DUBAI // The international community will not stand by and watch Iran become another North Korea, the British defence secretary said yesterday.
Liam Fox, who was visiting Dubai to meet British troops and hold talks with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said it was inevitable that Gulf states would co-ordinate their armies increasingly closely and security concerns would continue to become more global in nature.
"Having just watched the experience of North Korea, the international community is not simply going to stand by and watch further nuclear proliferation, and trigger what would probably be a nuclear arms race in the region," Dr Fox said. "We must want something better for the future generation."
He drew attention to the different tacks taken by the GCC states and Iran at the recent conference on Gulf security in Bahrain.
"GCC countries are talking about their global role, talking about the global economy, talking about their potential," he said. "The Iranians are saying, 'we don't want foreign influence in our region'."
Given that the GCC states are allied with Britain and other western military powers, while Iran is the sworn enemy of the US, the Iranian position is probably not surprising, but Dr Fox sees the position of the GCC in a broader context. "There is no doubt that the application of economic sanctions from here have had a huge effect, and not just for the reason of economics alone. It has also sent a very strong message to Iran that it is increasingly isolated."
The realisation that today's threats often come from afar is changing the way Britain thinks about its security. In a recent review, it drew up plans for "smaller, more agile" armed forces, designed to work in tandem with those of other countries.
"We recognised that the political structures that we have and the levers that we have to use don't match the picture," Dr Fox said.
"While globalisation has been progressing apace, politicians have been behind the curve."
Globalisation, he says, has not just applied to economics. "What happens in the UK banking sector affects financial deals done in Dubai. What happens on the Pakistan border affects our security on the London Underground."
Historically, Gulf security has been guaranteed by an alliance of foreign military powers, particularly the US and Britain. While individual Gulf states have improved their militaries, Gulf-wide co-operation remains in its infancy. This, Dr Fox believes, will soon change.
"You've got countries here that are economically, militarily, diplomatically as capable as the world's most effective players," he said.
“I think they are increasing in self-confidence and I think you will get more of a shared identity as that role picks up over time.”
For a sign of the times, Dr Fox looks to the the multinational naval force fighting piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
“You have the EU and Nato and various different groupings of individual nations coming in, being co-ordinated but not commanded, and there you’ve seen the evolution of the security framework for that particular problem.”
While Iran is not a member of the joint task force, its navy has worked in concert with the group.
This sort of loose confederation of military powers, several of whom are enemies, was made possible by the common threat to precious shipping lanes.
“Once we get people to recognise that we do have shared threats then the main obstacles begin to fall.”
There are limits, though. As well as maintaining close ties with many Arab states, Britain is an ally of Israel.
India and China are increasingly involved in the security of the seas around the Arabian Peninsula, raising the possibility of a maritime arms race between the rivals.
Even Britain’s new defence co-operation agreement with France has created a stir.
“There are those in Nato, for example, who saw the Anglo-French relationship as somehow being threatening, that somehow this bilateral relationship was undermining the multilateral relationship,” Dr Fox said.
By that token, opponents of his position, including Iran, argue that western involvement muddies the waters, complicating regional problems rather than solving them.
Dr Fox acknowledged that globalisation had resulted in “the unavoidable importation of strategic risk”, but argued that “there are no multilateral relationships that are not underpinned by strong bilateral ones”.
Each of Britain’s relationships, even those with the various Gulf states, was unique, he said.
The key is whether a country embraces co-operation with the rest of the world. Reality, he said, demanded that the West had a stake in Gulf security.
“Go and visit ground zero in Manhattan, or look at the pictures of the London Underground or the Madrid bombings, and tell me that anyone can be isolated.
“We are now, like it or not, interdependent, and the quicker our political and security structures understand that the better.”
Whether Iran gets this message will determine its future.
“Successful countries are now those that look outwards and forwards, and not backwards and inwards to what they perceive as past glories.
“That for me is the definition of whether a country is going to be a progressive contributor to global security and prosperity, or whether it’s going to be an anchor.”
smclain@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Pickford (Everton), Pope (Burnley), Henderson (Manchester United)
Defenders Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Chilwell (Chelsea), Coady (Wolves), Dier (Tottenham), Gomez (Liverpool), James (Chelsea), Keane (Everton), Maguire (Manchester United), Maitland-Niles (Arsenal), Mings (Aston Villa), Saka (Arsenal), Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Foden (Manchester City), Henderson (Liverpool), Grealish (Aston Villa), Mount (Chelsea), Rice (West Ham), Ward-Prowse (Southampton), Winks (Tottenham)
Forwards: Abraham (Chelsea), Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Kane (Tottenham), Rashford (Manchester United), Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Sterling (Manchester City)
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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FIXTURES
Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney
Note: d/n = day/night
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
EA%20Sports%20FC%2024
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20EA%20Vancouver%2C%20EA%20Romania%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20EA%20Sports%3Cbr%3EConsoles%3A%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Itcan profile
Founders: Mansour Althani and Abdullah Althani
Based: Business Bay, with offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India
Sector: Technology, digital marketing and e-commerce
Size: 70 employees
Revenue: On track to make Dh100 million in revenue this year since its 2015 launch
Funding: Self-funded to date
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: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The%20specs
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Company%20Profile
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
World%20Food%20Day%20
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How%20I%20connect%20with%20my%20kids%20when%20working%20or%20travelling
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
More from our neighbourhood series:
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.