By Dr. Amer Al Sabaileh
Writing for Ammon News

Being a Jordanian travelling around, the first thing I noticed when I talk to people is popularity of His Majesty King Abdullah II and her Majesty Queen Rania. However, if one travels to Italy, in particular, they will discover that this popularity has a completely different story. The fame and popularity that Her Majesty is having in Italy is something truly unique. This significant success and the popularity of her Majesty make us, Jordanians, think of the opportunities that the efforts can bring to Jordan, especially when we know such an image shaped, by Her Majesty, made us avoid the cultural differences and miscommunication, which most of the other countries are suffering from.

In a very short time, Queen Rania managed to be one of the most visible first ladies in the Arab world. Her obvious charisma and personality gave her the potential to go beyond the Arab community to the international, where she is not just present but also lively dynamic. She knew that the key to effective cross-cultural communication is knowledge. Thus, she understood the potential problems of cross-cultural communication, and made a conscious effort to overcome these problems. This explains how her success was the proof of the capacity of the human resources in achievements over the natural resources.

Her innovative way of dealing with things, was the secret beyond the success of her initiatives. Her pioneering revolution on the stereotypes was very effective, simply because it took into consideration the need of arriving to people in the easiest and unthinkable way of communication as if she were not a queen but one of the common. The positive result was not just the success in opening dialogue through YouTube channel or Twitter, but also breaking the stereotypes of how a royal member is only seen and judged. Making use of her strong interpersonal skills and creative acumen, she managed to be seen not just as a pretty and elegant Queen, but also active, amiable and a humanitarian lady.

The aim of mentioning all this is the official visit that His Majesty king Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania are paying soon to Italy. It is noticeable that the era of King Abdualh II is witnessing stronger ties between Italy and Jordan from which both countries stand to benefit. Italy is the world's seventh largest donor and it is always willing to expand the pragmatic cooperation with Mediterranean countries. Therefore, His Majesty’s state visit can open the door to a strategic partnership to a new height.

Although the popularity of Her Majesty in Italy is clear and strong, there would be a need to introduce her work and initiatives to the Italian public and officials. Knowing the Italian “Bureaucratic structures” and interests of cooperation for development could provide key opportunities for exchange, and cooperation. These projects and initiatives could be probably funded through agreements of cooperation between Italian regions, cities or municipalities and universities. That will directly connect Jordanian cities and municipalities with the Italian, in order to satisfy the stipulation of reviving developmental projects in the areas which are -unfortunately- still classified as less fortunate.

The assistance that the Italian cooperation can give to Her Majesty’s initiatives of development in (Education, youth, building capacities, tourism, archeology, etc) can be supportive to guarantee better and comprehensive results. In conclusion, it is our mission now to invest what her majesty worked on in these years, making the way of development much easier than it could have ever been.



Dr. Amer Al Sabaileh

amersabaileh@yahoo.com