Following the fall of the government of Bashar Al Assad, the question on the minds of those living in Syria and outside is, who will fill the political vacuum in Damascus?
The takeover of city after city in recent days by rebel groups led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, an organisation proscribed as terrorists by the UN, US and other entities, has raised concerns about the future of the country and of the region at large.
The leader of Hayat Al Tahrir, Ahmad Al Shara, formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al Jawlani, has been cognisant of this fact and made efforts to rehabilitate his image. In recent days, he has given interviews to international news organisations, positioning himself as a Syrian national figure and distancing himself from his extremist past. Speaking to CNN, he even said that the Hayat Al Tahrir could be dissolved once its objective of removing Mr Al Assad’s government from power was achieved.
Whether Mr Al Shara, who has in the past been affiliated to ISIS and Al Qaeda, will succeed in his image makeover remains to be seen. Syria’s future, however, isn’t linked to just one individual.
Maintaining the state institutions has become a common goal among many actors both within the country and outside. It is worth noting that Mr Al Assad’s Prime Minister, Mohammad Al Jalali, has urged rebels and all citizens to protect these institutions. He has also promised co-operation with any new leadership chosen by its people.
If Mr Al Jalali’s plea is taken seriously by the many rebel groups on the ground – thereby averting further destabilisation of the country – it will provide some relief not just to Syria’s diverse population, but also to foreign powers that have been involved in the 13-year civil war – including the US and Russia.
This brings us to the question of where the various foreign players stand today.
Mr Al Assad’s exit is no doubt a major regression for Russia’s position on several levels – from losing its military bases to ending its presence in the Mediterranean and witnessing the decline of Moscow’s influence in the region, alongside the rise of Turkish and Israeli influence. So is the case for Iran, particularly in the context of its competing interests with the US and Israel.
The departing US President Joe Biden has been co-ordinating with president-elect Donald Trump over the recent developments in the Levant. They both appear to be on the same page regarding the need to reduce Iran’s influence in the region, in large part by aiding Israel in its mission to neutralise Tehran’s most significant asset – Hezbollah in Lebanon – and to deal crushing blows to its strategic capabilities.
Mr Trump has also seemingly not opposed undermining Russian influence in Syria, as it aligns with the US’s grand strategic interests. Moreover, Syria has for years served as a vital link for Iranian militias, and its geography was crucial to the so-called Persian Crescent project. To that extent, the exit of Tehran’s ally in Damascus will be a welcome development for Washington.
Israel, meanwhile, has been co-operating with Turkey by providing the necessary intelligence for Ankara-backed factions in Syria. Its primary aim has been to cut off Iranian military supplies to Lebanon through Syria. Nevertheless, there is a huge trust deficit between Israel and Turkey, bearing in mind that their relationship has often fluctuated in the past, particularly over the issue of Palestine.
However, what all these regional powers – winners as well as losers – are keen to avoid is Syria becoming a breeding ground for terrorism. Washington may have tacitly supported Ankara’s mission to eliminate Russian and Iranian influence in Syria, but it did not endorse support for extremist factions to overthrow the government in Damascus. For its part, Turkey has promised the US that it can help to rein in some of the extremist factions. However, these promises are not necessarily guarantees.
The fact of the matter is that the US, the world’s biggest superpower, is not in the driver’s seat of this speeding train. But Turkey is.
It is, therefore, incumbent upon Washington to use the leverage it has over its allies in the region to influence the developments on the ground to the extent they can – Turkey to Syria’s north and Israel to its south.
With Syria’s future looking uncertain over the next few days, weeks and months, one can’t help but wonder if much of this could have been avoided had the Assad government not made a series of mistakes.
If it had involved the opposition groups in the country’s governance structures and invested in serious reforms – as had been sought by the Arab League when it revoked its suspension of Syria last year – things would have been very different today.
Instead, the country finds itself at a murky crossroads, with little clarity over its future or that of the region, other than the long-term erosion of Iranian, Russian and Hezbollah influence.
Sonchiriya
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
The Greatest Royal Rumble card
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
RESULTS
Men – semi-finals
57kg – Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) beat Phuong Xuan Nguyen (VIE) 29-28; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) by points 30-27.
67kg – Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Huong The Nguyen (VIE) by points 30-27; Narin Wonglakhon (THA) v Mojtaba Taravati Aram (IRI) by points 29-28.
60kg – Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Amir Hosein Kaviani (IRI) 30-27; Long Doan Nguyen (VIE) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 29-28
63.5kg – Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Truong Cao Phat (VIE) 30-27; Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Norapat Khundam (THA) RSC round 3.
71kg – Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ) beat Fawzi Baltagi (LBN) 30-27; Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Man Kongsib (THA) 29-28
81kg – Ilyass Hbibali (UAE) beat Alexandr Tsarikov (KAZ) 29-28; Khaled Tarraf (LBN) beat Mustafa Al Tekreeti (IRQ) 30-27
86kg – Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Mohammed Al Qahtani (KSA) RSC round 1; Emil Umayev (KAZ) beat Ahmad Bahman (UAE) TKO round
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CHELSEA SQUAD
Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Rudiger, Christensen, Silva, Chalobah, Sarr, Azpilicueta, James, Kenedy, Alonso, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Saul, Barkley, Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Werner, Havertz, Lukaku.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
The years Ramadan fell in May
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
The five pillars of Islam
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Final round
25 under - Antoine Rozner (FRA)
23 - Francesco Laporta (ITA), Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG)
21 - Grant Forrest (SCO)
20 - Ross Fisher (ENG)
19 - Steven Brown (ENG), Joakim Lagergren (SWE), Niklas Lemke (SWE), Marc Warren (SCO), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
Zayed Sustainability Prize
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m. Winner: Rio Angie, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Trenchard, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Mulfit, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Waady, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m. Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The years Ramadan fell in May
