President Joe Biden's administration is finding its hands increasingly tied in Baghdad after violent clashes this week over the Iraqi government stalemate left at least 30 people dead and hundreds more injured.
Various US agencies are monitoring the violence as concerns grow of a return to internal armed conflict in Iraq, but there is no clear strategy from Washington on how to prevent it.
For nine months, the US has called on Iraqi parties to break the political impasse, form a government and protect state institutions. But US officials have refrained from direct engagement in negotiations over a cabinet formation.
Barbara Leaf, Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, this month told Congress that Iraqi leaders had urged Washington to enter the fray "for us to sort things out, to put the thumb on the scale in this standoff over government formation”.
“That's not something we're going to do,” Ms Leaf said.
On Tuesday, followers of Iraq's Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr left Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone after he called for their withdrawal, ending violence at least for the moment.
Iraq’s government has been in deadlock since Mr Al Sadr’s party won the largest share of seats in parliamentary elections last October, but not enough to secure a majority government.
State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel on Monday said there were no Biden administration calls to Baghdad that he could outline, even as rockets were fired close to the US embassy compound in the Green Zone.
“The reports of unrest throughout Iraq today are disturbing, as Iraqi institutions are not being allowed to function,” he said, while denying reports that the American embassy had been evacuated.
"This in turn increases the risk of violence, and Iraq’s security, stability and sovereignty should not be put at risk.
“Now is the time for dialogue, and we urge all those involved to remain calm and pursue peaceful avenues of redress.”
Al Sadr followers gather outside Supreme Judiciary Council building in Baghdad – in pictures
Sarhang Hamasaeed, a scholar on Iraq and the director of Middle East Programmes at the US Institute of Peace, predicted a waning US influence on shaping politics in Baghdad.
“While the US is interested in a stable and democratic Iraq, it has very low influence and [low] desire to intervene in Iraq’s politics these days,” he told The National.
Washington’s options remain limited, he said, “because none of the actors that are party to the current escalation would heed its advice and it does not have leverage points to pressure them”.
The US does not have a strong rapport with the main stakeholders in the Baghdad troubles, namely the followers of cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and Iran’s allies in Iraq.
Working with the United Nations and Iraqi authorities to help protect state institutions may be the extent of Washington's efforts to calm the situation, Mr Hamasaeed said.
Avoiding becoming a party to the conflict and preventing a resurgence of ISIS by exploiting the potential vacuum define Washington’s priorities, he argued.
David Schenker, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and a former assistant secretary of state, said the US government was late to the game and now faced an increasingly volatile situation.
“The Biden administration has not been seen as playing much of a role during the government formation process in the last year,” Mr Schenker told The National.
“Other than calling for calm, it’s not clear the US can do much right now to mitigate the crisis."
The former US official said the current volatility could strengthen Iran's hand, despite its proxies losing a majority to the Al Sadr camp in the 2021 elections.
“Despite having lost the elections, Iran and its allies are likely to emerge from this crisis in a strengthened position,” Mr Schenker said.
Both experts said Baghdad’s descent into a full-scale cycle of violence would be detrimental to US interests, especially if the political void dragged on and state institutions were weakened.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
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if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
McIlroy's struggles in 2016/17
European Tour: 6 events, 16 rounds, 5 cuts, 0 wins, 3 top-10s, 4 top-25s, 72,5567 points, ranked 16th
PGA Tour: 8 events, 26 rounds, 6 cuts, 0 wins, 4 top-10s, 5 top-25s, 526 points, ranked 71st
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
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MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
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The biog
Most memorable achievement: Leading my first city-wide charity campaign in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. It was for Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women program and showed me the power of how communities can come together in the smallest ways to have such wide impact.
Favourite film: Childhood favourite would be Disney’s Jungle Book and classic favourite Gone With The Wind.
Favourite book: To Kill A Mockingbird for a timeless story on justice and courage and Harry Potters for my love of all things magical.
Favourite quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
Favourite food: Dim sum
Favourite place to travel to: Anywhere with natural beauty, wildlife and awe-inspiring sunsets.
The%20Beekeeper
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How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
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Scotland 54-17 Fiji
England 15-16 New Zealand
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
