It is generally agreed today that the transatlantic alliance, as it has traditionally been known, has broken down.
It’s no doubt a glitch, although a symbolic one, but when I put the term into a Google search, the Nato website appears first, and below it the words “transatlantic alliance” are followed by “No information is available for this page”. Equally kaput is the liberal international or rules-based order, notwithstanding the fact that many questioned whether it ever existed, so egregious were its exceptions and waivers.
This therefore ought to be a time for new ideas, for thinking the unthinkable, for starting not necessarily afresh but with a clean page. I wrote last year about how three contrasting frameworks – China’s “Global Community of Shared Future”, the Association of South-East Asian Nations’ “Outlook on the Indo-Pacific”, and the Japanese-American-formulated “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” – should be considered. But now I propose that the canvas should not just be the Asia-Pacific region, but the globe. What are the regional and worldviews of the Gulf countries, of the African Union, of South America, South Asia and the Pacific states?
What do we share in common, and what can we agree on, in building the multipolar era we are entering? This is a time when documents such as the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (1990) and the Bangkok Declaration on Human Rights (1993), in which 34 Asian countries put forward their perspective, should be re-examined and taken just as seriously as documents such as the European Convention on Human Rights (1953).
If we can get the conversations going, we have a shot at formulating a fairer, more inclusive, and hopefully more peaceful world
This is a time for great debates. I’d love to hear Kishore Mahbubani, one of Singapore’s many outstanding public intellectuals, and a foremost advocate of the “Asian values” school of thought, in conversation with one of India’s greatest sons, the Nobel Prize-winning economist and philosopher Amartya Sen, who believes the opposite – that liberal democratic values are universal rather than primarily western.
This is a time to look into how concepts such as “borders”, “respect”, “tolerance”, “free speech” and “obligations” to family and society vary enormously in different countries. It’s a time not to be trapped by the past, but to reimagine a more just and equitable world order. It should be a time of intellectual ferment – which to me, at least, sounds tremendously exciting.
Unfortunately, it seems that many – particularly in Europe – are retreating to and doubling down on old ideas. It appears now to be conventional wisdom across much of the continent that Russia is both virtually on its knees, economically, and simultaneously, as French President Emmanuel Macron put it earlier this month, a “threat to France and Europe” whose aggression “knows no borders”. The first statement would seem to contradict the second, but that doesn’t trouble those who never cease to invoke the 1930s with dire warnings of “appeasement”.
There is no space to delve into the war in Ukraine here, but it does strike me that politicians such as Mr Macron might stop to ask themselves how they got into this situation in the first place. They have been warned, time and again, most famously by the US diplomat and historian George Kennan in 1997, that expanding Nato to Russia’s borders “would be the most fateful error of American policy in the entire post-Cold War era”. Mr Kennan was a Cassandra, and his prediction that such an expansion “would impel Russian foreign policy in directions decidedly not to our liking” has been proven all too true. This is not to dismiss the death and destruction in Ukraine.
But I would suggest that Mr Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer take a much longer-term view. Russia is part of the European landmass, and the Ukraine war will end at some point. Sooner or later, it would be far more sensible to forge a security architecture that includes Russia, not excludes it. The truth is that just as the Middle East is unlikely to enjoy lasting peace without Israel feeling secure, Eastern Europeans will not sleep easy while Russia is made to feel insecure, threatened and spurned by a West that didn’t try anywhere near hard enough to turn a former foe into a friend after the ideology that divided them collapsed.
A similar hysteria about China also afflicts many in Europe and North America. Not all: I was pleased to see former UK prime minister Boris Johnson describe himself as “a Sinophile” in his recent memoir, Unleashed, and state, “China was not an enemy”. But there are plenty who continue to insist that the so-called “Thucydides trap” makes war between a rising power – China – and an existing hegemon – the US – almost inevitable. All this, while the very Harvard academic who popularised the term, Graham Allison, went to Beijing last year, met President Xi Jinping, and praised him for managing the “Thucydidean rivalry”. “They’ve risen to the conceptual challenge,” Mr Allison said. “I think both countries are already on the right track.”
If a senior American official – Adam Boehler, the US special presidential envoy for hostage affairs – could hold talks with Hamas, as was revealed early this month, that signals that nothing today is off the table. We should treat that as an opportunity, not a cause to retreat behind the ramparts of old ways that have failed. Because failure is the right word. How else would we explain to an alien visitor why, on a planet of such abundance and empty spaces, not only are millions starving but governments spend trillions on appalling weapons that most of us hope never get used?
Don’t mourn the death of an old order that served the interests of its creators who profited from their privileged place in a two-tier world. If we can get the conversations going – and what stimulating, mind-opening discussions they could be – we have a shot at formulating a fairer, more inclusive, and hopefully more peaceful world. But carpe diem: seize the day. Such chances don’t come around very often. The great global dialogue needs to start now.
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
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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETamer%20Ruggli%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadine%20Labaki%2C%20Fanny%20Ardant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key features of new policy
Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6
Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge
A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools
Schools to implement online system to encouraging transparency and accountability
'Peninsula'
Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
The five pillars of Islam
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Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The five pillars of Islam
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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
More coverage from the Future Forum
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Seoul from Dh3,775 return, including taxes
The package
Ski Safari offers a seven-night ski package to Korea, including five nights at the Dragon Valley Hotel in Yongpyong and two nights at Seoul CenterMark hotel, from £720 (Dh3,488) per person, including transfers, based on two travelling in January
The info
Visit www.gokorea.co.uk
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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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.
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Cricket World Cup League Two
Teams
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
Fixtures
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Oman
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
The years Ramadan fell in May
Saudi Cup race day
Schedule in UAE time
5pm: Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors Cup (Turf), 5.35pm: 1351 Cup (T), 6.10pm: Longines Turf Handicap (T), 6.45pm: Obaiya Arabian Classic for Purebred Arabians (Dirt), 7.30pm: Jockey Club Handicap (D), 8.10pm: Samba Saudi Derby (D), 8.50pm: Saudia Sprint (D), 9.40pm: Saudi Cup (D)
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
