The cries of outrage in America have not ceased since Donald Trump’s firing of the FBI director, James Comey. Such has been the dismay over what critics see as the president’s attempt to shut down the inquiry into his team’s links to Russia, that a rather more important fact has been missed. And that is that Mr Trump was entirely right to sack the showboating Mr Comey, and if he erred in any way it was in not dismissing him as soon as he took office.
Should Mr Comey have gone last summer, when he wildly overstepped the bounds of propriety by announcing that Hillary Clinton would not be charged for routing classified emails through a home server, but said she was guilty of extreme carelessness?
A completely inappropriate comment from a civil servant, whose views on the behaviour of presidential candidates should have been known to none, it gave life to a charge that dogged Mrs Clinton throughout the campaign. If not then, he should certainly have been shown the door when he resurrected the inquiry and disgracefully made it public days before an election whose result he almost certainly thereby influenced.
His overdue departure is therefore to be welcomed. But his dismissal appears to have fallen into that category of good outcomes whose virtues are overlooked by those who concentrate on the motivation rather than the act itself – which is to miss the greater point. Mr Trump’s critics – particularly the Democrats – are getting angry because they think he fired Mr Comey for the wrong reasons. They seem to forget they were calling for his head only a few months ago. All should be pleased that a supposedly impartial official who strayed so egregiously into politics has lost his job.
It reminds me of the first Gulf War. Along with the vast majority of The National’s readers, I imagine, I supported the successful operation to restore the sovereignty of a nation state –Kuwait – which had every right not to be invaded and occupied by its neighbour. Yet there were many in the West who, perhaps out of reflexive disdain for American military intervention anywhere, opposed the attempt to uphold the rule of law and the principle that countries should not subjugate others by force any more.
Again and again I heard the line “it’s all about the oil, that’s why America wants to kick Saddam out of Kuwait”. Firstly I would point out that it was not just the US but a wide alliance of countries that supported freeing Kuwait, and was it not possible that at least some were motivated by outrage at Saddam Hussein’s invasion?
But even if one were to be completely cynical about it, and say that America cared naught for the liberty of the Kuwaitis, and only about access to their oil and gas deposits, I would point out that it still led to the right outcome – the liberation of Kuwait.
Yet the left-wing opponents of that war could not get over their revulsion at what they misguidedly saw as an act of self-interested American imperialism. It was a shameful attitude that I suspect few would defend now. They would have to concede that the war yielded the right result, and that that was more important than any reservations they had about US motivations in the long run.
The same applies to the Brexit referendum in the UK. At the end of March, David Cameron was pilloried for saying that he thought holding the vote last year “was the right thing to do”. Mr Cameron only promised the referendum to fend off the challenge from Ukip and satisfy the Eurosceptic wing of the Conservative Party, was the response. He thought he could win it for “Remain”; instead he gambled and lost, complain those most bitter about Britain’s forthcoming departure from the EU.
That all may very well be true. Nevertheless, it is also true, as Mr Cameron said, that “this issue had been poisoning British politics for years. The referendum had been promised and not held.”
Whatever one thinks of the result, it was entirely correct that the people of Britain be given a say over membership of the European Union, an organisation which has a huge bearing over their lives, absorbs a substantial chunk of their taxes, and which has morphed into something very different to the Common Market the UK joined in 1973.
Mr Cameron’s motives in calling the vote may have been political and partisan. But it was still the right thing to do, as future historians will surely acknowledge.
And that is the point: for while the haze of indignation currently obscures both the firing of Director Comey and the Brexit referendum, both will be seen as the correct actions in the long run. For how could an FBI director who had interfered in an election stay in office? And how could the British people be denied a democratic vote on the EU?
History is less interested in motivations and more in results. It is possible, after all, that many who fought in Europe’s wars of religion thought they were doing so for noble reasons. It is possible too that some French colonialists really thought they were bringing the benefits of civilisation to the large parts of Africa they conquered.
So their motives may have been good, but the results were still bad – and it is on those that they are judged, as one day will Mr Trump and Mr Cameron. I’d say that in both those instances they may take the brickbats for now, but posterity will be on their side. And that is certainly the greater prize.
Sholto Byrnes is a senior fellow at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Malaysia
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Race card:
6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; 2,000m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; 2,200m
7.40pm: Conditions; Dh240,000; 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 2,000m
8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed; Dh265,000; 1,200m
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; 1,600m
10pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 1,400m
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Specs
Engine 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp (542bhp in GTS model)
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000 (Dh549,000 for GTS)
Warlight,
Michael Ondaatje, Knopf
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
If you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Chicago from Dh5,215 return including taxes.
The hotels
Recommended hotels include the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in an iconic skyscraper complete with a 1929 Olympic-size swimming pool from US$299 (Dh1,100) per night including taxes, and the Omni Chicago Hotel, an excellent value downtown address with elegant art deco furnishings and an excellent in-house restaurant. Rooms from US$239 (Dh877) per night including taxes.
The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
Scoreline:
Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
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McIlroy's recent struggles
Last six stroke-play events (First round score in brackets)
Arnold Palmer Invitational Tied for 4th (74)
The US Masters Tied for 7th (72)
The Players Championship Tied for 35th (73)
US Open Missed the cut (78)
Travellers Championship Tied for 17th (67)
Irish Open Missed the cut (72)
The%20pillars%20of%20the%20Dubai%20Metaverse%20Strategy
%3Cp%3EEncourage%20innovation%20in%20the%20metaverse%20field%20and%20boost%20economic%20contribution%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20outstanding%20talents%20through%20education%20and%20training%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20applications%20and%20the%20way%20they%20are%20used%20in%20Dubai's%20government%20institutions%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAdopt%2C%20expand%20and%20promote%20secure%20platforms%20globally%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20the%20infrastructure%20and%20regulations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
