US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the military at a hangar rally at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, on December 28, 2018. AP
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the military at a hangar rally at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, on December 28, 2018. AP
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the military at a hangar rally at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, on December 28, 2018. AP
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the military at a hangar rally at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, on December 28, 2018. AP

Donald Trump's snubs of Iraqi officials risk US influence in Baghdad


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US President Donald Trump’s mistreatment of Iraq has put at risk Washington's influence in Baghdad and given rise to the possibility of American troops being removed from the country, experts say.

Relations between the two states have grown tense after Mr Trump's unannounced visit to Al Asad airbase in western Iraq and his failure to meet Iraqi officials in December, as well as his recent declaration that forces stationed there will keep an eye on Iran.

Mr Trump's actions have pushed lawmakers to call for a draft bill to expel the US military presence, seen by some as an "occupying" force.

Nearly 16 years after the US invasion of Iraq, there remains about 5,000 US troops stationed in the country.

Yet, the discourse in Iraq remains that Mr Trump cannot decide on whether or not he wants to keep troops in the country, Renad Mansour, research fellow at London's Chatham House, told The National.

“This has been the unifying feature in many parliamentary debates,” he said.

Both the Binaa bloc, a pro-Iranian faction comprised of armed groups, and Islah, headed by the alliance led by populist cleric Moqtada Sadr, who champions the country's independence, have vowed to oust US troops.

Their unification portrayed a rare glimpse of harmony between Iraq’s two biggest rival blocs.

Balancing Tehran and Washington

Despite these efforts, officials in Baghdad have been faced with the daunting task of balancing ties between two of its most important allies, Washington and Tehran.

Iraq’s new cabinet has attempted to avoid being in the middle of the tussle, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has been seen as a compromiser between the two.

He is a critic of both Iran and the US.

As a result, a domestic struggle has formed over who controls the new government and the US military presence is becoming a political football used in this internal struggle, Michael Knights, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told The National.

Iraqi President Barham Salih and many other politicians denounced Mr Trump’s plan for US troops to “watch” Iran in an interview with CBS News last week, while others have called for the revision of its role in the country.

“If the anti-US block introduces a legislation to limit numbers of US troops, it will become more difficult for pro groups to protect it,” Mr Knights said.

Iranian influence 

Mr Trump said that he wants to maintain a military presence in Iraq to keep an eye on Iran because “Iran is the real problem”.

He reiterated that the US has spent a fortune on Al Asad base, an asset that Washington should hold on to. But the US has said its military role in Iraq is to only counter ISIS.

Although Baghdad declared victory over the insurgents in December 2017, American presence remains unpopular.

Washington believes that keeping troops in Iraq is a necessity to preserve stability and cohesion of the Iraqi state, Amir Handjani, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told The National.

“The American forces serve as something akin to a guard rail. Of course from there is the added benefit of watching over Iran – but that is overblown,” Mr Handjani said.

But the US will have to play its cards very carefully because any more mistakes will further hurt the weighing influence that it has in the country, according to experts.

“Within the White House there is a group of leaders with a Middle East strategy that has been anti-Iranian, so they are hoping to use Iraq as a base for their efforts,” Mr Mansour said.

This is perceived as an issue for Iraqi officials who are attempting to re-establish the country’s sovereignty.

“Although there has been a massive anti-Iranian movement in Iraq, it doesn’t mean that they want to work with America on that end,” Mr Mansour said.

The US president’s behaviour has provoked frustration even among Washington’s allies in Baghdad.

Legality

While Mr Trump’s statement indicated his willingness for US troops to stay in Iraq, it is not necessarily the case that it will have any tangible impact.

It is actually the prime minister who has the authority to make that decision, and not other Iraqi politicians.

"It is a problem mainly because the prime minister is so weak and also because he has expressly stated repeatedly that 'there are no foreign military bases in Iraq,' just foreign trainers," Kirk Sowell, an expert on Iraq, told The National.

The angry rhetoric is mainly coming from political factions with militia wings, and not from any kind of popular protests mobilised by Iraqi citizens.

“If the prime minister holds firm, any bill passed by parliament can just be ignored,” Mr Sowell said.

From a legal perspective, parliament is supposed to approve "international agreements," he said.

Mr Abdul Mahdi has said that there is no status of forces agreement (Sofa) between Baghdad and Washington and their agreement is only based on the training of troops.

RESULTS
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Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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The Now Now 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Listen to Extra Time
Dhadak

Director: Shashank Khaitan

Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana

Stars: 3

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Jawan
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RESULTS
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Schedule for Asia Cup

Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)

Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)

Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four

Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai) 

Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)

Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)

Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 28: Final (Dubai)

If you go

The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates


The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
 

When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season

Afghanistan Premier League - at a glance

Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Fixtures:

Tue, Oct 16, 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Kabul Zwanan; Wed, Oct 17, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Nangarhar Leopards; 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Paktia Panthers; Thu, Oct 18, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Kandahar Knights; 8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Paktia Panthers; Fri, Oct 19, 8pm: First semi-final; Sat, Oct 20, 8pm: Second semi-final; Sun, Oct 21, 8pm: final

Table:

1. Balkh Legends 6 5 1 10

2. Paktia Panthers 6 4 2 8

3. Kabul Zwanan 6 3 3 6

4. Nagarhar Leopards 7 2 5 4

5. Kandahar Knights 5 1 4 2

Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company

Scoreline

Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')

Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')

Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'

Score

Third Test, Day 2

New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)

Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings

Match info

Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')

The five types of long-term residential visas

Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:

Investors:

A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.

Entrepreneurs:

A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.  

Specialists

Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.

Outstanding students:

A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university. 

Retirees:

Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.

Tickets

Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.

Dubai World Cup Carnival card:

6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) | US$175,000 2,410 metres

7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (Dirt) $100,000 1,400m

7.40pm: Handicap (T) $145,000 1,000m

8.15pm: Dubawi Stakes Group 3 (D) $200,000 1,200m

8.50pm: Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (T) $200,000 1,800m

9.25pm: Handicap (T) | $175,000 1,400m

LAST-16 FIXTURES

Sunday, January 20
3pm: Jordan v Vietnam at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
6pm: Thailand v China at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: Iran v Oman at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Monday, January 21
3pm: Japan v Saudi Arabia at Sharjah Stadium
6pm: Australia v Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: UAE v Kyrgyzstan at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Tuesday, January 22
5pm: South Korea v Bahrain at Rashid Stadium, Dubai
8pm: Qatar v Iraq at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi

LIST OF INVITEES

Shergo Kurdi (am) 
Rayhan Thomas
Saud Al Sharee (am)
Min Woo Lee
Todd Clements
Matthew Jordan
AbdulRahman Al Mansour (am)
Matteo Manassero
Alfie Plant
Othman Al Mulla
Shaun Norris

ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon

For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.