The Middle East and North Africa is often unfairly characterised in other parts of the world as being a region that only knows conflict. As this newspaper's coverage has shown, this is a place where innovation and collective achievement – in science and medicine, the arts, sport, business and other areas of civil society – thrive. And as the world continues to reel from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, progress can be found in every corner of Mena, from locally designed healthcare robots in Tunis to the development of laser-based Covid-19 tests here in Abu Dhabi.
At the same time, a disproportionately large number of countries in the regional map are embroiled in one form of armed conflict or another. Separatist militants continue to destabilise the Sahel. In Libya, the civil war grows increasingly brutal. In Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, a combination of jihadists, Iranian proxies, weak institutions and external powers launch wave after wave of assaults upon one another. In the eastern wing of this map, ISIS's influence resurges in Afghanistan and Pakistan, while at the very heart of the region, Israel prepares for an unprecedented annexation of Palestinian territory.
Yet for the first time in a very long time, as coronavirus continues to wash through every country on the map, there is a growing sense that the conflicts plaguing Mena pale in comparison to the actual plague brought on by the pandemic. This is especially the case today, when the nations of the region mark Eid Al Fitr, a time that would any other year be celebrated with family reunions and public feasts.
No war in the history of the Middle East has ever quieted Eid across the entire Muslim ummah the way the pandemic has. It is a force no army or band of militants can reckon with, and a lesson that the well-being of everyone in the region relies on seeing the larger picture.
The United Nations is just one of many voices that have repeatedly called for the nations of the world to use the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity for a total ceasefire. The benefits of such actions to the Middle East and North Africa would be immeasurable.
The political aspirations that fuel the region’s wars are not trivial, nor would they be resolved through a ceasefire alone. But ending wars has little to do with either side’s desires, and more to do with what it can realistically achieve. Should the Mena region be completely overrun by a highly contagious and, in some cases, deadly virus, little will be achieved for anyone.
The pandemic is a force no army or band of militants can reckon with
Now is the time for the region to rest, convalesce and to take stock of what really matters. Co-operation in health care and economic recovery, and the exploration of political solutions to old conflicts are the wisest courses of action. With a bit of space for these considerations, at least some of the actors in the region’s many conflicts might find that their aspirations can be more aligned than they had previously thought.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
MATCH INFO
Fulham 0
Aston Villa 3 (Grealish 4', Hourihane 15', Mings 48')
Man of the match: Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
