Every so often, like an old man rising from a nap, the new imperialists raise their voices, full of nostalgia and amnesia, crying out for the old ordered days of empire.
Without exception, these cheerleaders for empire have never experienced the reality of it: they have never been among the soldiers maimed, blinded and killed in defence of a far-off ruling class. They have never been among the subjugated, ruled by a foreign power, resisting by any means at hand.
So it is with this latest longing for an imagined past, coming from Robert Kaplan, an American author best known for expansive essays about geopolitics (usually leavened with a healthy dose of belief that American military power can solve most problems).
Writing in Foreign Policy this week, Kaplan argues that America must bring imperialism back to the Middle East.
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Read more about America and Europe from the perspective of the Middle East:
■ Why is Europe exporting jihadis to the Middle East?
■ Europe's ancient hatred cloaks itself in new colours
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“Imperialism bestowed order, however retrograde it may have been,” he writes. “For without order, there is no freedom for anyone.”
Yet there is little need for Kaplan to argue “a new American president in 2017 may seek to reinstate western imperial influence” – because an old American president already tried it. “New” imperialism is really an old argument, one that was repeatedly made in 2002 and 2003, before and during the invasion of Iraq.
George W Bush tried to bring a new imperialism to the Middle East, to bring about a new American order to complex societies – and it failed comprehensively, paid for in the shattered countries of Afghanistan and Iraq, in the broken lives of Iraqis, Afghans and Americans, and in the vast depletion of US resources that have hastened the curtailing of US influence.
Indeed, part of the dark days that Iraqis are living can be traced directly to the White House’s disastrous decision to invade the country.
The difficulty with these men who dream of imperialism is that they always dream of being the empire themselves.
Kaplan wants to bring imperialism back to the Middle East – but he doesn’t want the imperialists to be Iranians or Turks or Russians or Egyptians. He doesn’t want the Arabs to look at the chaos in Israel and Palestine and decide they could run the two countries better.
Such imperialism is not of interest to him. When he cries for a new imperialism, he means a new American imperialism.
(One wonders why Kaplan, if he is such a fan of imperialism, doesn’t wish to bring back British dominion over America.)
It is precisely that kind of narrow nationalistic lens, that blindness to the vast complexity of the world that makes some analysts and authors unable to understand any country but their own.
Although Kaplan’s starting point is wrong, his conclusion is sound. He has correctly diagnosed the problem only to prescribe the wrong medicine.
The importance of stability in the Middle East cannot be overstated. But there are many paths to stability. Other countries and regions have created stability without empire. The chaos in parts of the Middle East today is merely a historical moment; there is nothing in particular about the region that requires a firm hand.
Indeed, what Kaplan ought to be prescribing is partnership, not domination. Stability in the Middle East would benefit both the region and the wider world. Genuine partnership would be the way to achieve it.
The grave situation at the moment is complicated by politics and differing visions for the region: America arms Israel, which threatens Iran, which meddles in the Gulf, which buys advanced weapons from America.
By seeking to set one country against another, Kaplan is, in fact, merely arguing for the status quo, just with a new actor. But the idea that America could impose itself across the Middle East is, for neoconservatives, a comforting fiction.
Imperialists and their cheerleaders often forget how bruising attempts at empire are, both for the colonised and for the country seeking to conquer.
After all, of the British in Iraq, the French in Algeria, the Russians in Afghanistan and the Americans in Iraq (again), none left voluntarily. All left because they were pushed.
In that sense, the urging of new imperialists for a return of America to the Middle East is both a fantasy of American power today and amnesia at the historical record. America already tried imperialism in the Middle East, and it failed.
falyafai@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @FaisalAlYafai
The biog
Favourite film: The Notebook
Favourite book: What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey
Favourite quote: “Social equality is the only basis of human happiness” Nelson Madela. Hometown: Emmen, The Netherlands
Favourite activities: Walking on the beach, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends
Job: Founder and Managing Director of Mawaheb from Beautiful Peopl
The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
Scribe
Honeymoonish
Director: Elie El Samaan
Starring: Nour Al Ghandour, Mahmoud Boushahri
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
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.”
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cyl
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Power: 300bhp (GT) 330bhp (Modena)
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh299,000 (GT), Dh369,000 (Modena)
On sale: now
THE SWIMMERS
Director: Sally El-Hosaini
Stars: Nathalie Issa, Manal Issa, Ahmed Malek and Ali Suliman
Rating: 4/5
T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
MATCH INFO
Kolkata Knight Riders 245/6 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 214/8 (20 ovs)
Kolkata won by 31 runs
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
Sour Grapes
Author: Zakaria Tamer
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Pages: 176
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
2024 Dubai Marathon Results
Women’s race:
1. Tigist Ketema (ETH) 2hrs 16min 7sec
2. Ruti Aga (ETH) 2:18:09
3. Dera Dida (ETH) 2:19:29
Men's race:
1. Addisu Gobena (ETH) 2:05:01
2. Lemi Dumicha (ETH) 2:05:20
3. DejeneMegersa (ETH) 2:05:42
SPECS
Engine: 6-cylinder 3-litre, with petrol and diesel variants
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 286hp (petrol), 249hp (diesel)
Torque: 450Nm (petrol), 550Nm (diesel)
Price: Starting at $69,800
On sale: Now
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Fast X
Director: Louis Leterrier
Stars: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jason Momoa, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Brie Larson, Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile
Company name: Namara
Started: June 2022
Founder: Mohammed Alnamara
Based: Dubai
Sector: Microfinance
Current number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Family offices
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Consoles: PC, PlayStation
Rating: 2/5
CRICKET WORLD CUP QUALIFIER, ZIMBABWE
UAE fixtures
Monday, June 19
Sri Lanka v UAE, Queen’s Sports Club
Wednesday, June 21
Oman v UAE, Bulawayo Athletic Club
Friday, June 23
Scotland v UAE, Bulawayo Athletic Club
Tuesday, June 27
Ireland v UAE, Bulawayo Athletic Club