realistic image of what could become. Only then can you with your attitude get people enthusiastic and passionate about playing their role in reaching your destination.
What does you vision look like?
Once all your colleagues have a vision of your aims and goals you can set out to reach them. It is a bit like the old saying: “If you don’t know where you’re going, then for sure you won’t get there.” Warren Bennis says of vision: To choose a direction, an executive must first have developed a mental image of the possible and desirable future state of the organisation.
Make others want to be part of your vision
The best way to impact others is to convey your vision in a dramatic and enduring way. If you bore them, or they don't really believe in it, the impact will be next to none. A company who buys the grudging compliance of its staff is practically not going anywhere while enthusiastic and participating employees are a crucial aspect of making a vision come true.
A vision should ideally be of long term challenging goals. The odds of realizing the vision may actually not be more than fifty percent, but the company must believe it can. So aim for something worthwhile that will make people stretch themselves to succeed. If not they will not make that extra effort essential for success.
Personify the vision & mission
You need to get to the stage where executives and managers can live the visions and missions, be seen doing so and constantly communicate them to their colleagues. And chances of that happening without a mental image is slim. It's best is to create a noble vision that elevates the energy, enthusiasm and passion of everyone in the company.
And don't forget to make everybody see a benefit in enabling the vision to come true. There's no need to worry about laying out the vision in details, it's the direction that counts. But do remember that a good vision will evolve over time. Having a vision can be a catalyzing force in our lives, but don't expect to travel a linear path from point A to point B to realize it because no matter how good the vision it has to adapt to an ever changing world.
America's global supremacy is over, according to Brzesinski but he adds that the US still has an extremely important twin role to play. Watch him tell Chrystia Freeland why Vladimir Putin's election will reverse political evolution in Russia and how the US should handle Syria:
Few individuals have had as much influence as Brzezinski when it comes to shaping US global policy and hence the world today. Since Jimmy Carter was president the ideas outlined in his book "The Grand Chessboard" have been like a bible for US administrations.
One nation can no longer dominate the world
The days when one nation, or even one region could dominate the world the way Rome did 2,000 years ago, the Ottoman empire 500 years ago or the British empire a century ago, are, according to long-time national security expert Zbigniew Brzezinski, over. It's simply no longer possible.
Americans have to get used to sharing power
"The world is now much more diversified", he says. "There is a new east in Asia and a global population that is awakened politically". "America have to get used to the new world, in which their relative influence may decline"
He firmly believes a strong West is needed as a counterbalance to rising developing nations. The US should, in his opinion act as "promoter and guarantor of a greater and broader West".
Enlarge the sphere of capitalist democratic nations
America should, according to Brezezinski, take a lead in enlarging the sphere of capitalist, democratic nations in North America and Europe by integrating Turkey and Russia.
Avoid conflicts with China and Iran
Brezezinski believes it is crucial that America understands that it needs to avoid conflicts with China. "We have to accept their economic and political rise and that there is nothing the US can do to stop it".
US role in Asia is, in his opinion, as a "balancer and conciliator between major powers in Asia". America should learn from Britain in the 19th century when it stood aloof from conflicts in Europe and just tried to mediate. Instead of entering into a formal alliance against any major power in Asia i.e. China, Japan, India and South Korea, the US aim should be to mitigate conflict and promote cooperation and conciliation.
Western military action against Iran would in his opinion be seen as external intrusion and a cause for war in the Middle East and should hence be avoided.
Do you agree with Brzezinski that America will no longer be the one and only super power? Should the US take a lead in developing a greater and broader West by integration Russia and Turkey? Should America mediate between Asian powers and avoid military action against Iran? Should the US listen to Turkey and Saudi Arabia when it comes to handling Syria? Or maybe you are of the opinion that he is wrong and America will remain the one and only super power?
How exciting! Long before Dan Brown wrote Angels and Demons earth shaking stories about what is hidden in the Vatican's vaults were around. The Catholic church keeps most of its documents looked away from the public. Not even scholars have access to all collections in the Vatican's Secret Archive. But now some are, for the first time ever, on public display. Devote 2 minutes to take a look inside the Secret Archives:
The documents at the current exhibition in Rome serves as a fascinating journey into the memories of the past of the church, empires, kingdoms and republics. For six months about a hundred documents will be on display at the Capitoline Museum.
Some documents on display
The 1521 decree from Pope Leo X excommunicating German monk Martin Luther
A 1530 petition asking Pope Clement VIII to annul Henry VIII of England's marriage to Catherine of Aragon
Letter from Mary Queen of Scots to Pope Sixtus V, written just weeks before she was beheaded by Queen Elizabeth of England.
The judicial acts of the trial of Galileo
A letter from the guillotine-bound Marie Antoinette
Some letters are written in the Vatican's own encrypted code used to prevent secret messages between the Holy See and its diplomats being intercepted by hostile powers. The oldest of those are from the first half of the 14th century.
Re-branding the Vatican
It's all part of an effort to get away from being seen as an institution that keep historical, and potentially damaging, documents sealed away. To put an end to being a source and symbol of intrigue that provide endless fodder to conspiracy theorists.
Have personally been interested in the Secret Archive since I was a teenager and read about how Pope Pius XII collaborated with the Nazis. Sadly however, those documents stay locked behind metal fences. Vatican officials say they need time to index them but from what I understand it's actually an issue of papal prerogative.
So for all the scholars with an interest in what Pope Pius did or didn't do, the collection will be kept hidden. Can't help wondering if it's really a good idea to keep such controversial documents under lock when you are trying to re-brand yourself? Wouldn't it be better to release them even if the content is damaging for Pope Pius XII? He passed away a long time ago and the Vatican would, if worse comes to worse, gain respect for admitting that he did something wrong and apologise for his mistakes. The re-branding effort would definitely have gained from doing so.
But it's a huge step forward for the Vatican to release papal files to the public. In the past you could be thrown into the papal dungeons for doing so. Now a modern look will also be launched with new logos, slogans and costumes, in fact even a re-launch of the Christian fait, to re-package the Vatican and the Catholic faith.
Is this the beginning of a new era of transparency for the Vatican? Will the documents relating to Pius XII's reign eventually be released? Or only part of them? Will holding an exhibition have an impact on how the institution is perceived? Or is it just a lame effort to make it appear as if the church has adapted to the modern era in order to keep its power? Will the re-branding effort work? Is it a good idea for the Holy See to re-brand itself and adapt to the modern world? Or would they gain from being shrouded in secrecy? Will more faiths follow in the Vaticans footsteps and re-brand themselves?
