When Bill Clinton left the White House in January 2001, he was replaced by the conservative Texas Republican George W Bush. As Mr Bush was inaugurated, I asked an American policy adviser for advice: the British government of Tony Blair had been very close to Mr Clinton, so how should Mr Blair deal with Mr Bush’s very different administration?
The response was that Mr Bush and Mr Blair inevitably would work together well, but Mr Blair should get as close as possible to Mr Bush, despite their very different ideological mindsets. Perhaps Mr Blair received similar advice from his own advisers.
Certainly by the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the two politicians moved in lockstep. Mr Blair had some influence in persuading Mr Bush to work within the UN. Mr Bush had Mr Blair – and the British military forces – as allies for the overthrow of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Read More from Gavin Esler
As another US diplomat once said to me, “when we say multilateral, we mean 'get the Brits on board'". For “the Brits”, that has often meant talking up a “special relationship” with the US. Since the Second World War, a central ambition of British diplomacy has been to act as a bridge between the US and its European allies.
But now?
The UK-US relationship was seriously tested during the Trump presidency. The former UK ambassador in Washington during the Obama years, Peter Westmacott, has been discussing the ups and downs in his new book, They Call It Diplomacy. Mr Westmacott had 40 years representing Britain abroad. He is scathing about the Trump administration but also revealing about the UK's strategic weakness. As he puts it: "Britain's first instinct, especially when it does not know what to do, is to ask the Americans, but that was near impossible when US policy was being made by early-hour tweet."
Donald Trump's undiplomatic Twitter diplomacy was made worse by the fact that he did not think much of his own American experts, the career diplomats in the US State Department. He didn't fill key posts, and he couldn't retain talent in key positions.
In policy terms, there was plenty of hollow talk about the possibility of a rapid UK-US trade deal after Brexit. Such agreements are complex treaties that take years to negotiate and ultimately have to pass through the US Congress.
When Mr Westmacott's successor as British ambassador, Kim Darroch, suggested in private emails to London that the Trump administration was dysfunctional, you might think this was hardly "Top Secret". But when the emails were leaked, Mr Trump had one of his fits of pique and made clear that Mr Darroch should go. The British foreign secretary at the time was Boris Johnson, who supinely refused to back Mr Darroch for stating what was utterly obvious. Mr Darroch had to resign – a sad moment when a diplomat with an impeccable record loses his job for the crime of telling the truth in confidential cables to his own government.
All this is just background to the obvious fact that the US-UK relationship is very close but also very unequal.
A new generation of British diplomats must now reset relations once more to make sense of a new – but more predictable – US administration. Joe Biden promises great change and has begun delivering. The Biden reset means that the US is back in the game of seeking international co-operation, playing a prominent and often leadership role in international bodies including Nato, the WHO, and on climate change.
"America is back; diplomacy is back," Mr Biden told State Department staff in a morale-raising visit. He has spoken to friendly world leaders "to begin re-forming the habits of co-operation and rebuilding the muscles of democratic alliances that have atrophied over the past few years of neglect and abuse".
Diplomats no longer have to worry that a 5am tweet from a listless president will wreck all their careful conversations
Some world leaders, seen as close to Mr Trump, were not high on Mr Biden's list for a chat, including Israel and Turkey. Mr Biden has withdrawn support for the war in Yemen. He has cancelled Mr Trump's order to pull 12,000 troops out of Germany. There has a been a difficult phone call with Vladimir Putin and the US relationship with China – and Taiwan – is about to enter a new phase, too, although the next steps are unclear.
In London, meanwhile, there is excitable talk in government circles about a post-Brexit "Global Britain". But it is without any clear meaning beyond the Trade Secretary enthusing about a possible trade pact with Pacific nations. Pulling out of the European Single Market while pushing for a Pacific trade deal seems a bit odd for the British isles, which, geography suggests, are fated to remain on the other side of the world in the Atlantic. Moreover, that old idea of an American president ever having to call Europe by going through a British switchboard is as antiquated as the telephone technology of the 1950s and 60s.
However, there are grounds for optimism. British diplomats – the skilled successors to Mr Westmacott and Mr Darroch – have equally skilled American counterparts now to work with. And, at least, diplomats from all countries no longer have to worry that a 5am tweet from a listless president will wreck all their careful conversations.
Gavin Esler is a broadcaster and UK columnist for The National
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More on Quran memorisation:
My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
Tour de France Stage 16:
165km run from Le Puy-en-Velay to Romans-sur-Isère
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The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
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Rajasthan Royals 153-5 (17.5 ov)
Delhi Daredevils 60-4 (6 ov)
Rajasthan won by 10 runs (D/L method)
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
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
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
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