We are list-obsessed, it seems. The rich lists, the power lists, the billionaires lists, even, these days, the "bust" lists of the biggest losers from the financial crisis.
Business journalists love them because they inject some personality into their rather dry subject; readers like them because they give a yardstick of comparison and insight into a rarified world few can expect to directly experience. How did Bill Gates get all of that money? Why didn't I think of that wealth-generating wheeze?
The august Financial Times rarely goes in for such populist journalistic techniques. When I worked there, many years ago now, one of my first jobs was to compile and launch a list of European companies ranked in order of profitability. That has morphed into the FT 500 - a comprehensive, if dull, schedule of the biggest corporates in the world. Invaluable, if not exactly something you would read while soaking in the bath.
Last week there was something of a departure for the FT. As part of the paper's admirable special series on the future of global capitalism, it produced a table of 50 people who will "frame the debate" on the nature of the post-crisis world. Great, I thought: the FT's first power list, with all the resources and insight that prestigious paper can bring.
What a disappointment. It was not a list, in that it did not rank in order of importance - though with Barack Obama, the US president, on the top left corner and a little-known Singaporean academic on the bottom right, you got some idea of the FT's priorities. But if these really are the people who will decide the future of the world economy, we are in serious trouble. Some of them resemble those who got us into this almighty mess in the first place.
Western politicians, bankers, business leaders and academics, overwhelmingly male and over 50 years old; a high proportion of US nationals, many of whom have taught or attended a US east-coast Ivy League university; a large presence from former US banking giant Goldman Sachs; mixed with the usual scattering of George Soros-type entrepreneurs and a few Asian faces. If it had run as a list of "50 people to blame for the credit crunch", many names would remain intact.
And only one Arab. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar and head of the country's sovereign wealth fund, was the sole representative of the Middle East. His keffiyeh stuck out conspicuously from the sea of grey-haired men with glasses.
I asked Lionel Barber, the editor of the FT, who wrote an analysis of the 50, about this apparently glaring omission. The Middle East, after all, is the energy powerhouse of the world and home to some of the richest sovereign wealth funds. So why nobody from Saudi Arabia, repository of the world's biggest oil reserves? Or Abu Dhabi, home of the biggest sovereign wealth fund? Or Dubai, still the commercial marketplace of the Gulf region?
"Yes, you're right about Abu Dhabi and yes we could have had more Arab representatives, though Dubai is somewhat under a cloud right now. The trouble with lists is that you always leave out deserving candidates, though I suspect resolving the crisis will still involve more western leadership and co-operation," Mr Barber replied.
Leave aside for the moment whether or not Dubai is "under a cloud". If it is, the Dubai political and economic establishment is taking urgent and decisive steps to lift it. What bothers me about Mr Barber's response is the bit about the West.
You could argue that, because it was essentially a systemic failure of western financial and economic models that caused the asset bubble and resulting credit crunch, it is the responsibility of the architects of that system to put the thing right, to identify the flaws in their own structures that brought the world to the depths of economic recession and suggest ways to dig us out. That is obvious and sensible.
You could also argue that because the effects of the financial collapse are more serious in the West, more damaging to western standards of living and economic well-being, that it is up to those leaders to put their own house in order first. Again, that is common sense.
But I suspect what Mr Barber means is something different. He implies that western "leadership" is necessary to resolve the current crisis, and to frame the future of the system that will replace failed liberal capitalism. Others can learn and follow, but the West must lead. This strikes me as simple intellectual arrogance.
To contemplate designing a new world economic order without the active w of the Middle East would be utterly foolish, and would invite a repetition - in 20 or 50 years time - of the calamitous events we are now experiencing. Globalisation is not a one-way street.
fkane@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
FIGHT INFO
Men’s 60kg Round 1:
Ahmad Shuja Jamal (AFG) beat Krisada Takhiankliang (THA) - points
Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) beat Akram Alyminee (YEM) - retired Round 1
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Bhanu Pratap Pandit (IND) - TKO Round 1
Men’s 71kg Round 1:
Seyed Kaveh Soleyman (IRI) beat Abedel Rahman (JOR) - RSC round 3.
Amine Al Moatassime (UAE) walk over Ritiz Puri (NEP)
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Qualifier A, Muscat
(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv)
Fixtures
Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final
UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
