US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's final Congressional appearance saw him draw criticism from Republicans and Democrats, in a contentious hearing that highlighted the departing Biden administration's troubled foreign policy legacy.
The Republican-led House foreign affairs committee hosted Mr Blinken on Wednesday to grill him a final time about the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, as the party prepares for total control of Washington under Donald Trump on January 20.
Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protesters drew attention to the situation in the Gaza Strip, yelling that Mr Blinken is “the butcher of Gaza" before being escorted from the hearing room.
President Joe Biden's unfettered support for Israel, despite tension with the far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has angered many Democrats. More than 44,800 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel launched its war after the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200.
“This will be one of the defining foreign policy legacies and I am profoundly disappointed with how it's been handled," Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro said. "What we have seen by the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu has been inhumane. I wish that this had turned out differently, I wish you all had been successful in getting a ceasefire, but when you weren't – I wish you used more leverage.”
Mr Castro asked Mr Blinken if he would have done anything differently on the Israel-Gaza war, but he dodged the opportunity to respond, saying: “There'll be a lot of time to look back and ask ourselves whether we could or should have done anything different."
“I've also been to the region 12 times since October 7. I'm heading back in an hour or two to continue the efforts to get a ceasefire and hostage agreement, to get the hostages home, to get the guns to stop firing, to put Gaza on a better path, and meanwhile to try to make sure that people have the assistance they so desperately need,” Mr Blinken said.
On the hearing's main point, Afghanistan, Brian Mast, the incoming chairman of the House foreign affairs committee, had harsh words for Mr Blinken.
“We insult every single person that served when we come in here and say words like we're sorry the Afghanistan withdrawal wasn't exactly perfect … this place absolutely lives up to being a swamp when we try to cover up the fact that 26 of your diplomats told you directly that if you continued to go down the path you were going, that it was going to be a disaster.”
Mr Blinken again blamed Afghan officials, and a deal signed by the first Trump administration in 2020, for the withdrawal and the Taliban's ultimate takeover of Kabul.
“Even the US government's most pessimistic assessments did not anticipate the Afghan government and security forces would collapse so rapidly in the face of Taliban advances,” he said.
“All of us, including myself, have wrestled with what we could have done differently … even as we work to address the places where we fell short, I firmly believe that President Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was the right one.”
Behind Mr Blinken, a TV screen played a slide show of the images from that chaotic moment in world history – including images of the 13 US troops killed in the Abbey Gate terrorist attack, which also killed at least 170 Afghans trying to flee the country as the Taliban took over.
A 2022 Pentagon report concluded that the attack was “not preventable”, that security precautions were being taken and that intelligence about potential threats circulating that day was “not specific” – despite testimony from survivors that they had warned their chain of command of threats.
But Mr Blinken was not without allies at the hearing. Democratic ranking member of the committee Gregory Meeks said the Republican-led investigation was “politically motivated", defending the departing administration's actions and pointing the finger at negotiations with the Taliban under Mr Trump.
“President Biden ultimately made the right decision to end our 20 year war in Afghanistan,” Mr Meeks told the committee. “No one here has argued our withdrawal was perfect … We owe it to ourselves, and our military, and diplomatic personnel on the front lines to learn from it."
The hearing also caps off a long fight between the committee's Republicans and the Biden administration over Afghanistan – including a bid to hold the US Secretary of State in contempt of Congress for failing to appear for previous subpoenas in September.
The first September hearing was scheduled, notably, when Mr Blinken and senior world leaders gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly.
The State Department paints a picture of a committee making the process difficult, including suggesting dates where Mr Blinken was known to be out of town.
But a representative of the foreign affairs committee majority told The National that the back-and-forth with Mr Blinken was extensive, and that the he had previously offered deputies, who had not worked at the State Department at the time of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, to testify in his place.
The Congressional representative added that the State Department refused to provide any date for the secretary to appear during the month of September.
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
SECRET%20INVASION
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MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Studying addiction
This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.
Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.
The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
INFO
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
Naga
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