Germany has discovered its national roots".
Or: "The Jews' historical Diaspora (dispersion) and relative lack of national roots helped them to identify and exploit more quickly the most lucrative emerging markets".
But one of them has renounced its national roots, and in the next few months, if shareholders approve, it will become a naturalized American corporate citizen.
Muslims can relate as much to their ethnic or national roots (Bosnian, Albanian, Turkish, Kurdish, Algerian, Pakistani etc) as they do to their religious beliefs.
In the United States, where fans cheer primarily for their alma maters or local professional teams and where national rooting interest hardly exists, not even Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods exactly equals the complicated, iconic status that Beckham has achieved in England.
He knows the distinction of coaching at Notre Dame, whose deep national roots predate the marketing sensations of Yankee caps, Jordan jerseys, grim Raider and glittery Cowboy gear, Earnhardt memorabilia and cranberry Tiger golf shirts.
The company has pushed out older managers and restructured its divisions over the past two years despite posting record profits even in the global financial crisis.Management by perpetual crisis is perhaps a reflection of the company's national roots.
"We are searching for pieces made by the type of artists who would be successors of the spirit of Russia's intelligentsia, people involved in self-discovery and a search for national roots," he added in an e-mail.
"You have got tax systems that are national, rooted in an old economy, and now we have got these new corporate Goliaths that operate in this disembodied way, particularly in the digital sector, who quite unsurprisingly think they can exploit the best deal for themselves in the cracks and crevices between the national tax systems.
Although it's called a blueprint, he shows respect for national roots and difference, building his case on his huge collection of experiences from Serbia, and his subsequent career with Canvas, training activists in some of the hottest political struggles around (Burma, Syria, Egypt).
Altadis, which is the object of a takeover bid by Imperial Tobacco of Britain, sells several brands with long histories reflecting its national roots, including Fortuna, which is closely associated with Spain, and Gauloises, which is so French that in the 1970s military conscripts used to collect part of their pay in packs of the cigarettes.
