On the brink of the New Year, world leaders, diplomats and the rest of us ordinary citizens are contemplating what 2025 might bring, often with considerable apprehension.
One area of agreement is that we are in a divided world. At the heart of it are uncertainties about the Trump presidency. We know what Donald Trump has said, but whether the US president-elect's words and comments translate into what he will actually do is a subject of constant debate, even among Trump supporters.
They say we should take him seriously, but not literally, yet that idea is unhelpful and almost meaningless. Will Mr Trump’s threats on tariffs disrupt trade? Yes, if put into practice. Will tariffs “work” – and if so, for whom? Can he end the Ukraine war as he has said, within 24 hours? My guess is no. And what of Gaza, Syria, Sudan, China and other areas of contention?
What we do know is that the new US administration involves big personalities with their own agendas, which may or may not dovetail with the priorities of Mr Trump. How (if at all) will Elon Musk work with Vivek Ramaswamy and the president-elect reinvent the US government?
There are already endless memes on social media showing Mr Musk as president in the driving seat. Many of these memes are on Mr Musk’s own platform Twitter (now X.) A commentator on American affairs suggested to me that if some leaders have an iron will, Mr Trump may have an iron whim, and the Trump-Musk bromance might not last. Ask Mr Trump’s former vice president Mike Pence how their relationship is now and you might have a sense of how suddenly things can change.
Perhaps predicting the unpredictable where Mr Trump is concerned is pointless, and but we can at least reflect on the legacy Mr Trump now inherits from Joe Biden.
Some Democrats say openly that Mr Biden should have quit much earlier as a one term president, to allow a real contest for the heart of the Democratic party. But that is merely one of the many controversies about Mr Biden’s leadership.
His decision to pull US forces abruptly out of Afghanistan caused difficulties with allies, including the UK. It led to the Taliban sweeping back to power in Kabul. What, then, was the point of the two decades of sacrifices after 9/11? Nevertheless, Mr Biden still has his fans. In a recent article for The Hill magazine, political commentator Donna Brazile argued strongly in favour of Biden’s legacy as – in her word – a “great” president.
She pointed out that a 2023 survey of 154 US political scientists put Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and George Washington as the top three greatest presidents, but Mr Biden ranked highly, at number 14.
Mr Trump came last at number 45 in the rankings. Mr Biden has been a “historically transformative president,” as Ms Brazile put it. “His landmark domestic accomplishments are comparable to Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal and Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society.” Well, possibly. But I doubt many of Mr Biden’s closest advisers would make such a claim. And given the significance of Mr Trump’s clear re-election win, it may be that those 154 political scientists, representing the political chattering classes within American academia are – as Mr Musk and Donald Trump repeatedly argue – simply out of touch with the lives of most Americans.
Even back in 2023 it seemed odd to number Mr Biden as one of the greatest presidents although his legacy is significant. As Ms Brazile points out, President Biden won congressional approval for an astonishing $4.6 trillion in investments to end the coronavirus pandemic. There were free vaccinations and treatments. There was job creation, put at 16 million new jobs leading to lower unemployment, and lower taxes on middle class and working-class Americans while the rich paid more.
But even progressives argue that Mr Biden failed on several levels. He stubbornly stayed too long in the fight for a second term until finally confronted by his age and infirmity. That meant he quit too late to enable Kamala Harris or any other Democrat to build support.
In 2020, Biden said he would abolish the death penalty. He didn’t. Then at the end he pardoned his son Hunter. Paternal love is understandable, but the pardon is obviously controversial.
Above all Mr Biden left millions of Americans so unhappy with the state of their Union that they preferred Mr Trump, despite his felony convictions, to return to the White House rather than the champion of the Democratic party.
The Biden legacy therefore will be re-examined and revalued in the months and years to come. But it is not unreasonable to think that if those 154 brains of US political science from 2023 were given another chance to think about great presidents, the astonishing resurrection of Mr Trump’s political career would take him off bottom place. And a rethink might also conclude that Mr Biden at number 14 in the presidential greatness stakes is flattering, but also simply wrong.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Results
6pm: Dubai Trophy – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Silent Speech, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby
(trainer)
6.35pm: Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m
Winner: Island Falcon, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Dirt)
1,400m
Winner: Rawy, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.45pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Desert Fire, Hector Crouch, Saeed bin Suroor
8.20pm: Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Naval Crown, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.55pm: Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Al Tariq, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watsons
9.30pm: Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Dubai Icon, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
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23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
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
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
THE 12 BREAKAWAY CLUBS
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
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CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Pakhtoons 137-6 (10 ov)
Fletcher 68 not out; Cutting 2-14
Sindhis 129-8 (10 ov)
Perera 47; Sohail 2-18
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Blonde
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