Wanted: New generation of politicians

Anyone who understands domestic Israeli dynamics should have seen the "revolution" of a new, younger leadership coming.

The public's desire for this sort of leadership is entirely justified. Things change so quickly – in Israel, the region, and the world – that we need younger leaders who can keep up the pace.

More than that, Israel needs a lot of creativity in the political-security and domestic-cultural realms in order to face the dangers ahead of us and to ensure social justice while taking part in globalization.

True, some of our older leaders, such as Ariel Sharon and Shimon Peres, have a great capacity for innovation and creative thinking, but they are the exception, not the rule. Diplomatic creativity requires younger leaders, who don't have too many ghosts in the closet from a long career in politics.

Quality young people

Of course, "young" doesn't always mean "good", and we must work hard to encourage quality young people to enter politics, instead of power-hungry businesspeople who often know little.

In order to do this, we must take the following steps: Firstly, senior politicians must lead by example. They must show the next generation of political leaders their responsibilities, giving preference to talented people over "loyal" ones, and to creative folks over the people they view as "successors."

Second, universities must develop programs to prepare young people for entering politics.

Thirdly, young people interested in politics must prepare themselves by studying and acquiring experience. They must organize support groups and wage a gritty fight against the older generation. Society must support such initiatives.

Finally, we must make a personal plea to our young people to get involved in politics. More than one excellent student has come to me for advice about making such a move, and in the past I have advised against it. "Your chances of winning an election are small, and you could suffer damage from the way Israeli politics is conducted."

Today my advice is different: Yes, the road is tough. But the call of the hour must be, "Our best and brightest to politics!"

Israel is different than other democracies because of the government's ability to determine the outlook for the future – whether the country prospers or falters.

The nature of government depends on the quality of the politicians, no less than on the make up of the political system or the existence or absence of a constitution.

From now on, it is of utmost importance to repair our political corps and quickly set about endowing it with new faces.