ABU DHABI // The UK ambassador says Britain wants to work with Arabian Gulf countries against the marauding militants of the Islamic State as they are a global, not just regional responsibility.
The Islamic State “is a threat not only to those whom it is treating barbarically in Syria and Iraq right now, but to all civilised states and people”, said Philip Parham.
“We need a broad and effective political, diplomatic and security response. As David Cameron has made clear, the UK is determined to work with the UAE and other key regional and international partners to ensure this.”
British prime minister David Cameron wrote in this week's The Sunday Telegraph, that the UK was looking at leading talks with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Turkey and Iran to control the threat in the region.
Security experts say the Islamic State is gradually taking the place of Al Qaeda.
“The old Al Qaeda is dying gradually and Isis is emerging as the replacement,” said Dr Mustafa Alani, a senior adviser and director of security and defence at the Gulf Research Centre.
“It’s only a matter of time before they stretch to the region.”
Dr Alani said cooperation between the UK and the region could involve intelligence gathering and exchange, because “fighting Isis is not a regional issue, it’s a global issue”.
He said that “the UK has a long history in this field and they have a better understanding than the US about the local environment”.
Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a professor of political science at UAE University, said there was a need for cooperation because “Isis is a dangerous strategic threat and I think it’s becoming very close to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and hence very close to GCC security”.
But Dr Theodore Karasik, director at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis in Dubai said the move might be too late, as a large part of the burden was already being shouldered by the Middle East.
“The UK, like other countries, are coming a little too late to the table and they want regional countries to take care of this problem,” Dr Karasik said.
“This doesn’t just have to do with Isis but it’s also what is happening in Africa.
“They want a regional solution because they don’t want to get too closely involved as they have their own problems at home.”
cmalek@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
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Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets