Soapbox: Reviving Nasser By Mahmoud Murad On the 38th anniversary of his death, one remembers Gamal Abdel-Nasser with profound longing. The good news is that Nasserism is making a comeback, at least in its general principles. I believe that the ideals Nasser has fought for -- freedom for the homeland, freedom from exploitation, and a promise of revival and progress -- still inspire millions of people, from Cuba and Argentina in the west to Sri Lanka and Indonesia in the east. Nasserism, as a set of ideals, is applicable in any country in the world. Think for a while of what Nasser would do if he were to return to life. I believe that he would introduce new policies, but remain faithful to the main principles we know so well. If Nasser were around, Lebanon would not have gone through such turmoil. Iraq wouldn't have fallen to pieces. I am not saying that the man was a miracle maker, but he had the ability to rally friends and brothers and do the right thing. It is my belief that Nasserist principles are the best answer to rapacious imperialism, avid expansion, and brutal hegemony. Some people still resist Nasser's ideas. Some still cast aspersions on his policies, but that's only because they never understood what he was about. Everywhere you go, talk to the ordinary people and they all want the same things that Nasser spent his life fighting for. From Bolivia to Pakistan, there are people who remember Nasser with a sense of yearning. I know the Iraqis do, and the Palestinians. I know the Yemenis and the Sudanese feel the same way. In the next two months, two summits will be held that remind me of Nasser's legacy. One is the African-Latin summit, and the other is a Non-Aligned gathering. But we need more than that. I believe that we need a meeting of all Nasserist parties and groups. I believe that we need to sit together and try to bring Nasser's ideals back to life. This is the kind of tribute he would have liked. This week's Soapbox speaker is deputy editor- in-chief of Al-Ahram.
