Dr Ebtesam Al Ketbi is the president of the Emirates Policy Centre
November 11, 2021
“Some of the commentary on recent developments in Tunisia & Sudan has tried to exaggerate the UAE’s role in what are essentially internal dynamics. There is also a tendency by some commentators to misrepresent the UAE’s intentions in a way that does not reflect the reality.” This was posted recently by Dr Anwar Gargash, the Diplomatic Advisor to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on his Twitter account.
Dr Gargash further emphasised that the UAE works with partners to promote regional stability and seeks to build bridges to de-escalate tensions. “We understand that stability depends on governments addressing popular sentiments and avoiding marginalisation of segments of society,” he said.
Dr Gargash also said that any efforts to reduce tension, build political consensus and strengthen regional partnerships must be commended. “The UAE believes that dialogue, inclusive processes and avoiding confrontation should be the main tools in managing both internal disputes and regional relationships,” he said.
Self-criticism or constant reviews of positions and policies are not common practice in the Arab political space, except in rare cases. However, a shortcoming in the Arab region’s political and media spheres is looking for mistakes and defaming to the extent of “demonising” others. The motive of the people behind these campaigns is to isolate the targeted party from its Arab context and question its objectives, policies and positions. Any party that adopts a realistic, transparent or different policy, detached from populism and emotions, become a potential target of such campaigns.
In the past few years, the UAE has shown its readiness and ability to use various tools, including military force, to combat actual or perceived threats beyond its territory. Evidently, these threats are centred around the Muslim Brotherhood, extremism and terrorism. It has also focused on Iran’s policies and proxies, and Turkey’s foreign policy strategies.
The country has welcomed 2021 with optimism, turning the page on regional discord. It has emphasised the need for diplomatic solutions to de-escalate regional tensions, and redirected priorities and resources toward expanding trade partnerships. During the post-Covid-19 recovery phase, the UAE’s focus has been on developing a competitive environment and preparing the economy for decades to come. This phase for the UAE will be governed by digitalisation, technological solutions, the shift toward clean energy and the expansion of infrastructure and regional connectivity projects.
Presidential adviser Dr Anwar Gargash has been vocal on social media in countering those who demonise UAE foreign policy. Reuters
The UAE has also warned against attempts by parties in the region to exaggerate its regional role through a campaign of “fake news”. The country believes that these campaigns and exaggerations only serve malicious purposes of its regional adversaries. They portray the country as being behind every political act or plan in the region. To explain this phenomenon, Dr Gargash said in his tweets that it is not fair to exaggerate the UAE’s role in a way that portrays it as a “difficult member” of the region. He said that a state confronting regional interference in Arab affairs does not deserve to be at the receiving end of such propaganda. “We are partners to good forces in the region that seek stability and development and reject Arab submission to regional powers. We believe the aim of these campaigns is the demonisation of the UAE. But it is in part an acknowledgment of the centrality of the UAE and its credibility,” he said.
The UAE has always adopted a defensive rather than an aggressive strategy in its regional roles. It does not seek to engage in conflicts, and its development model is grounded in the stability required to attract trade and investment. However, enormous regional pressures have also pushed the UAE to make decisive, doctrinal shifts in foreign and defence policy. For example, the country participated in the Peninsula Shield Force to safeguard Bahrain’s security and stability in 2011. That decision was taken at the request of the Bahraini government. In 2011, it joined Nato forces in Libya under UN Security Council Resolution 1973. It also intervened in Yemen in 2015 at the official request of the government of the country's internationally recognised President, Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi.
During the first and second decades of the 21st century, the UAE's regional outreach has not necessarily translated into actual and sustainable strategic gains. The trajectory of these gains has not been stable or risen constantly. We also believe that self-critical evaluation is beneficial and healthy. For all actors in the region, gains and losses have varied from time to time and from issue to issue. At times, tactical withdrawals, retreats and advances manifest conflicts and responses to regional and international axes and rivalries. Manoeuvres are meant to establish influence in the region and implement their agendas and strategies for all stakeholders.
The UAE’s objectives behind supporting stability, moderation and development in the region had never changed, even as the country sought different means and tools. Against this backdrop, it has reviewed its policy towards a number of countries over the past two years. It has decided to turn the page on disagreements with other countries in the region, advanced the prospects of regional stability, helped prevent the escalation of conflicts and supported building bridges between nations.
Such a strategy allows the economy and politics to go hand in hand, making the UAE’s international relations approach realistic. And this rationality stands in contrast to the exaggerations perpetuated regarding the UAE’s role in influencing the domestic dynamics of Tunisia, Sudan and other sovereign Arab countries.
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- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
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The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
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How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
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The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
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The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
