I must admit: the 15 students from 10 countries sitting in front of me looked fairly shocked. They had signed up for a course about "Practising Politics and Government in the Age of Disruption" without knowing that their “Professor” was going to be a former UK Prime Minister.
I can’t claim to have been equally surprised. After all, I had agreed to this role. But looking at their faces made me ask: why, 34 years after leaving university as a student, had I returned as an (untrained) teacher? Why NYUAD, rather than my old University of Oxford? And why Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, thousands of miles from home?
I first came to know NYUAD a few years ago when speaking at Ideas Abu Dhabi, which took place at the brand new campus. Of course, the scale of the university, the facilities and buildings, all blow you away. That’s the Emirates for you – they never do anything by halves. But the real shock was the students. Selected by ability, so that family income – or rather lack of it – is no bar to entry, they come from over 100 countries. They are bright, they speak and write English superbly even though for most, it is their second language, and are ambitious and engaged about everything from politics to social and cultural issues.
Emiratis are the single biggest group, but currently, they do not account for more than one fifth of the students. For sure, Abu Dhabi’s partnership with NYU has attracted one of the world’s great higher education brands for the country, but it has built a university for the world. Every university boasts about the native intelligence of its students, but here one statistic stands out: if these young people were applying to NYU in Manhattan, they would be in the top 10 per cent of the intake.
First impressions matter, but not as much as time taken to understand what a country is trying to do
A big attraction for me was the concept of “J-Term” (where the J stands for January). In just over three weeks, visiting professors and guest "tutors" from across the world – offering an array of differing expertise and topics to study – work with students to pack in teaching, seminars, tuition and written work that would usually be spread across a four-month term. In my case, it is a series of seminars on some of the issues that have been driving politics in Europe for the past two decades: the financial crash, the migration crisis, the rise of populism, Brexit and, of course, the war in Ukraine.
We ask a lot of the students. In an era when young people (and their parents) question whether there is enough teaching, written work and feedback even at some of our best universities, my students have to tolerate my teaching for three hours every day – and then produce written work every two days that is discussed and marked almost as soon as it is handed in.
J-Term works for NYU and the teaching staff too. It means that NYU can attract a range of professors and guest tutors that might otherwise struggle to make the time commitment. I am joined here by former leaders of businesses and NGOs, journalists, writers, professors from other universities, and even one or two other politicians, including former PM Matteo Renzi from Italy.
While the teaching schedule is hectic, there is plenty of time left to think. I must have travelled to the UAE half a dozen times as a political leader and many more times since. But usually for a day or two, never more. First impressions matter, but not as much as time taken to properly understand what a country is trying to do. It is easy to see – and be bowled over by – the physical transformation. I am writing this in a flat in Mamsha, on Saadiyat Island, a part of the city that didn’t exist when I first came here as prime minister just over a decade ago. Next door is Jubail Island, where a whole new part of the city is being built from scratch, together with thousands of acres of new mangroves, as part of Abu Dhabi’s target of planting one million trees by 2030.
But it takes longer to grasp the scale of ambition when it comes to human capital. And NYU Abu Dhabi is a part of that. Not so much “build it and they will come”, more “build it and see how we grow.” The same goes for bringing to Abu Dhabi the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic to grow the health economy or the first Louvre outside Paris to grow the cultural one.
Of course, challenges remain. Maintaining stability in an unstable neighbourhood. Managing a hot climate in an overheating world. And building a cohesive society and meeting peoples’ natural aspirations in a country that is welcoming people from across the globe. I don’t understate any of those.
But one of the questions in my course about "Practising Politics in the Age of Disruption" is whether states and governments are capable of long-term thinking and delivering major projects that can transform their nation’s prospects. There is little doubt that when it comes to the UAE, the answer is a solid “yes”.
UK%20-%20UAE%20Trade
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Scoreline
Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')
Bournemouth 0
Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: Najem Al Rwasi, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Fandim, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Harbh, Pat Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
3.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham
4pm: Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jawaal, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
if you go
THE%20SPECS
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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10.
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South Korea
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UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0DJemma%20Eley%2C%20Maria%20Michailidou%2C%20Molly%20Fuller%2C%20Chloe%20Andrews%20(of%20Dubai%20College)%2C%20Eliza%20Petricola%2C%20Holly%20Guerin%2C%20Yasmin%20Craig%2C%20Caitlin%20Gowdy%20(Dubai%20English%20Speaking%20College)%2C%20Claire%20Janssen%2C%20Cristiana%20Morall%20(Jumeirah%20English%20Speaking%20School)%2C%20Tessa%20Mies%20(Jebel%20Ali%20School)%2C%20Mila%20Morgan%20(Cranleigh%20Abu%20Dhabi).%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 523hp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh469,000
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The view from The National
The%20Killer
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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
Bookshops: A Reader's History by Jorge Carrión (translated from the Spanish by Peter Bush),
Biblioasis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
%3Cp%3ECreated%20by%3A%20Darren%20Star%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Lily%20Collins%2C%20Philippine%20Leroy-Beaulieu%2C%20Ashley%20Park%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202.75%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
