ABU DHABI // Conflicts in the Middle East will be a driver of international politics, experts at the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate said this week.
But they said that the region must set up a power-sharing arrangement to avoid creating more turmoil.
“Islamophobia in Europe is ignited because of what is happening in this region,” said Dr Mohammed bin Huwaidin, chairman of political science at UAE University. “It could spread across the world, but the UAE saw a power vacuum developing therefore it stood against such challenges and with others took the responsibility to fill that power gap.”
Regional conflicts, from Syria and Libya to Yemen, Iraq and Egypt, have plagued the region in recent years, causing millions of refugees to flee. These wars were drivers of regional and international politics, he said.
“We have four civil wars and a potential one in Egypt, Turkey, maybe Jordan, Algeria and Tunisia,” said Kenneth Pollack, senior fellow for foreign policy at the US-based Centre for Middle East Policy.
“There are a lot of fragile states and these are huge problems because they spread and are engines of instability. It makes it very clear that every country that is intervening, whether the US, Russia, Egypt or Saudi Arabia, is doing the wrong thing because they are making the civil wars worse and the problem with civil wars is they do not stay contained.”
Regional trends show that Arab transitions are far from over. “They are an unfinished business,” said Nicola De Santis, head of political affairs and security policy in Middle East and North Africa at Nato.
“North Africa is now a larger potential for conflict spillover to Europe and the US because what happened in the Arab public awakening is that people demanded better conditions of living. Drivers of change go back 30 years and these regimes were not able to provide for the people, so we could have new waves of revolutions in which [the violence and conflict in] Syria and Iraq would mean nothing in comparison to the implosion of Egypt for instance.”
The US’s rapprochement with Iran caused concern in the Arab world, especially in the Gulf. “This region has trusted the US too much and they have not got what they wanted from them,” Dr bin Huwaidin said. “The Americans make the mess and we are cleaning up the mess now. They need to stand by us and with us but we do not see that.”
Some said there was a positive future to be had in the Middle East. “One scenario is turning the corner,” said Frederick Kempe, president and chief executive of the Atlantic Council in the US. “The UAE is a good model but it has not yet been able to expand that model to its neighbours.”
Ultimately, a power-sharing arrangement will need to be set up.
“Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt and Iran need to go beyond the zero-sum game arrangements, the pursuit of superiority and the tension and rivalry they have now,” said Dr bin Huwaidin. “If not, then tensions will continue and we will reach a tipping point of security dilemma and collide in military conflict.”
cmalek@thenational.ae
Bio
Age: 25
Town: Al Diqdaqah – Ras Al Khaimah
Education: Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering
Favourite colour: White
Favourite place in the UAE: Downtown Dubai
Favourite book: A Life in Administration by Ghazi Al Gosaibi.
First owned baking book: How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
