Is the world of international affairs a matter of black and white, in which the forces of good do constant battle with the legions of evil, and in which all must take sides?
One might imagine that it is, judging by the way the EU has been attacked following the recent finalisation of its Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) with China. Soon after the trade deal was announced, more than 100 politicians and activists wrote an open letter demanding that the EU withdraw, complaining that the CAI was "based on a naive set of assumptions about the character of the Chinese Communist Party" and "runs counter to Europe's core values".
Others have variously described it as “a disaster for the West”, a “missed opportunity” to push harder on human rights issues, and an accord that “will poison transatlantic relations” because of US President Joe Biden’s wish for America and Europe to act in concert when dealing with Beijing.
Read More from Sholto Byrnes
But it's not just China. The EU has also been condemned for not backing criticism of Russia over the country's lack of liberties with stronger action, with Berlin in particular attracting considerable flak for continuing with the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline between the two countries. When Armin Laschet, the new leader of Germany's ruling Christian Democrats, said that the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was no reason to stop the pipeline, Jonathan Eyal, International Director at the Royal United Services Institute in London, tweeted "the would-be German chancellor is a man who stands up for his values. Gazprom values", referring to the Russian energy company.
European leaders have defended their independence and their refusal to take part in a face-off between the US and China. "I believe it is very important for the EU to have its own China policy," current Chancellor Angela Merkel said a few days ago. "We should strengthen multilateralism. I don't think de-coupling is the right way to go."
France's President Emmanuel Macron has also rejected an alliance ganging up on Beijing, calling it a "scenario of the highest possible conflictuality" and "counterproductive". As for Russia, the CDU's Mr Laschet asked why his country should opt for drastic action over the plight of Mr Navalny when, as he said: "For 50 years, even in the aggressive times of the Cold War, Germany has bought gas from the Soviet Union, now from Russia." "Feel-good moralising," he added, was not foreign policy.
Mr Laschet makes a good point. But as the Georgetown professor Anatol Lieven put it in a recent article in Prospect magazine: "The approach that is building up in Washington risks repeating some of the worst US mistakes of the Cold War: the demonisation of the enemy; the inflation of the adversary's strength; the exaggeration of the adversary's ambitions" – here he cites as a counterexample what he describes as China's "notably cautious and hesitant" strategy in the Middle East – and "the framing of every local dispute as part of a global struggle between good and evil".
And it's not just in Washington. The Biden administration's early emphasis on democracy, rights and values has added impetus, but the view that under their current leaderships both China and Russia are malign actors has been hardening among a substantial body of politicians, particularly in the US and the UK, for some time. More than ever, they are giving the impression that all aspects of the relationships with those two countries – not just trade – must be measured by the yardstick of human rights and values.
First of all, it should be obvious that “values” – beyond some very basic ones – vary from place to place. Countries that are not liberal democracies, such as China and Russia, are clearly guided by a different set of values. The logic of this new test by the West dictates that they are therefore automatically cast in the wrong.
Second, why has this suddenly become the over-arching criterion – one of which we heard little during the many decades when the West would support more or less any dictator, no matter how corrupt or barbarous, so long as he was not a communist?
It is not the criterion of the EU, which has described China as “a co-operation partner with whom the EU has closely aligned objectives, a negotiating partner, with whom the EU needs to find a balance of interests, an economic competitor in pursuit of technological leadership and a systemic rival promoting alternative models of governance".
This aligns with the positions of Ms Merkel, who mentions climate change as a key area for the EU and China to work together, and Mr Macron, who says China is at once a partner in some areas, a competitor in others, and a strategic rival in terms of values.
Better to avoid seeing relations between countries as a 'global struggle between good and evil'
This is more sensible, more realistic, and more in tune with the traditional goal of foreign policy, which is not the desire to establish your ideals or "values" elsewhere but the pursuit of national self-interest. For Germany, with China as its biggest trading partner, that certainly makes sense. As more widely did a comment by the country's economy minister, Peter Altmaier: "Business relationships and business projects that have existed for decades are one thing, and serious human rights violations and our reactions to them are another." He was referring to Russia but his words apply just as well to China.
I am not defending the governments in either China or Russia, nor would I wish to live under the systems of government that pertain in these two countries. But there is no "containing" either China or Russia, nor should we talk in those terms. And if the West wants to make everything about human rights, it had better be prepared for the UK to be sanctioned for its terrible treatment of immigrants from the Caribbean, and for the US eventually to be prosecuted for war crimes in an international court.
It is better to take the EU’s approach and avoid seeing relations between countries today as a “global struggle between good and evil”. Let’s leave the last word to Germany’s Mr Laschet: "We have to take the world as it is in order to make it better."
Sholto Byrnes is an East Asian affairs columnist for The National
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Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
FIGHT INFO
Men’s 60kg Round 1:
Ahmad Shuja Jamal (AFG) beat Krisada Takhiankliang (THA) - points
Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) beat Akram Alyminee (YEM) - retired Round 1
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Bhanu Pratap Pandit (IND) - TKO Round 1
Men’s 71kg Round 1:
Seyed Kaveh Soleyman (IRI) beat Abedel Rahman (JOR) - RSC round 3.
Amine Al Moatassime (UAE) walk over Ritiz Puri (NEP)
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
Match info
Arsenal 0
Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
US PGA Championship in numbers
1 Joost Luiten produced a memorable hole in one at the par-three fourth in the first round.
2 To date, the only two players to win the PGA Championship after winning the week before are Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and Tiger Woods (2007, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Hideki Matsuyama or Chris Stroud could have made it three.
3 Number of seasons without a major for McIlroy, who finished in a tie for 22nd.
4 Louis Oosthuizen has now finished second in all four of the game's major championships.
5 In the fifth hole of the final round, McIlroy holed his longest putt of the week - from 16ft 8in - for birdie.
6 For the sixth successive year, play was disrupted by bad weather with a delay of one hour and 43 minutes on Friday.
7 Seven under par (64) was the best round of the week, shot by Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari on Day 2.
8 Number of shots taken by Jason Day on the 18th hole in round three after a risky recovery shot backfired.
9 Jon Rahm's age in months the last time Phil Mickelson missed the cut in the US PGA, in 1995.
10 Jimmy Walker's opening round as defending champion was a 10-over-par 81.
11 The par-four 11th coincidentally ranked as the 11th hardest hole overall with a scoring average of 4.192.
12 Paul Casey was a combined 12 under par for his first round in this year's majors.
13 The average world ranking of the last 13 PGA winners before this week was 25. Kevin Kisner began the week ranked 25th.
14 The world ranking of Justin Thomas before his victory.
15 Of the top 15 players after 54 holes, only Oosthuizen had previously won a major.
16 The par-four 16th marks the start of Quail Hollow's so-called "Green Mile" of finishing holes, some of the toughest in golf.
17 The first round scoring average of the last 17 major champions was 67.2. Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen shot 67 on day one at Quail Hollow.
18 For the first time in 18 majors, the eventual winner was over par after round one (Thomas shot 73).
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
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11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENetflix%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKris%20Fade%2C%20Ebraheem%20Al%20Samadi%2C%20Zeina%20Khoury%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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
Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SupplyVan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2029%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MRO%20and%20e-commerce%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE squad
Rohan Mustafa (captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
