In this file photo taken on February 1, 2013, Joe Biden and Angela Merkel shake hands at the Chancellery in Berlin. AFP
In this file photo taken on February 1, 2013, Joe Biden and Angela Merkel shake hands at the Chancellery in Berlin. AFP
In this file photo taken on February 1, 2013, Joe Biden and Angela Merkel shake hands at the Chancellery in Berlin. AFP
In this file photo taken on February 1, 2013, Joe Biden and Angela Merkel shake hands at the Chancellery in Berlin. AFP

Merkel’s final visit to Washington: a triumph for transatlantic bonds despite challenges


Joyce Karam
  • English
  • Arabic

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel will be the first European leader to meet US President Joe Biden in the White House on Thursday in what will be her last visit to Washington as chancellor before German elections in September.

Ms Merkel is no stranger to US politics. During her 15-year tenure at the helm of Germany's government, she worked closely with two out of three American presidents. George W Bush famously massaged her shoulders in 2006, while Barack Obama described her as a “reliable, honest and intellectually precise” counterpart.

It was under Donald Trump that the US-Germany relationship suffered, with differences arising on trade, Afghanistan, Iran, Nato and refugee policy. It was no surprise that Ms Merkel was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Mr Biden publicly after he won the election in November 2020.

“Our transatlantic friendship is indispensable if we are to deal with the major challenges of our time,” she said.

Experts see her visit to the White House on Thursday as a triumph for transatlantic ties, despite differences with the Biden administration over how to handle relations with China, the Nordstream pipeline and Afghanistan.

Optically, the visit is a declaration in itself that the Trump era is over — but Berlin has acute fears those times could return.

“The former president had gone out of his way to single out Merkel and Germany as more of an adversary than ally,” said Jackson Janes, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund.

“The visit will serve the symbolic purpose of ‘America is Back’ by highlighting that the US-Germany relationship is 'back', and the Trump approach, so slavishly executed by his ambassador to Berlin, Richard Grenell, is over,” he added.

A YouGov survey in Germany released last week found that 66 per cent of people believed relations had improved between Germany and the US, compared to only 19 per cent of Germans who viewed the US as a friendly ally under Mr Trump last year.

Only 11 percent of respondents believed that US has bad intentions towards Germany, compared to 27 percent in 2020.

But the Biden bounce-back has not translated into increased confidence in the US political system. A poll by the European Council on Foreign Relations released last week showed that 52 per cent of Germans believe that the American political system is broken.

“Many no longer see the US as an ally of the EU — and have doubts on whether it shares in their values and interests,” said Andreas Bock of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

While he emphasised Ms Merkel’s long-time experience in working with US presidents, he cautioned that “the biggest barriers on the path to a new relationship are likely the Nordstream 2 pipeline project and relations with China".

In this file photo taken on February 7, 2015, Angela Merkel and Joe Biden meet before trilateral talks during the 51st Munich Security Conference. AFP
In this file photo taken on February 7, 2015, Angela Merkel and Joe Biden meet before trilateral talks during the 51st Munich Security Conference. AFP

Mr Biden is under pressure from Congress to impose sanctions on Russia's Nordstream natural gas pipeline, which he waived in June. Before her visit, Ms Merkel, in an effort to assuage US concerns, offered guarantees that Ukraine would continue to be a gas transit even after the pipeline is completed.

“For Merkel, it’s key to find a way that reassures all sides to some extent and to find a good compromise. For instance, an arrangement that the pipeline should only be connected to the grid if Russia extends its existing transit contract with Ukraine (which runs until 2024) … From the German government's point of view, an extension until 2034 is possible,” said Mr Bock.

The Biden administration is also looking for a tougher stance from Germany on China, but that could also prove to be contentious as Ms Merkel has worked over the last 15 years to deepen the EU’s economic ties with Beijing.

Mr Bock said the Biden team “has understood that the US cannot prevent the pipeline from being completed, and therefore it could abstain from possible sanctions for the time being but probably demand a tougher stance from Germany towards China in return.”

Balancing these interests is even more challenging as Ms Merkel prepares to exit the leadership scene in September.

“She is respected for her handling of several major crises in Europe — the euro crisis, war in Ukraine, the refugee crisis, the pandemic — [and] her diplomatic skills, composure and experience with four US presidents will be hard to replace in the short term,” said Mr Bock.

The two leaders are also expected to discuss the withdrawal of coalition troops from Afghanistan, cyber security and Iran.

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
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In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

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 

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Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

Freezer tips

  • Always make sure food is completely cool before freezing.
  • If you’re cooking in large batches, divide into either family-sized or individual portions to freeze.
  • Ensure the food is well wrapped in foil or cling film. Even better, store in fully sealable, labelled containers or zip-lock freezer bags.
  • The easiest and safest way to defrost items such as the stews and sauces mentioned is to do so in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Citizenship-by-investment programmes

United Kingdom

The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).

All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.

The Caribbean

Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport. 

Portugal

The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.

“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.

Greece

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.

Spain

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.

Cyprus

Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.

Malta

The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.

The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.

Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.

Egypt 

A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.

Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Updated: July 14, 2021, 12:30 PM`