Across America’s great political divide, there is an even greater consensus. Almost every candidate seeking the Republican or Democratic party’s nomination to run for president is clear about the need for America to brandish its weapons as well as its warlike intentions. By threatening the unflinching use of force, America’s power will be felt by the world, they say.
Even the Obama administration, run by a Nobel Peace Prize winner who once described war as an “expression of human folly”, has not been immune. The US defence secretary Ash Carter said on Tuesday that America will step up operations against ISIL through “direct action on the ground".
But it is in campaign politics that American bellicosity is particularly loud. On the Republican side, there is Donald Trump’s boast that he is “a very militaristic person”; Ben Carson would not rule out military force against Russia; Carly Fiorina wants the “strongest military on the face of the planet”; and Lindsay Graham would wage war in four different countries immediately on getting to the White House. The Republican field is crowded and that is only a snapshot.
Meanwhile, the Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton said just last month that she would unhesitatingly use military force against Iran. She has also previously indicated dissatisfaction with president Barack Obama’s caution about the deployment of soldiers, or at the very least, threats to do so. It is striking that Mrs Clinton’s nearest rival, the unfashionably socialist Bernie Sanders, is the only one in this race to steadfastly oppose the use of almost any force in the current conflicts in the Middle East. He cites just one case in which he supported it: Kosovo.
Generally speaking, the firing up of militaristic rhetoric is hardly unusual in an America that has fought more than a dozen wars since it withdrew from Vietnam in 1973. As political scientist John Mearsheimer, who has written copiously on international aggression, puts it, America has been at war for a startling two out of every three years since 1989 and there is no end in sight. The professor controversially cobbled together the theory of offensive realism to explain why international aggression continued, particularly on the part of the US, even after the fall of the Soviet Union and the supposed “end of history”.
The perceived triumph of western liberal democracy over communism and fascism should have stayed some of the more overblown rhetorsic and the military adventurism. It did not and it is noteworthy that the next US president will be the third commander-in-chief to oversee the war in Afghanistan.
There are good reasons for American troops to stay on in Afghanistan, mainly related to its perilous state. But it is telling that America’s presidential hopefuls are largely unfazed that Afghanistan has become their longest war. Mr Obama recently described the drumbeat from Washington, saying that if he’d listened to his critics “who holler all the time, we’d be in like seven wars right now”.
This might be no more than a sad commentary on America’s martial reflexes when it comes to foreign policy, except for a basic truth: the American people themselves are decidedly war-weary. There is no longer the appetite, the money or the men and women to fight distant wars.
The indications are clear. In the American fiscal year that ended in September, the four armed services planned to recruit 177,000 people, but found it hard going. This led Maj Gen Jeffrey Snow, head of army recruitment, to tell The Economist it was "remarkable (that) with an American public that thinks very highly of the military … less than 1 per cent of Americans are willing and able to serve". The Afghan and Iraq wars have taken their toll and even the director of army marketing acknowledges that most young Americans associate the army with "coming home broken, physically, mentally and emotionally".
There also appears to be a new mood of reflectiveness within the military establishment. Learning from the Long War, a book produced and published last month by the National Defence University, offers tentative lessons based on an analysis of the costs and consequences of a decade-and-a-half of war. It compares the invasion and occupation of Iraq with the faulty "decision-making pathologies associated with Athens' Sicilian expedition in the Peloponnesian Wars [and] the introduction of US combat troops into Vietnam in 1965". At the strategic level, it says, "there are no cookie-cutter lessons that can be pressed on to every batch of future situational dough", but it notes the inadequate intelligence that marked the Iraq and Afghan operations. The book also discusses the "painful process of trial and error" that guided US attempts to build indigenous police and military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan as the centrepiece of its exit strategy.
So meditative and honest a book would be remarkable at any time, let alone now, as a self-confessed “assessment of two unfinished campaigns”. It is worth noting, too, that it emerged as the result of two questions posed by Gen Martin Dempsey, who retired late last month as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff: “What were the costs and benefits of the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, and what were the strategic lessons of these campaigns?"
For all the combativeness of most of America’s politicians, its people seem to know the answers in their bones. Iraq and Afghanistan have graphically reminded them of Gen Sherman’s observation after the American Civil War: “Its glory is all moonshine … war is hell.”
Rashmee Roshan Lall is a writer on world affairs
On Twitter: @rashmeerl
Pakistan World Cup squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain
Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
Results:
Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
- Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
- Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match
- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
- Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
- Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
The years Ramadan fell in May
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
The years Ramadan fell in May
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Read more about the coronavirus
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
THE BIO
BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.
Coming 2 America
Directed by: Craig Brewer
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones
3/5 stars
Under 19 World Cup
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
