In an often-divided world, can we agree on one thing? It’s difficult to make sense of the apparent contradictions wrapped up in the Donald Trump presidency. One day tariffs on some US trading partners are on. The next day – maybe even the same day – they are off. Then on again.
One day the US is backing Ukraine. Then vital military intelligence to Ukraine’s forces is cut.
Then there is talk about annexing Greenland, the Panama Canal and even Canada. And then there’s the Elon Enigma. Mr Musk is hiring and firing government employees.
Then, last week Mr Trump said that hiring and firing will now be done by those he has put in charge of various government departments, not by Mr Musk. Confused? Well, maybe it’s time to speak plainly. These are not “apparent contradictions”. They are real contradictions and some see an underlying Orwellian mindset.
George Orwell wrote in 1984 that “Eastasia has always been at war with Oceania,” when the opposite had previously been true. In his novel “that past was alterable”. Yet even in Orwell’s fiction, inconsistencies in U-turns in policies were not a daily event.
The cliche is that we must not take Mr Trump “literally” but take him “seriously”. Perhaps over the next four years, we need to take Mr Trump’s inconsistencies both seriously and literally. Inconsistency, contradictions and uncertainties so far appear to be Mr Trump’s governing strategy. We need to get used to this. This view was echoed recently by a lead story in the New York Times. The headline read “You Can’t Pin Him Down: Trump’s Contradictions Are His Ultimate Cover”.
The article goes on to say that Mr Trump’s “shifting positions and outright lies have presented the American public with duelling narratives at every turn”. True, and as diplomats and political leaders across the world are noticing, confusion is not seen within the Trump White House as a flaw, but as an asset.
And this has profound implications for European security, Ukraine’s future, the Middle East, China, Canada, Mexico and indeed every part of the world where the US has an interest, perhaps even ultimately including Russia – although so far Mr Trump appears to be consistent in his praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the policies of the Kremlin.
Trump cabinet members finally – if politely – challenged the president over the role of Elon Musk
Insider reports from Washington in the past few days reveal that Trump cabinet members finally – if politely – challenged the president over the role of Elon Musk. Mr Trump appears to have (for now at least) limited Mr Musk’s powers. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is one of the key Trump team members said to be less than awe-struck by Mr Musk’s talents.
When I was a journalist in Washington, I covered numerous US presidencies and I cannot recall any in recent years having reports of significant cabinet dissent made public so soon.
The puzzle is this. If Mr Musk’s job is to cut government bureaucracy and improve things through Doge, the supposed Department of Government Efficiency, how can he do that if other people decide on the biggest cost, hiring and firing employees?
The language of Mr Musk’s job has certainly changed. He was taking a “hatchet” to bureaucracy. Now it’s a “scalpel”. News reports suggest, for example, there have been significant rows about firing or laying-off air traffic controllers, especially after the horrific crash at Washington’s main airport. If other people hire and fire, what is Mr Musk’s role?
Two things are striking about this insider gossip. The first is that Mr Musk and Mr Trump are hugely successful alpha males, but in any power struggle Mr Trump will win, although given Mr Musk’s high profile, if they fall out, both perhaps could be damaged.
The second striking fact is that the stories and gossip coming out of the Trump Cabinet meetings appear very well sourced. Within the highly competitive inner circle, the top tier of the Trump White House and administration, there is loyalty to the leader but also clearly declared rivalries. That promises more leaks and news stories.
Above all, uncertainty and U-turns are not a by-product of the Trump administration. They are baked in to the way Mr Trump runs things. If Ukraine, European allies, Canada, Mexico, nations across the Middle East and others are uncertain what Mr Trump will do next, so are some of those in the Trump Cabinet.
The trouble with that kind of approach was summed up by a previous president, George W Bush. When there were problems in his administration Bush was clear: “I’m the decider,” he said.
Mr Bush listened to arguments then decided. He stuck by his decisions. Even if you disagreed with his policies, Bush’s “I’m the decider” remark sums up the job description of the US presidency.
Mr Trump is now clearly the decider. But the problem for his Cabinet members, his allies, his neighbours, American investors and indeed the rest of the world is this: if Mr Trump is the decider, is he a leader for whom his indecision is final? Will today’s decisions be reversed tomorrow? Uncertainty has its uses. It also has severe limitations.
SHADOWS%20AND%20LIGHT%3A%20THE%20EXTRAORDINARY%20LIFE%20OF%20JAMES%20MCBEY
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CRICKET%20WORLD%20CUP%20QUALIFIER%2C%20ZIMBABWE%20
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TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
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Maestro
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
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)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Quick%20facts
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