US President Joe Biden has sought to distance himself from mistakes made by Barack Obama and Donald Trump in the Middle East, choosing a cautious approach that resonated with Americans and balanced Washington’s interests in his first 100 days in office.
Many of Mr Biden’s early national security actions also illustrated the pressure he is under in a tug-of-war between centrist and more hawkish elements of the foreign policy establishment and the increasing influence of anti-war activists and sceptics of US military intervention.
And it remains unclear which faction will ultimately win out in the long-run.
“We really kind of have to see which inclinations – the inclination to lower our military profile as opposed to the inclination to continue the forever wars – end up carrying the day with the president,” said Andrew Bacevich, president of the Quincy Institute, a think tank that advocates for less military intervention.
"The obvious answer is it's too soon to tell," Dr Bacevich told The National. "The most important thing he has done is declaring that the Afghanistan war will end by September 11. It's important in and of itself because that is America's longest-ever war and it has failed."
At the same time, Gen Kenneth McKenzie – the top commander in charge of US forces in the region – has said that some of the 3,500 troops set to withdraw from Afghanistan are likely to remain in the region for counter-terrorism operations in the war-torn country.
Gen McKenzie also said that he does not see the US “completely withdrawing from Iraq in the future”.
While the vast majority of the 2,500 US troops in Iraq are officially advising Iraqi Security Forces in their campaign against the remnants of ISIS, their presence has made them a frequent target of Iran-backed Iraqi militias – plaguing Mr Biden’s first 100 days.
One particularly deadly attack in Erbil in February prompted Mr Biden to retaliate by striking two Iraqi militias stationed in Syria. Republicans in Congress praised the Syria strike, while key members of Mr Biden's own party questioned its legality given the lack of congressional authorisation.
Still, Mr Biden’s Syria strike represented a more limited form of retaliation than former president Donald Trump’s strike on Iranian Quds Force Commander Qassem Suleimani in Baghdad when Iraq served as the battleground between the US and Iran-backed militias during a similar bout of violence last year.
But reviving the Iran nuclear deal following Mr Trump’s withdrawal appears to be Mr Biden’s most urgent priority in the region. US envoy to Iran Robert Malley is on his way for a third round of indirect talks with Iran in Vienna.
At the same time, Mr Biden has not offered Iran any significant sanctions relief yet.
Mr Biden has also sought to place more emphasis on human rights in foreign policy than Mr Trump did. His decision to end offensive support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting Yemen's Iran backed Houthi rebels and recognising the Armenian Genocide this month over Turkey's strong objections illustrate this emphasis while maintaining distance from traditional US allies in the region.
Similarly, the Biden administration is keeping public distance from regional conflicts that hurt Mr Obama’s legacy. While Mr Obama turned a blind eye to the Saudi Arabia-led offensive in Yemen in 2015 and offered intelligence co-operation, the Biden team has crafted its messaging around the need to end a war that remains very unpopular inside the US.
But the Biden team appears content to pursue minimal diplomatic engagement in Syria. Mr Biden has not appointed an envoy for Syria, marking the first time the war-torn country has not had an envoy since 2012.
On Israel, Mr Biden has avoided both Mr Obama's costly policy of clashing early with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Trump's warm embrace of the Likud leader and reversal of a three-decade-long policy towards the Palestinians. Instead, the new administration has re-established high-level contact with the Palestinian Authority that was halted under Trump, resumed aid to the UNRWA, and announced $15 million in Covid-related humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians.
At the same time, the Biden administration is not prioritising Israeli-Palestinian negotiations or issues such as a settlement freeze or Hamas rockets. While Mr Obama made his first foreign calls to Palestinian and Israeli leaders, Mr Biden has yet to call Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Mr Biden has also drawn criticism from the left-flank of his party over his proposed $753 billion defence budget for Fiscal Year 2022. And while the budget proposal is a 1.4 per cent increase over the defence spending level Congress enacted last year, Republicans contend that Mr Biden's figure is still too low.
Under the Biden administration, the Pentagon is still determined to focus less on the Middle East in favour of “great power competition”, echoing the attempts by Mr Trump and Mr Obama to counter China in the Indo-Pacific.
“There is a very strong tendency to refrain US-China relations in terms of a new Cold War to emphasise the adversarial and competitive aspects of the relationship,” said Dr Bacevich. “The counter argument is the emphasis that [Mr Biden] is putting on climate change.”
After rejoining the Paris climate accord, Mr Biden convened a high-profile climate summit last week with 40 world leaders, including President Xi Jinping of China, which is the world’s largest carbon dioxide producer.
As part of his bid to cajole other world leaders into increasing their commitments before the UN climate summit in Scotland in November, Mr Biden announced that the United States will aim to halve its carbon emissions over 2005 levels by 2030.
“Foreign policy is domestic policy,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in February. That appears to be the default doctrine for Mr Biden’s foreign policy so far.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Sweet%20Tooth
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
More on Quran memorisation:
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
ABU%20DHABI%20CARD
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Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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.
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Levante v Real Mallorca (12am)
Leganes v Barcelona (4pm)
Real Betis v Valencia (7pm)
Granada v Atletico Madrid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad (12am)
Espanyol v Getafe (3pm)
Osasuna v Athletic Bilbao (5pm)
Eibar v Alaves (7pm)
Villarreal v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Real Valladolid v Sevilla (12am)
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
RIDE%20ON
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