When Barack Obama was elected in 2008, it was said that he had been dealt the most difficult hand of any US President since Franklin D Roosevelt. Well, now he has a challenger. Whether it is Donald Trump or Joe Biden who prevails after Americans go to the polls today, the winner will be faced with a nation floored by the pandemic, an economy flattened by the worst recession since the 1930s, and a population riven by apparently irreparable cultural and racial division.
As Trump resorts to ever more unorthodox tactics to stay in power until 2025 (by which time he will be 78), and Biden (who turns that age this month) strives to fulfil a lifelong ambition of achieving the one office higher than the vice-presidency, the words “be careful what you wish for” must surely haunt them both.
Of course, this election is about much more than the rival ambitions of two very different men with two very different visions. It is about the collective health of a country that has already lost almost 250,000 lives to Covid-19. Millions more Americans have lost their jobs as a result of the economic chaos wrought by the virus.
And at a time when the nation should be pulling together with what the British would call Blitz spirit, the streets of many cities have been the setting for what appear to be the beginnings of civil strife. Little wonder that the final months of the campaign have witnessed a descent into gutter politics of the worst kind.
So, with so much at stake at home, it is perhaps asking too much of the average voter in America to think beyond its shores when they make their choice today. But the US constitution ensures – quite deliberately - that presidents have limited ability to exercise their power domestically. Much authority is devolved to state level. What's left is at the mercy of two legislatures and it is rare that both see eye-to-eye with the White House.
Therefore it is in foreign lands – not least the Middle East - that US leaders often leave their most lasting footprint. Here, Donald Trump’s record is broadly positive. His determination to stand up to the menace of Tehran has been commendable. He helped to negotiate the Abraham Accord with the UAE and Israel – potentially a seismic turning-point in the region’s history. ISIS has been tamed, if not yet put down. Sudan has been brought back into the international fold.
True, war continues to rage in Syria and Iraq struggles to rid itself of Iranian influence. The recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was inflammatory. But given that this was a President elected on the self-styled promise of ‘America First’, the isolationism that many feared would leave the Middle East abandoned has not materialised.
With so much at stake at home, it is perhaps asking too much of the average voter in America to think beyond its shores when they make their choice today
At this point, it is only fair to ask what Joe Biden would do differently. Would Mr Obama’s number two repeat the mistakes of his former boss’s two-term presidency and embark on an ill-advised rapprochement with Iran solely on the nuclear file and ignore its role in the region? Could he maintain the momentum of the Abraham Accord while ensuring justice for the Palestinian people? Will he ignore the long-lasting damage of appeasing militants? After a campaign in which the Democratic candidate has largely kept his counsel, preferring to watch his Republican opponent apparently talk himself out of office, the answers to these and other foreign policy questions remain elusive – although he deserves the benefit of the doubt.
It is the nature of America’s electoral-college voting system that, every four years, the future of the country is decided by a tiny minority of swing voters in swing states. Would it be an exaggeration to say that the future of the Middle East could be resting on their shoulders? Perhaps not.
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP
Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
