US Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted the Biden administration’s emphasis on great power competition with China and Russia, criticising their human rights records on Monday.
The administration's sharp emphasis on China, coupled with a recent White House downsizing of its National Security Council team devoted to the Middle East, indicate that President Joe Biden hopes to focus more on Asia.
It suggests that he wants to avoid the protracted Middle East military conflicts that have plagued his predecessors. Yet, he warned that Iran's unremitting efforts to build a nuclear bomb pose "a real problem".
"Based on public reports, the time that it would take Iran to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon is down to, we think, a few months," Mr Blinken told MSNBC News.
"The agreement, the infamous JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], pushed that to beyond a year. So that’s a real problem, and it’s a problem that could get more acute, because if Iran continues to lift some of these restraints imposed by the agreement, that could get down to a matter of weeks."
He warned that Iran is getting closer to the point where it would be either a threshold nuclear power or a nuclear power.
"That is profoundly against our interests," Mr Blinken said.
China posed the most significant challenge to the US of any other country in Asia, Mr Blinken said.
“But it’s a complicated one. There are adversarial aspects to the relationship. There are certainly competitive ones and there are still some co-operative ones, too," he said.
“But whether we’re dealing with any of those aspects to the relationship, we have to be able to approach China from a position of strength, not weakness.
"And that strength I think comes from having strong alliances – something China does not have – actually engaging in the world and showing up in these international institutions.”
Mr Blinken's remarks came after National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan downsized the National Security Council staff for the Middle East while expanding staff for Asia, which Politico reported last week.
Under the new structure, the Indo-Pacific director Kurt Campbell oversees three deputies: Laura Rosenberger for China, Sumona Guha for South Asia and Andrea Kendall-Taylor for Russia and Central Asia.
Meanwhile, the Middle East director Brett McGurk only has one deputy: Barbara Leaf, the former ambassador to the UAE.
Former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama had also hoped to direct more attention on Asia and less on military quagmires in the Middle East.
Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton famously called this policy the US “pivot to Asia".
And under Mr Trump, the Pentagon’s national defence strategy called for a primary focus on “great power competition” with China and Russia.
But he and Mr Obama found it difficult to make that vision a reality as the US was drawn further into Middle East military conflicts after the Arab uprisings, the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and US support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.
Tension in the Arabian Gulf also increased sharply after Mr Trump’s maximum-pressure campaign against Iran and his withdrawal from Mr Obama’s nuclear deal.
Mr Blinken repeated that Mr Biden would re-enter the nuclear deal should Iran return to its obligations under the accord.
He confirmed that the Biden administration was reviewing the US-Saudi relationship “to make sure that partnership is being conducted in a way that’s consistent with our interests and also with our values".
And while Mr Blinken called Saudi Arabia “an important partner for us in counter-terrorism", he said in his Senate confirmation hearing last month that Mr Biden intended to end US support for the campaign against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
China does not have military presence in the Middle East comparable to the US, but Beijing has a large presence throughout the region as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.
Beijing imports about 40 per cent of its crude oil supplies from the Middle East.
Mr Blinken said that the US should make sure “that our military is postured so that it can deter Chinese aggression”, while calling Beijing out for a myriad human rights breaches.
His criticism of Russia also focused on human rights, namely Moscow's detention of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the suppression of protesters supporting him.
Mr Blinken said the Biden administration was “deeply disturbed by his violent crackdown against people exercising their rights to protest peacefully against their government".
He said the US government was reviewing whether to place more sanctions on Russia over Mr Navalny’s detention, interference in US elections, the SolarWinds hack and placing bounties on American troops in Afghanistan.
The Biden administration's first test of its commitment to Asia and emphasis on human rights came on Monday after Myanmar's military staged a coup against democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior politicians.
The coup prompted a statement from Mr Biden, who threatened to reinstate US sanctions on Myanmar.
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
BANGLADESH SQUAD
Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan (vice captain), Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahaman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
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%3Cp%3EDungeons%20%26amp%3B%20Dragons%20began%20as%20an%20interactive%20game%20which%20would%20be%20set%20up%20on%20a%20table%20in%201974.%20One%20player%20takes%20on%20the%20role%20of%20dungeon%20master%2C%20who%20directs%20the%20game%2C%20while%20the%20other%20players%20each%20portray%20a%20character%2C%20determining%20its%20species%2C%20occupation%20and%20moral%20and%20ethical%20outlook.%20They%20can%20choose%20the%20character%E2%80%99s%20abilities%2C%20such%20as%20strength%2C%20constitution%2C%20dexterity%2C%20intelligence%2C%20wisdom%20and%20charisma.%20In%20layman%E2%80%99s%20terms%2C%20the%20winner%20is%20the%20one%20who%20amasses%20the%20highest%20score.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Karnataka Tuskers 110-5 (10 ovs)
Tharanga 48, Shafiq 34, Rampaul 2-16
Delhi Bulls 91-8 (10 ovs)
Mathews 31, Rimmington 3-28
Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
