At first glance, former US presidents Gerald Ford and Donald Trump are two men with little in common. Their approaches to politics and governing could not be more different. Yet they now share a defining experience: both were the target of would-be assassins not once, but twice, in the space of weeks.
Mr Trump has been defiant after Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt, when a man with a rifle was stopped before he could fire at the Republican presidential candidate, who was playing golf in Florida. The incident comes just over two months after the former president missed death by inches when he was shot while campaigning in Pennsylvania.
The UAE has issued a statement strongly condemning the latest assassination attempt.
The incidents echo events from almost 50 years ago. In 1975, Mr Ford escaped injury when a cult member came close to shooting him in Sacramento, California. Seventeen days later, another would-be assassin opened fire on him and missed in San Francisco.
What distinguishes these acts of violence from each other is the context in which they took place. By the time of the attempted assassinations of Mr Ford, the Vietnam War was over and America’s worst political scandal in years, the Watergate affair, was three years in the past. Although still riven by racial and economic issues, the country was looking to the future. The picture in 2024 is quite different.
The polarisation and disillusionment that has gripped American society is profound. According to Pew Research Centre findings from last September, just 16 per cent of the public say they trust the federal government always or most of the time – a level that is among the lowest dating back nearly seven decades. More than half – 55 per cent – reported feeling always or often angry when thinking about politics.
Such anger and mistrust, often fuelled by online misinformation and conspiracies, reached its nadir with the January 6, 2021 storming of the US Capitol building by supporters of Mr Trump, convinced that the presidential election had been “stolen”. Although the authorities are unlikely to see a repeat of such a singular attack, the level of hostility surrounding the presidential election campaign can be seen in a more diffuse way.
Many election officials and other public servants across the country have reported a litany of threats and abuse, much of it politically motivated. In battleground states such as Georgia, Arizona and Michigan the intensity of the vitriol has been such that some officials have spoken of receiving therapy, direct lines have been provided for local police departments and in some cases, offices have had metal detectors, cameras and fences installed. Other federal bodies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, have also reported abuse directed at their employees. Such an atmosphere is detrimental to the functioning of the US state.
Many election officials and other public servants across the country have reported a litany of threats and abuse
According to the States United Democracy Centre, a nonpartisan organisation that supports America’s electoral process, such threats have “forced election officials to flee their homes, put their children in counselling, hire personal security, and in some cases, leave their jobs”, adding that threats can “make it difficult to hire the workers needed to administer free and fair elections”. In January, the Carter Centre – a humanitarian NGO founded by former US president Jimmy Carter and his wife issued a resource guide for election workers to cope with the “constant crush of complaints and criticism that sometimes escalates to stalking or death threats”.
Speaking after Sunday’s incident in Florida, Mr Trump’s rival for the Oval Office, US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said “we must all do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence”. These are fine words but the truth is that the spectre of political harassment, violence and assassination is already present.
The US is not exceptional in this – on Friday, Comoros President Azali Assoumani was injured by a knife-wielding attacker, prompting condemnation from the UAE and others. But the US is still a leading power and to see its political climate descend into one marked by such rancour is troubling. Whoever wins November’s presidential race has a big responsibility to rectify this atmosphere and prevent the normalisation of political violence – even if out of self-preservation.
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
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.”
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
