Joe Biden will not want to lose Washington’s chief Arab allies, although there may be some initial “tactical coolness” in his dealings with them, according to Egypt’s former foreign minister Nabil Fahmy.
Speaking at his home in the upmarket Cairo district of Zamalek, Mr Fahmy, a former ambassador to the US who had dealings with Mr Biden for years as a senator, painted a picture of an Arab Middle East where nations are left to resolve their differences regionally.
The US under Mr Biden will not entirely ignore the Middle East, Mr Fahmy said, but focus on checking Russia’s influence, stopping Iran’s growing meddling in Arab affairs and ending Turkey’s “abrasive” behaviour.
Equally, he said, Arabs will continue to view the US as a world power they can look to when needed, but will increasingly attempt to enhance their own security capacities and deal with regional problems.
“The United States will always be a major component of the world community that Arabs cannot ignore … but will be less dependent on them, he said.
Mr Fahmy, 69, singled out regional heavyweights Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia as Washington’s chief Arab allies. He said they and the US wanted to see a centrist, modern and progressive Middle East that rejects extremism.
“There may be some tactical Middle East policy differences between [US President Donald] Trump and Biden,” he said.
“Biden will focus on some issues that Trump did not raise in order to prove to his own domestic constituencies that he is different from Trump.
“You may see some tactical coolness … but Biden will not want to sacrifice US interests with these countries.”
Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, at variable levels, are bound to Washington by vast economic and military ties, as well as common strategy against the Soviet Union during the Cold War and later against Islamic militancy. Curtailing Muslim, but non-Arab, Iran’s expansion of influence through proxies or loyal regimes in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen is also a key issue.
Relations grew even deeper with President Trump in the White House over the past four years. But with the Republican leader defeated by Mr Biden in the November 3 election, they are facing media reports that they have viewed the results with some alarm.
Mr Fahmy, who heads a think tank linked to the American University in Cairo, said that Arab nations must realise that their region was no longer top of the global agenda.
“The Middle East may have shifted in priority, but it will always remain somewhere on the American agenda,” he said.
Mr Fahmy used the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as an example of how the US has grown less engaged in the region in recent years.
He said Mr Biden, whose zealous support for Israel is a matter of public record, was unlikely to rescind any of the measures taken by Mr Trump, such as recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital or endorsing the annexation of Syria’s Golan Heights.
Mr Biden, however, will attempt to engage the Palestinians and appear receptive to proposals to resolve the conflict.
“Biden will certainly engage the Palestinians more than Trump did and will be more sensitive to their concerns, but he will not expend any political capital to rescind Trump’s measures,” he said.
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
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HAJJAN
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Read more about the coronavirus
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million