The congressman behind a new law requiring US government agencies to address the Middle East’s Captagon crisis says America must be prepared to play “bad cop” to compel Syria to staunch the flow of the highly addictive drug.
Passed last year, the Captagon Act mandates that the State Department, the Pentagon and other federal agencies devise a strategy against narcotics production and trafficking networks linked to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's regime.
Representative French Hill, a Republican who sponsored the legislation, said the US could help to counter the pills that have become a vital source of funding for Mr Al Assad.
“Because of our strategy and our desire to cut off the funding to Assad … we should be the bad cop here,” Mr Hill told The National.
Arab countries allowed Damascus back into the Arab League in May after a 12-year absence in hopes of addressing Syria's many woes, including its refugee crisis.
They said isolation yielded few results. Western powers remain largely opposed to any “normalisation” of Mr Al Assad's regime.
“Maybe those [Arab] countries can be good cop on how they're going to compel change,” Mr Hill said.
The US counter-Captagon strategy does not put Washington at odds with regional partners increasing engagement with the Assad regime, Mr Hill stressed.
But he voiced concerns about Syria's readmission into the Arab League “without any conditionality.”
“It would be my goal that the United States lead in discussions with the neighbouring countries to take our Captagon strategy … and use that as additional leverage and a big stick to compel change in Damascus,” he said.
Mr Hill said he was cautiously optimistic about Washington taking the lead in countering Syria's drug trade.
“The United States can be a real leader," he said. "Captagon is just one piece of that leadership to be a force for measurable change, actionable change, and we hope that we are an aid to our Arab League allies, who say they want that change."
Captagon smuggling - in pictures
Mr Hill recently returned from a Middle East trip to discuss the new counter-Captagon strategy.
While on a tour of Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, he met local and US officials familiar with the drugs trade to discuss Washington's renewed efforts to combat it.
US “sanctions are going up, not going down", Mr Hill said.
"Intelligence exposure about who in Syria is engaging in this [drug trade] are becoming more public, not less public.
"The damage being done to families in Saudi Arabia and Jordan and Baghdad is going to be more publicised, not less publicised."
The National spoke to the congressman after the House of Representatives passed the 2024 National Defence Authorisation Act along partisan lines.
“This bill fully reflects Republican priorities on countering ISIS and Al Qaeda in the [Shiite] militia and Iranian political infiltration in the Middle East,” Mr Hill said.
An NDAA amendment builds on Washington's counter-Captagon efforts, asking for a “classified report on Iranian involvement in the narcotics trade, the entities associated with the trade, and an assessment on the financial benefits of involvement in the trade".
If we're the bad cop, maybe those countries can be the good cop on how they're going to compel change [in Syria],
Rep French Hill
The US government is focusing its Captagon efforts on “addressing the illicit drug supply chain, including production, trafficking and money laundering, to dismantle the narcotics distribution infrastructure outside of Syria that benefits the Assad regime", the State Department said in June.
It said its goal is for “the international community to prioritise combatting synthetic drugs, such as Captagon, as a top public health and security threat and drive action towards solutions".
Mr Hill singled out Jordan as one of the most important regional actors for Washington to work with.
Amman is seeking co-operation from the Assad regime to halt cross-border Captagon flows, as the kingdom supports re-establishing regional ties with Damascus.
“There'd be no better player then the head of security services or King Abdullah in Jordan. And I have no doubt that in their private meetings with their colleagues in the region, they're talking about it,” he said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week convened an online ministerial meeting bringing together dozens of countries and international organisations to launch a Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats.
Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Morocco were among the countries represented.
Amman's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who recently met Mr Al Assad, spoke about Jordan's struggles with drug smuggling at its border with Syria.
“Jordan is at the forefront of this new war against synthetic drugs,” he told the online meeting.
Mr Safadi said the US-launched coalition is “an important step to address synthetic drugs … given the global dimension of this threat and the huge resources behind it, we need to face it together".
Europe's top EV producers
- Norway (63% of cars registered in 2021)
- Iceland (33%)
- Netherlands (20%)
- Sweden (19%)
- Austria (14%)
- Germany (14%)
- Denmark (13%)
- Switzerland (13%)
- United Kingdom (12%)
- Luxembourg (10%)
Source: VCOe
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The years Ramadan fell in May
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SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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India squad for fourth and fifth Tests
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Shaw, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur, Vihari
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
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Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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RECORD%20BREAKER
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
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KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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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
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
