NEW YORK // A group of nearly two dozen American members of Congress have written to Donald Trump asking him to approve sales of armed drones to the UAE and Jordan after the Obama administration blocked the move.
In a letter obtained by The National, they say the two Arab countries are key allies in the fight against ISIL and in thwarting growing Iranian influence in the region.
Although the UAE has taken delivery of an unarmed, export variant of the General Atomics Predator – becoming the first non-Nato country to fly the Predator XP – sales of the armed MQ-9 Reaper were not allowed under a non-binding international agreement designed to prevent the proliferation of drone and missile technology. There were also concerns within the Pentagon about sharing, even with a close partner, the military satellite technology used by the US-made drones.
The UAE was also apparently barred from buying an unarmed maritime model known as the Seaguardian.
Since taking power, however, Mr Trump has signalled a more relaxed approach, promising to be a better friend to partners in the Middle East as they help fight extremist groups.
In their letter, the 20 Republican and two Democrat members of the House of Representatives said the orders could be worth as much as US$1 billion (Dh3.67bn) to the economy, protecting American jobs as well as the country’s security. It was organised by Duncan Hunter, whose California district includes the headquarters of MQ-9 manufacturer General Atomics.
“The multi-mission MQ-9 is a force enabler, capable of mitigating threats related to the Islamic State, an unpredictable Iran, and the unchecked movement of people, weapons and supplies to Syria and Yemen,” they wrote.
“Further, in the hands of our coalition partners, the MQ-9 acts as a force multiplier, reducing the burden on US forces and providing a common operating picture in the Middle East.”
In the meantime, they point out that both Jordan and the UAE have bought drones from China and urged the president to approve their request so that the two nations do not look elsewhere in future. In Yemen and elsewhere the UAE has deployed export-version Chinese-made drones, but a source said that these are also not armed, and are used in combat to assist manned light attack aircraft with targeting.
The MQ-9 Reaper is the main strike drone used by the US Air Force. It has a range of more than 1,600 kilometres and can carry as many as four Hellfire missiles, all operated by a two-person team on the ground.
Several countries now fly the surveillance model but so far only the UK and Italy have been allowed to buy the weaponized version.
The UAE signed a deal worth nearly $200 million with General Atomics for an unspecified number of the XP Predator drones in 2013 as well as ground control stations and support packages, Jane's Defence Weekly reported. The US congress approved the sale in 2015, and a source familiar with the deal said at the time that it was for up to 10 Predators. But they did not come under UAE ownership until earlier this year in the US, where UAE forces trained on them, according to a source. They are now in the process of delivery.
Under Mr Obama, sales were limited to very close allies and conducted under the terms of the Missile Technology Control Regime, a voluntary partnership between 35 nations to prevent the proliferation of missile technology including unmanned vehicles that could be used to deliver a nuclear payload.
At the same time, the US has been concerned about the way customers might deploy drones, said Dan Gettinger, Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of the Drone at Bard College, in New York state.
“I think there’s a general concern that they may be used for targeted strikes across borders – similar to the way the US uses them – or for domestic surveillance and strikes,” he said.
But the rapid growth of the Chinese drone industry was changing the whole debate.
“Over the past year the proliferation of armed Chinese drones has just taken off,” Mr Gettinger said. “This whole argument about exports and proliferation is going to come into the limelight in a big way and this is just the beginning of it.”
The Trump administration has already shown it plans to take a different stance on working with partners as it pursues violent extremist groups around the world. White House officials say it is all a part of treating moderate Middle Eastern nations with greater respect.
Last month the State Department signalled it planned to proceed with the $3bn sale of F-16 fighter jets to Bahrain, lifting Obama-era human rights conditions.
The White House is also expected to approve the sale of high-tech aircraft to Nigeria for its campaign against Boko Haram extremists despite concerns about abuses committed by the country’s security forces.
JV Venable, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, said it was about building long-term relationships with friends, rather than forcing them to go to China.
“I think it’s time we looked at what’s best for the United States as opposed to thinking about what would be the ideal situation for democracy and human rights in the world,” he said. “That region is going to continue to be a tinderbox and we need to continue to build the alliances we need with stable and reliable friends, like the UAE, like Bahrain and like Jordan.”
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
*Taimur Khan reported from Abu Dhabi
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
Representing%20UAE%20overseas
%3Cp%3E%0DIf%20Catherine%20Richards%20debuts%20for%20Wales%20in%20the%20Six%20Nations%2C%20she%20will%20be%20the%20latest%20to%20have%20made%20it%20from%20the%20UAE%20to%20the%20top%20tier%20of%20the%20international%20game%20in%20the%20oval%20ball%20codes.%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESeren%20Gough-Walters%20(Wales%20rugby%20league)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBorn%20in%20Dubai%2C%20raised%20in%20Sharjah%2C%20and%20once%20an%20immigration%20officer%20at%20the%20British%20Embassy%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20she%20debuted%20for%20Wales%20in%20rugby%20league%20in%202021.%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESophie%20Shams%20(England%20sevens)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EWith%20an%20Emirati%20father%20and%20English%20mother%2C%20Shams%20excelled%20at%20rugby%20at%20school%20in%20Dubai%2C%20and%20went%20on%20to%20represent%20England%20on%20the%20sevens%20circuit.%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFiona%20Reidy%20(Ireland)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMade%20her%20Test%20rugby%20bow%20for%20Ireland%20against%20England%20in%202015%2C%20having%20played%20for%20four%20years%20in%20the%20capital%20with%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Harlequins%20previously.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
RESULTS
Dubai Kahayla Classic – Group 1 (PA) $750,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Deryan, Ioritz Mendizabal (jockey), Didier Guillemin (trainer).
Godolphin Mile – Group 2 (TB) $750,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
Dubai Gold Cup – Group 2 (TB) $750,000 (Turf) 3,200m
Winner: Subjectivist, Joe Fanning, Mark Johnston
Al Quoz Sprint – Group 1 (TB) $1million (T) 1,200m
Winner: Extravagant Kid, Ryan Moore, Brendan Walsh
UAE Derby – Group 2 (TB) $750,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Rebel’s Romance, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
Dubai Golden Shaheen – Group 1 (TB) $1.5million (D) 1,200m
Winner: Zenden, Antonio Fresu, Carlos David
Dubai Turf – Group 1 (TB) $4million (T) 1,800m
Winner: Lord North, Frankie Dettori, John Gosden
Dubai Sheema Classic – Group 1 (TB) $5million (T) 2,410m
Winner: Mishriff, John Egan, John Gosden
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
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.”
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying