The guns of August 1914 are firing again. Today, 95 years after the armistice and months before the 100th anniversary of the First World War’s opening moments, we are still grappling with the forces unleashed by the conflict and, indeed, the many myths that surround how it began.
It was not the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo that triggered the war, but the blank cheque Germany gave to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Without this support, they would never have issued the ultimatum to Serbia that precipitated the conflict and Russia would not have mobilised.
The convulsions in the Middle East today are, it can be argued, partly the legacy of that four-year bloodbath. The Sykes-Picot Agreement between France and Britain carved up the Ottoman Empire into self-interested spheres of influence. The arrogance of these “great powers” was so strong that talks began on the post-war landscape three years before the guns fell silent.
These negotiations coincided with humiliating Allied defeats at Gallipoli and the deal was eventually signed in May 1916, just weeks before the allies suffered massive losses on the Somme. The modern incarnations of Syria, Lebanon and Iraq were forged in that Sykes-Picot Agreement. All three have paid the price of that carve-up in the past decade.
In Asia, the troubled relationship between Japan and China also finds its roots in the Great War. The Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe last week vowed to stand up to China, amid rising tensions between the two nations, particularly over who owns a string of islands in the East China Sea. While much of the mutual distrust between the two nations stems from their contrasting economic fortunes in the past two decades, the Chinese also have bitter memories of Japanese colonial aggression.
Japan entered the First World War on the side of the allies in 1914, participating in the Siege of Tsingtao, in a joint attack with the British on the German held port in China. It exploited this position to extend its influence. In 1915, it presented China with the humiliating string of demands for special privileges in the country and was later favoured by the allies at Versailles. An outraged China never forgot.
August 1914 represents a warning from history. “The falcon cannot hear the falconer,” wrote WB Yeats, the Irish poet, in 1920, aptly summing up the failures that brought the First World War into being. The war was precipitated by a breakdown in communication and a diplomatic failure of staggering proportions. It was brought to life by a failure of leadership, of common sense, and the result of the ridiculous notion of a clash of civilisations.
There is also a perception that the Second World War was an inevitable consequence of the Great War. Yes, Versailles was a punishing treaty and hit Germany hard. The treaty gave Adolf Hitler his most potent propaganda card and throughout the 1920s he propagated the delusional myth that somehow Germany had not been defeated in the field but had been stabbed in the back by the signatories of the armistice. But the Second World War was not inevitable because of the first.
Hitler exploited the economic turmoil of the Weimar Republic – during the 1920s the Nazi Party actually lost support – but it was the 1929 US stock market crash that doomed the Weimar Republic, reinvigorated Hitler’s march to seize power and set the scene for the approach of another devastating war.
Could Japan and China go to war over a few rocks in the sea? Unlikely as it seems, the First World War tells us that devastating conflicts have been triggered by less.
John Dennehy is a senior news editor at The National. His book, In A Time of War: Tipperary 1914-1918, was published earlier this year
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
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The%20pillars%20of%20the%20Dubai%20Metaverse%20Strategy
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Vikram%20Vedha
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz S 450
Price, base / as tested Dh525,000 / Dh559,000
Engine: 3.0L V6 biturbo
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 369hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.0L / 100km
Company%20profile
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
FULL%20RESULTS
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How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
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SPECS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
Company%20Profile
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Kandahar%20
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
