Joe Biden will not want to lose Washington’s chief Arab allies, although there may be some initial “tactical coolness” in his dealings with them, according to Egypt’s former foreign minister Nabil Fahmy.
Speaking at his home in the upmarket Cairo district of Zamalek, Mr Fahmy, a former ambassador to the US who had dealings with Mr Biden for years as a senator, painted a picture of an Arab Middle East where nations are left to resolve their differences regionally.
The US under Mr Biden will not entirely ignore the Middle East, Mr Fahmy said, but focus on checking Russia’s influence, stopping Iran’s growing meddling in Arab affairs and ending Turkey’s “abrasive” behaviour.
Equally, he said, Arabs will continue to view the US as a world power they can look to when needed, but will increasingly attempt to enhance their own security capacities and deal with regional problems.
“The United States will always be a major component of the world community that Arabs cannot ignore … but will be less dependent on them, he said.
Mr Fahmy, 69, singled out regional heavyweights Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia as Washington’s chief Arab allies. He said they and the US wanted to see a centrist, modern and progressive Middle East that rejects extremism.
“There may be some tactical Middle East policy differences between [US President Donald] Trump and Biden,” he said.
“Biden will focus on some issues that Trump did not raise in order to prove to his own domestic constituencies that he is different from Trump.
“You may see some tactical coolness … but Biden will not want to sacrifice US interests with these countries.”
Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, at variable levels, are bound to Washington by vast economic and military ties, as well as common strategy against the Soviet Union during the Cold War and later against Islamic militancy. Curtailing Muslim, but non-Arab, Iran’s expansion of influence through proxies or loyal regimes in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen is also a key issue.
Relations grew even deeper with President Trump in the White House over the past four years. But with the Republican leader defeated by Mr Biden in the November 3 election, they are facing media reports that they have viewed the results with some alarm.
Mr Fahmy, who heads a think tank linked to the American University in Cairo, said that Arab nations must realise that their region was no longer top of the global agenda.
“The Middle East may have shifted in priority, but it will always remain somewhere on the American agenda,” he said.
Mr Fahmy used the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as an example of how the US has grown less engaged in the region in recent years.
He said Mr Biden, whose zealous support for Israel is a matter of public record, was unlikely to rescind any of the measures taken by Mr Trump, such as recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital or endorsing the annexation of Syria’s Golan Heights.
Mr Biden, however, will attempt to engage the Palestinians and appear receptive to proposals to resolve the conflict.
“Biden will certainly engage the Palestinians more than Trump did and will be more sensitive to their concerns, but he will not expend any political capital to rescind Trump’s measures,” he said.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0DJemma%20Eley%2C%20Maria%20Michailidou%2C%20Molly%20Fuller%2C%20Chloe%20Andrews%20(of%20Dubai%20College)%2C%20Eliza%20Petricola%2C%20Holly%20Guerin%2C%20Yasmin%20Craig%2C%20Caitlin%20Gowdy%20(Dubai%20English%20Speaking%20College)%2C%20Claire%20Janssen%2C%20Cristiana%20Morall%20(Jumeirah%20English%20Speaking%20School)%2C%20Tessa%20Mies%20(Jebel%20Ali%20School)%2C%20Mila%20Morgan%20(Cranleigh%20Abu%20Dhabi).%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Race results:
1. Thani Al Qemzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 46.44 min
2. Peter Morin (FRA) CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team: 0.91sec
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team: 31.43sec
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.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
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RESULTS
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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In Praise of Zayed
A thousand grains of Sand whirl in the sky
To mark the journey of one passer-by
If then a Cavalcade disturbs the scene,
Shall such grains sing before they start to fly?
What man of Honour, and to Honour bred
Will fear to go wherever Truth has led?
For though a Thousand urge him to retreat
He'll laugh, until such counsellors have fled.
Stands always One, defiant and alone
Against the Many, when all Hope has flown.
Then comes the Test; and only then the time
Of reckoning what each can call his own.
History will not forget: that one small Seed
Sufficed to tip the Scales in time of need.
More than a debt, the Emirates owe to Zayed
Their very Souls, from outside influence freed.
No praise from Roderic can increase his Fame.
Steadfastness was the Essence of his name.
The changing years grow Gardens in the Sand
And build new Roads to Sand which stays the same.
But Hearts are not rebuilt, nor Seed resown.
What was, remains, essentially Alone.
Until the Golden Messenger, all-wise,
Calls out: "Come now, my Friend!" - and All is known
- Roderic Fenwick Owen
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Salem Rashid, Mohammed Al Attas, Alhassan Saleh
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Yahya Nader, Ahmed Barman, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
