Washington is in a tentative position, monitoring developments in Syria where rebels from a designated terror group have made surprise gains against the regime of President Bashar Al Assad, which the US opposes.
Last week's lightning advance led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, a former Al Qaeda affiliate that has sought to present a more moderate image, saw the group take control of Syria's second-biggest city Aleppo. The attack reawakened Syria's civil war after years of stasis and has posed a new threat to the Assad regime, which once again is relying on air support from key ally Russia to help it beat back the offensive.
For the US, the complex dynamic is made trickier by the presence of about 900 American troops in Syria, mainly in the northeast and with some also stationed in the south, after posting soldiers in 2015 to help local troops fight ISIS. Though it opposes the Assad regime and has pushed back against Arab countries' moves to normalise ties with Damascus, the US has not militarily intervened in Syria's civil war.
We don't really have a dog in that fight
US official
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US had “real concerns” about the goals of Hayat Tahrir. “At the same time, of course, we don't cry over the fact that the Al Assad government, backed by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, are facing certain kinds of pressure,” he told CNN.
When asked about the continuing US troop presence in Syria, the Pentagon on Monday stressed that it is “in no way involved” in the unfolding situation around Aleppo and called for “de-escalation”, without getting into details.
“We remain fully prepared to defend and protect our personnel and assets,” Pentagon press secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder said.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said nothing had changed with respect to US policy on Syria.
“Al Assad is a brutal dictator with blood on his hands, the blood of innocent civilians inside Syria, blood of his own people on his hands. Ultimately, what we want to see is a political process forward where the Syrian people get to determine who their leaders are,” he told reporters.
A US official told The National that the situation in Syria represents a “perfect storm” of unpredictability, with recent setbacks for Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon and Russia’s overstretched military in Ukraine both now wild cards in how the civil war evolves from here. Turkey’s support for Hayat Tahrir and opposition to US-backed Kurdish fighters is another complicating factor, the official said.
We don’t really have a dog in that fight,” the official said, adding that the US is watching how the situation evolves before president-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated on January 20.
During his first term, Mr Trump ordered air strikes against the Assad regime and attempted to pull the US forces out of Syria.
Challenge for Trump
US troops in Syria have been the target of repeated drone and missile attacks in the past.
Robert Ford, the last US ambassador to have served in Syria, serving from 2011 to 2014, told The National that the Trump administration would need to carefully consider what the US interests were and “what mission they would give the American military”, in Syria
Mr Ford predicted that the fight for Aleppo could be a “long slog” if the Assad regime made a serious bid to retake it.
He said troops “might be even weaker militarily than ever” but he does not expect the Assad regime to retake Aleppo soon.
Ethan Goldrich, who served as deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, was in charge of the Syria and Levant files from September 2021 to September this year.
He told The National that while the war had been quiet in recent years, the situation always remained unstable.
Washington said it is “not losing sleep over the Assad regime facing this new challenge” from Hayat Tahrir, but added that “we also have to keep in mind that the enemy of an enemy is sometimes still an enemy, and that’s the situation with Hayat Tahrir as a designated terrorist organisation”.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged an immediate halt to hostilities in Syria and a renewed focus on UN-enabled political resolution to the conflict.
“All parties must do their utmost to protect civilians and civilian objects, including by allowing safe passage to those fleeing hostilities,” said spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.
Mr Guterres reiterated the importance of returning to the framework outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which established a route for Syria’s political transition to end the conflict.
Syria’s civil war has killed about 300,000 people according to the UN, drawing in foreign powers and militant groups.
David Adesnik, the vice president for research and a Middle East scholar focusing on Syria at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies think tank, said calls to follow resolution 2254 carried little clout given that Mr Al Assad has been “stalling for years” without consequence.
“The UN clings to Resolution 2254 like a catechism, no matter how hopeless it seems,” said. Mr Adesnik. The UN spokesman underscored the urgency of engaging with Geir Pedersen, the UN envoy for Syria, to forge a “comprehensive path out of the conflict”.
The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that the administration of US President Joe Biden has wanted UN negotiations to take place for a “very, very long time”.
“It is the Assad regime who has ignored Security Council resolutions and refused to come to the table. The current situation on the ground is concerning,” she added.
UN humanitarian operations in the country have been “largely suspended” across Aleppo, Idlib and Hama due to security concerns. However, three border crossings from Turkey used to deliver aid to Syria remain operational.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Top 10 in the F1 drivers' standings
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 202 points
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-GP 188
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-GP 169
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing 117
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 116
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing 67
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 56
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 45
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 35
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 26
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Sleep Well Beast
The National
4AD
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Brief scoreline:
Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first
England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66
South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12
