US President Donald Trump arrives to speak to the media at a press conference on the second day of the 2018 Nato Summit in Brussels, Belgium. Sean Gallup / Getty
US President Donald Trump arrives to speak to the media at a press conference on the second day of the 2018 Nato Summit in Brussels, Belgium. Sean Gallup / Getty

Trump's Nato performance was an exercise in destruction. But look to Helsinki for his true intentions



After Donald Trump’s bizarre, vertigo-inducing performance at the recent Nato summit in Brussels, Washington's European allies frankly admit to being stunned and baffled.

They’re wondering if Mr Trump is really trying to achieve specific results, like increased military spending by other members, or is simply trying to destroy Nato and the Atlantic alliance.

Moreover, they’re wondering, if the latter is the case, whether Mr Trump is on his own idiosyncratic rampage, which they can wait out, or represents a new American consensus, meaning they must completely revamp their entire international strategy.

But if Europeans are unnerved by Mr Trump's performance, Americans who care about foreign policy are in a far worse predicament. Other countries can always change their policies. Americans are, for the meanwhile, stuck with this president.

Many are beginning to feel as if a drunken lunatic has seized the wheel of a bus and they are strapped into the passenger seats, not sure what wild and reckless maneuver to expect next and how they will survive the ordeal.

The American foreign policy conversation now centers around three fundamental questions.

First, does Mr Trump have any coherent foreign policy perspective or is this all simply instinctive, glandular posturing to appeal to his political base?

Second, is he deliberately trying to weaken the American international position or merely doing so inadvertently?

And, third, if this is indeed intentional, what explains it?

At the Nato meeting Mr Trump began by insulting the whole organisation, and particularly Germany. He issued the ridiculous demand that all member states quickly start spending 4 per cent of their GDP on defense, which he is well aware cannot and will not be done, including by the United States.

So, it certainly seemed that Mr Trump was deliberately trying to force the crack-up of the bedrock institution of American international power and prestige.

But then he flipped.

As the meeting closed, he claimed, apparently falsely, that all members had agreed to massive military spending increases. He expressed great affection for, and commitment to, Nato, and spoke of the "tremendous unity" of the organisation.

And, in fact, Nato took many crucial practical measures. There were important increases to defense spending, a vital plan for 30-day readiness, more troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, additional counterterrorism measures and moves to bring Macedonia into the alliance.

But no one could fail to recognise the vast damage Mr Trump's conduct did to Nato's unity, or shake the lingering sense that Mr Trump might be trying to prepare the American public for life without Nato, and without any permanent allies at all, for that matter.

An even bigger test of Mr Trump's intentions will come on Monday when he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin. For years, Mr Trump has expressed an unfathomable affection for the Russian autocrat, and he will have a stark, three-way, choice at the Helsinki meeting.

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Read more from Hussein Ibish:

'America first' is quickly turning into America alone

The White House iftar with no Muslim Americans encapsulates Trump's attitude to Islam

When being a 'yes man' isn't quite what it seems

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He can confront Mr Putin over Russia's outrageous international behavior and ongoing efforts to subvert American democracy.

Or he could tread water and have a pleasant and friendly meeting that commits to nothing and resolves nothing, and therefore, in effect, amounts to nothing.

Or, finally, he could provide the Russian leader significant unearned concessions that greatly strengthen the Russian hand at the expense of Washington and its allies.

Beyond election meddling, attempted and completed murders of Russians in Britain, the downing of civilian airliners, and much more, there are at least two crucial international issues on which Mr Trump might be preparing to give away the store to Mr Putin.

Mr Trump keeps implicitly endorsing the Russian invasion and annexation of parts of Ukraine, in particular Crimea. If he moves closer to recognising Russian authority in or sovereignty over Crimea, he will be giving Mr Putin a colossal gift, greatly damaging US and Western interests and prestige and committing violence against the UN charter and other basic instruments of modern international law and relations.

Also alarming is the potential for Mr Trump to hand Mr Putin an enormous win on Syria. A terrible idea, being promoted by Israel and Jordan, and by two of Mr Trump's own staffers – Brett McGurk and David Satterfield – would essentially recognise the legitimacy of the regime of Bashar Al Assad and effectively cede control of almost all of Syria to Iran and Russia.

The only condition would be keeping Iran and its proxy groups like Hezbollah away from areas adjacent to the Israeli and Jordanian borders.

The rest of the country would, in effect, be surrendered, including much of the sparsely populated but strategically vital areas currently under the control of US and US-backed forces, particularly near and along the Syrian-Iraqi border.

If Mr Trump agrees this disastrous idea, which serves the interests of Iran and Russia, and, in a very narrow sense, also Israel and Jordan, but definitely not those of the United States or, indeed, the Syrian people for that matter, Mr Putin will have every reason to celebrate.

The Nato meeting proved how reckless, disruptive and irresponsible Mr Trump can be. The Helsinki meeting will give a stronger indication of what his real intentions are, and how much he's willing to place his power and the office of the US presidency in the service of Washington's most dangerous adversaries.

If he does that, the only question left will be, why?

Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States ­Institute in Washington

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially

Leap of Faith

Michael J Mazarr

Public Affairs

Dh67
 

Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final

Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
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Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
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Hometown: Cairo

Age: 37

Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror

Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing

Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition

HIV on the rise in the region

A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.

New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.

Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.

Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.  

Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.

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Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Essentials

The flights

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Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

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B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run

Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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HOSTS

T20 WORLD CUP 

2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland 

ODI WORLD CUP 

2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh 

CHAMPIONS TROPHY 

2025: Pakistan; 2029: India  

RESULTS

Light Flyweight (48kg): Alua Balkibekova (KAZ) beat Gulasal Sultonalieva (UZB) by points 4-1.

Flyweight (51kg): Nazym Kyzaibay (KAZ) beat Mary Kom (IND) 3-2.

Bantamweight (54kg): Dina Zholaman (KAZ) beat Sitora Shogdarova (UZB) 3-2.

Featherweight (57kg): Sitora Turdibekova (UZB) beat Vladislava Kukhta (KAZ) 5-0.

Lightweight (60kg): Rimma Volossenko (KAZ) beat Huswatun Hasanah (INA) KO round-1.

Light Welterweight (64kg): Milana Safronova (KAZ) beat Lalbuatsaihi (IND) 3-2.

Welterweight (69kg): Valentina Khalzova (KAZ) beat Navbakhor Khamidova (UZB) 5-0

Middleweight (75kg): Pooja Rani (IND) beat Mavluda Movlonova (UZB) 5-0.

Light Heavyweight (81kg): Farida Sholtay (KAZ) beat Ruzmetova Sokhiba (UZB) 5-0.

Heavyweight (81 kg): Lazzat Kungeibayeva (KAZ) beat Anupama (IND) 3-2.

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.