Waging a war against Iran because of its controversial nuclear programme will be a failure of statecraft, the former head of the British armed forces has said.
While the military option should be in the background as a means of deterrence during diplomatic talks, the use of force against Iran should be avoided, Retired Gen Sir Nick Carter said in an exclusive interview with The National, two months after his retirement as chief of defence staff.
“What needs to happen here is that the diplomats need to get around the table and deals need to be struck,” he said. "We don’t want to see the military instrument being used. It will be a failure."
Negotiations between Iran and major western powers, as well as China and Russia, resumed in November and there is cautious optimism that a deal could be reached.
The Vienna talks are aimed at reviving a 2015 deal between Iran and six world powers, which offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear programme.
In 2018, US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from talks and reimposed economic sanctions on Iran.
In response, Tehran abandoned its commitments.
There has recently been a change in Israel’s position away from opposition to the deal.
Defence Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that Israel could support a deal that is viewed as offering checks on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is solely for civilian purposes.
Mr Carter, who is scheduled to attend Intersec, the world-leading emergency services, security and safety event, next week in Dubai as the main speaker, shared his insights after a 44-year military career.
They don’t want this region to go upside down. My view is that this will be controlled, because it isn’t in Iran’s interests ultimately to become a pariah like North Korea.
Retired Gen Sir Nick
Asked whether Iran could be playing for time in Vienna until it developed a nuclear weapon, he said it was not in anyone’s interest, including Iran and the region's close trading partners such as China, to move towards military confrontation.
“They don’t want this region to go upside down,” he said. "My view is that this will be controlled, because it isn’t in Iran’s interests ultimately to become a pariah like North Korea."
Asked whether the UK has taken part in exercises against mock Iranian nuclear installations, Mr Carter said “No.”
Mr Carter joined the army in 1977 and served in Germany during the Cold War, in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, in Cyprus with the UN and in command of a battalion for operations in Bosnia and Kosovo.
In his previous role, Mr Carter was the head of the British Armed Forces and the most senior military adviser in uniform to the secretary of state for defence and the prime minister.
In Iraq, he served as a brigade commander during 2003-2004. On tours in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2013, he commanded 55,000 Nato troops.
'Every day is a school day'
After the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, the UK joined the US in two very long and costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Critics said military intervention proved unsuccessful, led to unnecessary civilian death and displacement and put soldiers in harm’s way.
Last year, Mr Carter expressed disappointment at US President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.
In his view, an army cannot fight adversaries without “boots on the ground”.
He believes that this approach should still go hand-in-hand with technology and unconventional methods to win wars because “technology can neither control nor hold the ground”.
“While the character of conflict is changing with technology, I think the nature of war, which is fundamentally about the interaction between human beings, that doesn’t change,” he said.
“There’s still going to be a need in future war for human beings to engage. You are going to have to go close and personal, in order to be able to get the resolution that you need.”
As cyber attacks against government agencies and businesses have become common, Mr Carter said that risk management was crucial to prevent them but there is no country that can protect everything.
“You know, you can’t defend everywhere. What you have to do is you have to stand back and say, ‘So what is absolutely critical that I defend?’ And then make sure that your cyber defences are robust and resilient enough to be able to defend the things that really matter.”
I think the advice I would give your 17-year-old or my 22-year-old is, make sure that you remember that every day is a school day.
Retired Gen Sir Nick
Asked how he would describe the Iraq war to successive generations – a war that was condemned by a British public inquiry – Mr Carter said he learnt during his military career the value of humility to acknowledge mistakes and learn from them.
Announced in 2009, the 2.6 million-word Chilcot Report, also known as the Iraq Inquiry, was one of the lengthiest reports on UK government policy, concluding that the US and UK had not exhausted peaceful alternatives to the conflict before invading Iraq.
“I think the advice I would give your 17-year-old or my 22-year-old is, make sure that you remember that every day is a school day.”
“Because if you don’t have the application and the humility to learn, then you are going to make the sorts of mistakes that previous generations have made as well,” he said.
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Looming%20global%20slowdown%20and%20recession%20in%20key%20economies%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Russia-Ukraine%20war%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Interest%20rate%20hikes%20and%20the%20rising%20cost%20of%20debt%20servicing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Oil%20price%20volatility%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Persisting%20inflationary%20pressures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Exchange%20rate%20fluctuations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shortage%20of%20labour%2Fskills%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20A%20resurgence%20of%20Covid%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
Maestro
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBradley%20Cooper%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBradley%20Cooper%2C%20Carey%20Mulligan%2C%20Maya%20Hawke%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Nadhra, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Dars, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Taghzel, Malin Holmberg, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: M’Y Yaromoon, Khalifa Al Neyadi, Jesus Rosales
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeem, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m
BLACK%20ADAM
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
