The outrages in Syria continue. The ongoing government offensive, backed by Russia, on Idlib has so far claimed the lives of 61 children, 11 of whom were killed while attending school. In total, more than 1,000 people have been killed since April 30, when a campaign to reclaim the province began.
More than 300,000 have been driven from their homes, government forces have burned crops and shelled camps for the displaced, and hospitals have been repeatedly bombed, further squeezing the 3 million people trapped in the province.
Bashar Al Assad, with the support of the Russian air force and Iranian-backed militias, such as Hezbollah, has reclaimed much of the war-ravaged country. Not so long ago, his rule was on the edge of collapse, but now he is ebullient and has momentum. The regime is inching closer towards a military victory, one war crime after another.
Syria’s uprising has failed and, with half a million dead and half the country’s population displaced, it is clear that the primary victims were, and continue to be, ordinary civilians. Tens of thousands still languish in the Assad regime’s dungeons, their fates unknown. Many who have returned, hoping to resume their lives back home after rejection from European nations, have been arrested and disappeared, a signal that the regime is unwilling to offer even the appearance of reform.
Nobody has been held accountable for this; or the hundreds of babies killed in the infamous 2013 chemical attack on Ghouta; or for the systematic targeting of civilians with barrel bombs; or for the use of sieges as a weapon of war by the government and rebels; or for the tortured existence of those who lived under ISIS rule.
One frequent chant employed by Syrians protesting the savagery to which they have been subjected was “Malna gheirak ya Allah” (Nobody is with us except you, God). Implicit in it is a belief that it is pointless to hope for redemption from a callous world, that justice would only be served on the Day of Judgment.
But there must be justice in this life, too. As it did in Nuremberg, Rwanda, Yugoslavia and Sierra Leone, the international community should consider establishing a special tribunal to prosecute those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria. Its job would be to put on trial those who ordered outrages carried out by the government and its allies, by the opposition, or by terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda. It is a task of monumental challenges, but one that has precedent and can be managed.
Russia has wielded its veto in the Security Council to shield Bashar Al Assad from accountability time and time again. Such a court would take years to prepare indictments, hold trials and bring the perpetrators to justice, if ever. It would face charges of politicisation and be denied access to key witnesses and facilities, and it would likely have a limited mandate, barred from investigating war crimes committed by Russia’s air force or the US in Raqqa.
And yet, a special tribunal for Syria may be the only way out of the morass. The International Criminal Court (ICC) will be forever tarnished by the limits of its authority, which have restricted it mostly to the prosecution of crimes committed in African countries that voluntarily joined it. The US, under President Trump, has also said it will not co-operate with the court.
Russia is eager to have other countries shoulder the cost of reconstruction in Syria, a country it helped ravage. Its economy cannot bear the burden. If aid is tied to the establishment of an impartial tribunal with a limited mandate, it may be persuaded to co-operate, particularly if such a deal is sweetened by the partial or full lifting of European and American sanctions. After all, Serbia’s co-operation with the Yugoslavia tribunal was aided by the ultimatum that the arrest of war criminals was a prerequisite to joining the EU. Such an agreement could be an entry point for a rapprochement with Moscow.
The work of such a court would also be aided by two other things. First, Syria is the most well-documented conflict in modern history. Hundreds of activists and journalists risked their lives or lost them to catalogue its horrors. Reams of data are available to UN investigators. Evidence of the mass killing of detainees, documented with numbers, has been smuggled out, among it the horrific Caesar photographs.
Second, the investigations could build upon the work of respected agencies, such as the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry for Syria, which has continued to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country since its establishment, as well as that of temporary organisations such as the Joint Investigative Mechanism, which studied chemical weapons attacks.
The West has a responsibility to back an effort to bring justice to the victims of the war, its last chance to reclaim some semblance of decency in its Syria policy. The US, under President Barack Obama, stood aside as hundreds of thousands were killed and millions were made refugees, as chemical weapons red lines were crossed, and as the fabric of the international community was destroyed. The Security Council, an institution tasked with maintaining international peace and security and with a responsibility to protect civilians, has become an arena of political theatre.
The West has almost no leverage in Syria, with Moscow, Tehran and Ankara holding the cards on the ground. The only hand it has to play is that of reconstruction aid, of which up to $400 billion will be needed after the war, and the promise of an end to Russia and Syria’s pariah status.
The EU has tied this aid to a nebulous political solution to the conflict. But, as Idlib and the broader post-conflict consolidation has shown, the regime has little interest in dialogue, especially now that victory is within its grasp.
Instead of a stillborn peace process, the West should tie reconstruction aid to the creation of the special tribunal. Such a step would send the message that there is still the prospect of justice in this world for Syrians, that they will be able to tell their stories in court, that perhaps their tormentors will be held accountable, and the international community may yet recover a shred of its moral authority.
There have been some halting efforts to bring justice. In recent months, German authorities said they had arrested two individuals accused of complicity in the torture of activists in detention. Universal jurisdiction is another tool that could be deployed.
But something more systematic is needed. Perhaps, just this once, Syrians should not be made to wait for divine retribution.
Results:
5pm: Baynunah Conditions (UAE bred) Dh80,000 1,400m.
Winner: Al Tiryaq, Dane O’Neill (jockey), Abdullah Al Hammadi (trainer).
5.30pm: Al Zahra Handicap (rated 0-45) Dh 80,000 1,400m:
Winner: Fahadd, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi.
6pm: Al Ras Al Akhdar Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m.
Winner: Jaahiz, Jesus Rosales, Eric Lemartinel.
6.30pm: Al Reem Island Handicap Dh90,000 1,600m.
Winner: AF Al Jahed, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel.
7pm: Al Khubairah Handicap (TB) 100,000 2,200m.
Winner: Empoli, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap Dh80,000 2,200m.
Winner: Shivan OA, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 0
Wolves 2 (Traore 80', 90 4')
Scores
Wales 74-24 Tonga
England 35-15 Japan
Italy 7-26 Australia
SPECS
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Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. 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.”
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
57%20Seconds
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Profile of VoucherSkout
Date of launch: November 2016
Founder: David Tobias
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers
Sector: Technology
Size: 18 employees
Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake
Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars”
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Spider-Man%202
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A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.
Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
