Europe’s Dark Moment

Saudi Cultural Success Praised by Arab World Institute Head

A Weekly Political News Magazine

Saudi Arabia’s CrossFit Fitspiration Coach Encourages Women to Aim Higher

A Weekly Political News Magazine

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Issue 1893- February- 25/02/2022

Vladimir Putin: “Czar of Russia” Who is Dreaming of Restoring Soviet Glory

Issue 1893- February- 25/02/2022

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Europe’s Dark Moment

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Editorial Missiles pounded the Ukrainian capital on Friday as Russian forces pressed their advance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pleaded with the international community to do more, saying sanctions announced so far were not enough.

Air raid sirens wailed over the city of 3 million people, where some were sheltering in underground metro stations, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion that has shocked the world. A Ukrainian official said a Russian plane had been shot down and crashed into a building.

An estimated 100,000 people fled as explosions and gunfire rocked major cities. Dozens have been reported killed. Russian troops seized the Chernobyl former nuclear power plant north of Kyiv as they advanced on the city from Belarus.

In the cover story, Maia Otarashvili said that it is expected that the NATO allies will activate Article 4, according to which the allies can initiate consultations when any of them believes that the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the member states is threatened.

“Moscow has shown its hand – it has started a war it can only win under the conditions of Western indifference— Putin seems to be counting on the West’s inaction. How the West will retaliate remains to be seen in this harrowing story as it unfolds,” she writes.

In the politics section, Majalla writer Jiwan Soz interviewed Ayhan Sefer Üstün, deputy head of the Future Party led by former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who criticized the Turkish leader and his foreign policies. Üstün deplored Erdogan›s accusations against a number of countries, which led to the deterioration of Ankara›s relations with them, before he finally addressed it again to establish new relations with them on the basis of «mutual interests” as he puts it.

In the interview section, Mustafa El Dessouki interviewed Jack Lang who is one of the prominent intellectuals, educators, and legal professionals in France.

During a long talk between Jack Lang and Majalla in his office in Paris, he discussed the role of the Arab World Institute in activating the relationship between French and Arab cultures and creating a constructive cultural dialogue with each other.

The former socialist minister explained what he considers “a cultural revolution” in Saudi Arabia, and applauded the changes happening in Saudi Arabia. He also expressed his amazement by the volume of work accomplished by the Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman and his team, saying that it is an unprecedented and unique work.

In the culture section, Salwa Samir writes about Souq El-Fustat, or Fustat market which is located at the heart of the old Cairo district. It houses some 50 galleries with Egyptian handicrafts that struggle to survive for fear of extinction.

Read these articles and more on our website eng.majalla.com. As always, we welcome and value our readers’ feedback and we invite you to take the opportunity to leave your comments on our website.

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A Weekly Political News Magazine

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A Weekly Political News Magazine

A Weekly Political News Magazine

26 Davotoglu’s Deputy Welcomes Turkey’s Arab Oevre

Issue 1893- February- 25/02/2022

22 ISIS’s Leadership Crisis

Who are the Fierce

36 Competitors of Saudi Banks?

The War for the Metaverse Enters a New

40 Phase as Sony and Apple Join the Fray

44 Egypt’s Souq El Fustat: When History and Heritage meet

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«Playground» Belgium’s Oscar Entry, is a Must-See Drama About School Bullying 5

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American Book: US Almost Invaded Syria in 1919

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137th Nice Carnival parade in Nice Artists perform during the 137th Nice Carnival parade in Nice, southeastern France, on february 19, 2022. The Carnival takes place until February 27, 2022 on the theme «King of animals». Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France )AFP Photos(

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Dubai Tennis Championship Dancers perform after the the final match of the WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship in the Gulf emirate of Dubai on February 19, 2022. Dubai, , United Arab Emirates )AP Photos(

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SAU

JORDAN. Leaks about money held by Jordan's King Abdullah in accounts at Swiss bank Credit Suisse have "inaccurate, old and misleading" information, Jordan's royal palace said on Monday.

Leaked data that contained details about thousands of bank accounts at Credit Suisse from the 1940s to 2010s was published by several media outlets on Sunday.

The reports suggested that the Jordanian monarch had at least six accounts with tens of millions of Swiss francs.

"These recent reports are being used to smear His Majesty and Jordan and distort the truth," the palace said in a statement, adding that the figures were overblown because the amounts in the accounts had been counted multiple times.

EGYPT The United States and Egypt on Monday launched a joint working group to prepare for the next climate change summit in November, the American envoy for climate issues said.

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said the group is focused on the United Nations’ COP27 conference in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. He said the country has already begun its preparations for the meeting.

Kerry said other world tensions, including the ongoing Ukraine crisis, “will not change the reality of what is happening every day with respect to our climate,” and called the issue an “international threat for all of us.

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Saudi Arab commemo nearly 300 downplays from the ul Islam.

The govern musical per history, fire effects, with media repo

UDI ARABIA

bia held celebrations on Tuesday to orate for the first time its foundation years ago, choosing a date that s the central role played by clerics ltra-conservative Wahhabi school of

nment lined up events that include rformances on Saudi modern eworks, drone shows, and sound h 3,500 performers taking part, state orted.

UAE The United Arab Emirates in 2021 became the top trading hub for rough diamonds, overtaking Belgium, the head of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), home to the Dubai Diamond Exchange, said on Monday.

Over $22.8 billion of rough diamonds were traded through the Gulf state in 2021, Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DMCC CEO and executive chairman said, adding that the polished diamond sector continues to grow.

QATAR Neither Qatar nor any other single country has the capacity to replace Russian gas supplies to Europe with liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the event of disruption due to a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Qatar's energy minister said on Tuesday.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated on Tuesday after Moscow ordered troops into two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.

The United States and its European allies are set to announce fresh sanctions against Russia after President Vladimir Putin formally recognised the independence of the two regions in eastern Ukraine.

IRAN Talks on restoring a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program and ease sanctions are near conclusion, a Russian envoy said on Tuesday, and sources close to the negotiations said a prisoner swap between Iran and the United States is expected soon.

"Apparently the negotiations on restoration of #JCPOA are about to cross the finish line," Mikhail Ulyanov said on Twitter, using the 2015 agreement's full name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

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A WEEK ACROS BRAZIL.

U.S. Tackling climate change is a security threat that requires accelerated action even as international attention is focused on Russia and Ukraine, US climate envoy John Kerry said on Monday (Feb 21) during a visit to Cairo.

Egypt will host the COP27 climate conference in November and Kerry said the task for this year was to bring more countries, including Russia and China, on board to set ambitious climate goals, as well as implementing pledges made at COP26 in Glasgow.

The death toll from last week's mudslides and floods in the Brazilian city of Petropolis reached 176 as of Monday, Rio de Janeiro's state civil defense said, with more than 110 people still missing.

Downpours in the colonial-era city exceeded the average for the entire month of February last Tuesday alone, causing mudslides that flooded streets, destroyed houses, washed away cars and buses, and left gashes hundreds of yards wide on the region's mountainsides.

Residents described the agony of waiting for news on their missing friends and relatives.

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LIBYA.

Libya's interim prime minister on Monday announced a plan for elections in the summer as he seek stay in office despite a push by parliament to dislodge him in favo a new government.

Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, who head the Government of National Unity (GNU) in the west of the country, repeated his vow to step down on after a national vote, defying the eastern-based parliament's designation of former interior min Fathi Bashagha to replace him as prime minister.

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RUSSIA. The United States and its European allies are poised to announce harsh new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday after President Vladimir Putin formally recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, escalating a security crisis on the continent.

The Ukrainian military said two soldiers were killed and 12 wounded in shelling by pro-Russian separatists in the east in the past 24 hours, the most casualties this year, as ceasefire violations increased.

Putin's announcement on Monday drew international condemnation and immediate U.S. sanctions, with President Joe Biden signing an executive order to halt U.S. business activity in the breakaway regions.

CHINA.

INDIA.

Indian vaccine maker Biological E. Ltd said on Monday its COVID-19 vaccine received an emergency use approval in the country for use in children aged 12 to 18.

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Taiwan is "not Ukraine" and has always been an inalienable part of China, China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday, as Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen called for the island to beef up vigilance on military activities in response to the crisis.

The comments come after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson flagged the risk for Taiwan in a warning last week about the damaging worldwide consequences if Western nations failed to fulfil their promises to support Ukraine's independence.

China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up military activity near the self-governing island over the past two years, though Taiwan has reported no recent unusual manoeuvres by Chinese forces as tension over Ukraine has spiked.

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Europe’s Dark Moment Russian Invades Ukraine to Undo Post-WWII Int’l Order

By Maia Otarashvili

For the first time in a generation, there is a war waging in Europe. In the early morning hours of Thursday, February 24th, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine. Russia launched missile strikes all over Ukraine, including Kyiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Luhansk, Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr. In Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro the missile strikes targeted military

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Smoke rise from an air defence base in the aftermath of an apparent Russian strike in Mariupol, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

control centers, airfields, and military depots. However, in Kharkiv, Chuguiv, and other towns, residential areas were also hit, and a civilian death toll has been reported.

Latest reports show that Russian tanks are also rolling into undisputed Ukrainian territories, and the story of this full-scale Russian invasion is still unfolding.

The missile strikes came immediately after Moscow published Putin’s address, declaring the war: “I made a decision to carry out a special military operation. The purpose of this operation is to protect people who, for eight years now, have been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kiev regime. To this end, we will seek to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, as well as bring to trial those who perpetrated numerous bloody crimes against civilians, including against citizens of the Russian Federation.”

The video was yet another one of Putin’s typical diatribes about the history of Russian and Ukrainian peoples, and a long recounting of his own version of the West’s crimes against Russia.

“Even now, with NATO’s eastward expansion the situation for Russia has been becoming worse and more dangerous by the year. Moreover, these past days NATO leadership has been blunt in its statements that they need to accelerate and step up efforts to bring the alliance’s infrastructure closer to Russia’s borders. In other words, they have been toughening their position. We cannot stay idle and passively observe these developments. This would be an absolutely irresponsible thing to do for us.”

The Russian president closed his remarks by addressing the Ukrainian people: “I would like to address the citizens of Ukraine. In 2014, Russia was obliged to protect the people of Crimea and Sevastopol from those who you yourself call “nats.” The people of Crimea and Sevastopol made their choice in favor of being with their historical homeland, Russia, and we supported their choice. As I said, we could not act otherwise.

The current events have nothing to do with a desire to infringe on the interests of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. They are connect-

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“Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable.” ed with defending Russia from those who have taken Ukraine hostage and are trying to use it against our country and our people.

I reiterate: we are acting to defend ourselves from the threats created for us and from a worse peril than what is happening now. I am asking you, however hard this may be, to understand this and to work together with us so as to turn this tragic page as soon as possible and to move forward together, without allowing anyone to interfere in our affairs and our relations but developing them independently, so as to create favorable conditions for overcoming all these problems and to strengthen us from within as a single whole, despite the existence of state borders.

I believe in this, in our common future.”

Earlier in the night, as the tensions kept on building, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the people of Russia in a televised speech: “Today I initiated a phone call with the president of the Russian Federation. The result was silence. Though the silence should be in Donbas. That’s why I want to address today the people of Russia.

I am addressing you not as a president, I am addressing you as a citizen of Ukraine.”

The speech was recorded in Russian. Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine has never posed a threat to Russia. “Our main goal is peace in Ukraine and the safety of our people, Ukrainians. For that we are ready to have talks with anybody, including you, in any format, on any platform. The war will deprive (security) guarantees from everybody – nobody will have guarantees of security anymore. Who

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will suffer the most from it? The people.

Who doesn’t want it the most? The people!

Who can stop it? The people. But are there those people among you? I am sure. You are told we are Nazis, but can a people support Nazis that gave more than eight million lives for the victory over Nazism? How can I be a Nazi? Tell my grandpa, who went through the whole war in the infantry of the Soviet

Army and died as a colonel in independent Ukraine.”

Later in the night Zelenskyy addressed the people of Ukraine.

The shelling began in the late hours of the night Washington time. U.S. president Biden immediately issued a statement: “Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the

Ukrainian servicemen get ready to repel an attack in Ukraine’s Lugansk region on February 24, 2022. (Photo by Anatolii STEPANOV / AFP)

U.S. President Joe Biden provides an update on Russia and Ukraine during remarks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., February 22, 2022. REUTERS/ Kevin Lamarque

“I made a decision to carry out a special military operation. The purpose of this operation is to protect people who, for eight years now, have been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kiev regime.”

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A woman with her daughter waits for a train as they try to leave Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/ Emilio Morenatti)

United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable.”

A few hours later Mr. Biden tweeted that he had spoken to President Zelenskyy: “I condemned this unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces. I briefed him on the steps we are taking to rally international condemnation, including tonight at the

After months of searching for a diplomatic solution to the situation it became clear that all Western efforts had failed.

UN Security Council.” He added: “Tomorrow, I will be meeting with the leaders of the G7, and the United States and our Allies and partners will be imposing severe sanctions on Russia. We will continue to provide support and assistance to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.”

The crisis between Russia and Ukraine began months ago with Russian military buildup on its borders with Ukraine, as well as on the territory of Belarus, at the country’s borders with Ukraine to the north. Moscow explained that the military buildup was a measure of self-defense as it perceived security threats stemming from NATO and from Ukraine’s continued cooperation with the West. In December Moscow demanded that NATO and Ukraine leaders sign a treaty of-

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

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fering certain security guarantees to Russia, including a promise that Ukraine will never join NATO. Brussels and Washington stuck to their longstanding policy, explaining that NATO’s open-door policy is not up for negotiation and no state other than Ukraine gets to veto the country’s bid for membership.

After months of searching for a diplomatic solution to the situation it became clear that all Western efforts had failed. On Monday,

February 21, Putin held a security council meeting which was televised live. On that night Russia formally recognized Ukraine’s breakaway territories of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states, and explained that the Minsk negotiations were no longer valid. He explained that he had received “ap-

Emergencies personnel work at the crash site of a Ukrainian military plane south of Kyiv on February 2022 ,24. (Photo by Handout / UKRAINE EMERGENCY MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE / AFP)

A view shows the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service site damaged by shelling in Kyiv region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released February 24, 2022. Press service of the Ukrainian State Border /REUTERS

Before the full-scale attack began on February 24th, the West was still in the process of approving sanctions in response to Russia’s illegal recognition of the independence of Ukraine’s territories.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holds an urgent meeting with the leadership of the government, representatives of the defence sector and the economic bloc due to Russia’s launch of a military operation against Ukraine, in Kyiv on February 24, 2022. (Photo by Handout / UKRAINE PRESIDENCY / AFP)

peals by the leaders of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic” to recognize their sovereignty.

Before the full-scale attack began on February 24th, the West was still in the process of approving sanctions in response to Russia’s illegal recognition of the independence of Ukraine’s territories. U.S. and European allies agreed to freeze assets of certain Russian oligarchs, impose travel bans, and sanction select Russian banks. Germany also agreed to halt the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project with Russia (worth nearly $11 billion).

But despite the sanctions, Moscow has shown that it will go to any lengths to achieve its goals. After decades of peacetime, a full-scale war in Europe has become a rarity, and even an unimaginable possibility. But by attacking Ukraine, President Putin has brought a war to NATO’s and EU’s very borders. It is expected that the NATO allies will activate Article 4, according to which the allies can initiate consultations when any of them believes that the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the member states is threatened. Moscow has shown its hand – it has

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After decades of peacetime, a fullscale war in Europe has become a rarity, and even an unimaginable possibility. But by attacking Ukraine, President Putin has brought a war to NATO’s and EU’s very borders. started a war it can only win under the conditions of Western indifference— Putin seems to be counting on the West’s inaction. How the West will retaliate remains to be seen in this harrowing story as it unfolds.

Maia Otarashvili is a Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Eurasia Program. Maia also serves as the Deputy Director of Research at FPRI. Her research interests include geopolitics and security of the Black Sea-Caucasus region, Russian foreign policy, and the post-Soviet “frozen” conflicts.

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Russian Roulette

Gamal Abdul-Mabud

History does not repeat itself. However, if it does, then we are facing a catastrophe. This should be the starting block for analysing the Ukraine crisis. Ukraine is neither Cuba in 1962 nor is it the U2- incident – when the Soviet Union shot down the US U2- reconnaissance plane in 1962, killing its pilot Rudolf Anderson and prompting the cancellation of the planned Paris summit between Russian President Nikita Khrushchev and US President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

What is going on between Russia and Ukraine? Russia has given NATO open access to gamble the fate of Ukraine.

So far, Russia has been managing this casino-like situation pretty well. The first stage of play was at the Munich Security Conference where all the clapping deafened the Ukrainian President from realizing that the solidarity and support promises in case of a Russian invasion are a piece of fiction.

These claimed undertakings boiled down to nothing more than promises of economic boycott and financial sanctions against Russia in case it invades Kiev. In reality, however, even these semi-pacific promises will not be honoured for a very good reason: Europe relies on Russian gas by more than %40 to fulfil its heating and industrial needs. Western countries have not yet succeeded in finding a replacement. Moreover, they cannot manipulate the gas market in the same way as the Arab oil embargo of 1973. Russia is well aware of all of this.

Russia is orchestrating Western countries as it wishes, pushing them to the brink, before retracting and pulling back.

The conflicting statements coming out of Moscow have put global stock markets on the edge, breathing a sigh of relief one day and holding their breath the very next while awaiting the worst. It has never been an issue with Ukraine itself.

Russia wants to thwart the West from progressing towards the East and taking over lands that were historically part of Russia under the umbrella of the Soviet Union. At a heavy economic cost, NATO has succeeded in annexing Russia’s vital sphere. The Organization managed to lure in Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Lithuania using a hefty bribe –granting them membership in the European Economic Community. This would not have been possible with a country like Ukraine, which was part of the Soviet Union and was the largest producer of Russian wheat, thanks to its black soil. As for other countries like Poland and Hungary, they had been always independent countries before embracing communism.

They were also not part of Soviet Union territory, neither before the Russians ceased being a great power nor after, when Russians started being treated like second-class citizens. This was evident in the second Gulf War, when Saddam Hussein refused all lifelines thrown to him by Russia.

Since Russians enjoy quite a proud civilization, a man like Vladimir Putin wanted to avenge the Russian bear and build momentum to regrow as a player in global politics. He has

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attained considerable success in Syria, Libya and Iran and was able to gain influence at the expense of USA in general and the West in particular. The West wanted the Russian bear to retreat back to its den— hence, the Ukraine crisis was brought forth.

The West’s ordeal is that it knows how to create crises. It does not, however, know how to control them. An overly realistic scrutiny of the events shows that we are dealing with a gambling-like situation – a casino has been set up on Ukrainian lands and is being run by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He got the money in the form of weapons from the UK and the USA. The showgirls’ tips, meanwhile, are vague promises of joining NATO. Zelenskyy is well aware that these promises will never be fulfilled because Ukraine is a Russia property.

Nonetheless, it enjoys a sovereignty that has granted it the right to UN membership. However, it cannot protect it from the Russian bear that wants raze the Ukrainian casino, turn off Europe’s lights, and clog the chimneys of Western factories.

The question, then, is why did the West swallow the Russian bait and fall for the temptations of the Ukrainian casino? The West has thought that Russia 2022 is Russia 1990. The USA has its reasons, not the least of which covering up for the economic and political failures of the Joe Biden administration and the dwindling of his popularity. For his part, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson could at any moment be arrested by his own police forces, or be fined the least, for violating the COVID regulations which he has enforced himself. His popularity is at all-time lows that could make him the John Major of his time.

Therefore, Johnson proceeded to play the war drums in Ukraine and sent weaponry there. However, he is well aware that his drums are hollow and that his army will not stand strong against a Russian invasion. Johnson, consequently, started convincing himself of illusions to escape the legal accountability for violating the law in his country. He is well aware that Europe cannot afford a war because of Ukraine and that he is nowhere near Churchill in 1939. After all, Chamberlain who signed the peace treaty with Hitler on the eve of the invasion of Poland is nowhere to be seen. Also, Putin is no Hitler, because times have changed, and the world has grown into a small village. Putin will emerge as the big winner out of this. NATO will not expand its influence and the West will fail to recall Crimea.

Russian troops will withdraw from the Ukrainian border, Germany will proceed with laying the pipeline for Nord Stream 2 against the USA’s will, and Ukraine will once again perform the duties of loyalty and obedience to Russia. The Ukrainian casino will therefore be shut down because it is notorious for one game that Putin plays very well: Russian roulette.

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ISIS’s Leadership Crisis

A Vacancy at the Top Threatens the Group’s Global Operations

By Haroro Ingram, Craig Whiteside It is only February, and already, the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) has had a rough year. ISIS’s supporters quickly went from cheering on a large prison break in northeast Syria to learning, days later, that the group’s reclusive leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was killed in a daring U.S. special operations raid.

Before Qurayshi’s death, there was growing concern

that ISIS might be resurgent. Beyond the prison break in Syria, where ISIS fighters had managed to maintain control of the facility for several days despite a powerful military assault by U.S. and Kurdish-led forces, there were other troubling signs of the group’s vitality. A February report from the UN Security Council sanctions monitoring team expressed alarm at ISIS’s growing power in various central African provinces and its resurgence in Afghanistan now that U.S. troops are gone. In Iraq and Syria, even though ISIS has been conducting fewer guerrilla activities,

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there are still stark political and sectarian divisions, rural areas stressed by climate change, and post-pandemic economic difficulties—all of which could fuel an ISIS comeback.

With Qurayshi’s death, however, the prospect of a serious comeback any time soon looks less likely.

Targeted killings rarely end movements like ISIS, but this one has forced an important leadership transition on the terrorist organization. The United States has killed many of its leaders in the past, but the timing of this loss is particularly bad for the group: it suffers from dwindling cash supplies, a thin bench of replacement leaders, and a decline in operations in its heartland of Iraq. ISIS’s core leadership in Iraq and Syria must now make a strong case for why the organization’s franchises around the world should pledge allegiance to a leader who will likely be as anonymous as Qurayshi. Whether they succeed or fail will decide ISIS’s fate as a global enterprise connecting jihadist groups from West Africa to East Asia.

A HIGH-TURNOVER JOB

An ISIS official announcing the capture of Tabqa air base to residents of Raqqa province, Syria, August 2014 ,24. (Stringer/ Reuters)

Both locally and globally, ISIS is held together by its members’ general acceptance of their leader as legitimate. ISIS must now select its fourth leader in history, and there is reason to believe that this will be its most difficult transition.

In 2004, the infamous Abu Musab al-Zarqawi pledged his small group to Osama bin Laden, and the group became known as al Qaeda in Iraq. Months after Zarqawi was killed in a 2006 American airstrike, his followers formed the Islamic State of Iraq—later expanding into Syria and rebranding themselves as ISIS. In doing so, they established leadership succession practices that the group has followed to this day.

As its leaders explained in a publication released in 2006, the group would adopt the caliph selection practices used in the first Islamic State (established in 622 CE), quoting religious scholars and the historian Ibn Khaldun as justification for a readoption of traditional practice. Drawing from this guidance, ISIS’s chiefs formed a leader-selection committee with representatives from the various groups that merged to create the proto-state. They agreed that the most important criterion for choosing a supreme leader was superior religious knowledge. And as an unwritten requirement, they established the practice of selecting a documented descendant of the Prophet Muhammad’s Quraysh tribe, a collection of clans that traditionally governed Mecca. The idea was to build legitimacy into the succession process by tying it to the tribal identity of the first four caliphs who ruled after Prophet Muhammad’s death.

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With Qurayshi’s death, however, the prospect of a serious comeback any time soon looks less likely. Targeted killings rarely end movements like ISIS, but this one has forced an important leadership transition on the terrorist organization.

Zarqawi’s successor as the leader of the new Islamic State of Iraq was Abu Umar al-Baghdadi, a veteran of al Qaeda in Iraq with a traceable lineage to the Prophet Mohammad’s Quraysh tribe. He was killed in 2010

by U.S. and Iraqi special operations. Abu Bakr alBaghdadi al-Qurayshi was selected in the same manner after several weeks of silence and went on to lead a resurgence of the group and the declaration of the caliphate. He was killed by U.S. special operations forces in 2019 in Syria, and replaced by Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi after a five-day period.

Given this historical precedent, it is highly likely that the next leader will be announced in the coming weeks and that he will have a résumé like his predecessors: he will be a religious scholar and jihadi veteran with Qurayshi lineage who is in ISIS’s inner leadership circle. What the group hopes will follow is a series of public renewals of the allegiance pledge to the caliph by ISIS’s members and global affiliates.

After all, ISIS’s claims of authority rely on the acknowledgement and acceptance by constituents.

This time around, however, ISIS may confront obstacles during the succession process given the problems associated with Qurayshi’s tenure. Like his predecessor, Qurayshi took over during a downcycle but had no major successes during his tenure.

He had risen rapidly up ISIS’s ranks since 2007, and by 2014 was one of Baghdadi’s top religious advisers who allegedly argued for the genocide of Iraq’s Yazidi communities. Qurayshi had a leg amputated while serving Baghdadi, possibly as a result of a 2015 airstrike targeting top ISIS leaders. But his reign was dogged by stories about his days as a U.S. informant, especially after the U.S. government released interrogation files showing that he had willingly provided detailed insights about ISIS’s early days to his U.S. captors when he was in prison in Iraq. He even divulged information that helped the U.S. military kill his supervisor and al Qaeda in Iraq’s no. 2 leader,

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Abu Qaswarah, in 2008.

In many ways, Qurayshi took over an organization with problems in Iraq and Syria but was well prepared by his predecessor to manage a global insurgency. Qurayshi continued to support the group’s farflung franchises with money and advisers, a gambit that kept supporters’ morale up as the group struggled to make ground in its historic core areas. As ignominious in life as in death, Qurayshi’s final act was to kill his wife and children when he detonated explosives during the U.S. raid. In his wake, ISIS confronts a perilous path.

HELP WANTED ISIS’s inner circle now finds itself in a precarious position with two basic options for a new leader,

Given this historical precedent, it is highly likely that the next leader will be announced in the coming weeks and that he will have a résumé like his predecessors.

either of which opens a range of possibilities. The first, and most likely, is that the group follows its established succession processes but lands on a leader who is markedly different from his predecessors. For example, the group could pick a nonIraqi leader, perhaps a Syrian, a choice that would all but confirm a slight shift in its center of gravity from Iraq to Syria. Another possibility is that the next caliph emerges from ISIS’s new generation— someone who, unlike his predecessors, has no connection with the founding fathers who first fought against the occupiers in Iraq well over a decade ago. This could improve its support among the current generation of supporters who are much more passionate about the plight of Sunni Arabs in Syria than the Iraq war of two decades ago.

The second option is that ISIS abandons its established practices in selecting Qurayshi’s replacement, suggesting that its leaders are divided or too deep in hiding. It’s conceivable, for example, that ISIS does not acknowledge the death of its leader, hinting that the United States is in error (once again) about the identity of its leader. Alternatively, a leader may bypass the established succession process and claim authority on his own—an almost certain sign of internal instability. And any new leader, whether he emerges from a formal process or not, could find his authority contested. In all these irregular scenarios, there is a very real threat of infighting, which would make the ISIS threat more volatile if less coherent.

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A general view on Feb. 2022 ,3, shows the scene following an overnight raid by US special operations forces against suspected jihadists in Atmeh, in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib. (Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images)

People check a destroyed house after a U.S. military operation in the Syrian village of Atmeh, in Idlib province.

(Ghaith Alsayed/AP)

Beyond the parochial interests of the core and leadership council, the ISIS franchises of the world are waiting to see who the new leader is, as the choice relates to why they joined ISIS in the first place—the perceived legitimacy of a global caliph in the tradition of the Islamic empire. A year before Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s killing in 2019, the West Africa province openly deliberated the validity of its pledge to the caliph and determined that it was still legitimate because he was chosen by the esteemed selection council. Just a year later, it renewed its pledge to the unknown Qurayshi along with all other provinces, a coup for the ISIS succession process. After Qurayshi’s short two-year tenure, during which they did not hear from him once, will they collectively decide to double down on their faith-based bet? And will they receive the same support from the new—and likely just as anonymous—leader? Some groups may decide that the notoriety of being an ISIS franchise is not worth this risk and strike out on their own.

U.S. President Joe Biden got a much-needed win with the killing of Qurayshi. In a test of its shift to an “over-the-horizon” counterterrorism approach, the Pentagon directed a special operations raid from Iraq up to the shadow of the Turkish border. The operation was an unmitigated success. And it justifies continued pressure on an ISIS that is more vulnerable now than it was three years ago, as it lost territory and suffered the death of Baghdadi.

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Both locally and globally, ISIS is held together by its members’ general acceptance of their leader as legitimate. ISIS must now select its fourth leader in history, and there is reason to believe that this will be its most difficult transition.

This victory came just in time. The debacle of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, along with Chinese aggression over Taiwan and Russian aggression over Ukraine, has caused allies to wonder if the United States can do two things at once: deter great powers and fight jihadists. With Qurayshi’s death, however, European capitals have breathed a long sigh of relief. If ISIS was planning terrorist attacks in European cities, chances are they are now a much lower priority for the group as it braces for the drama of having to choose a new leader again.

This article was originally published by Foreign Affairs.

P

olitics

Davotoglu’s Deputy Welcomes Turkey’s Arab Oevre

Vice President of Turkish Future Party to Majalla: Erdogan Used Foreign Policy as Tool in Domestic Policies

By Jiwan Soz - Qamishli Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the United Arab Emirates and the announcement of his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia (date yet to be set), has met with fierce criticism from Ayhan Sefer Üstün, deputy head of the Future Party led by former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who criticized the Turkish leader and his foreign policies. Üstün deplored Erdogan›s accusations against a number of countries, which led to the deterioration of Ankara›s relations with them, before he finally addressed it again to establish new relations with them on the basis of «mutual interests” as he puts it.

The Turkish president has not yet announced the date of his upcoming visit to Riyadh, but he visited the UAE in mid-February, about 3 months after the visit of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed to Ankara on his first visit since 2012. Üstün, who is also a former parliamentarian for the ruling party and one of the founders of the Future party, said that the party in which he is currently holding the position of vice president, «welcomes the establishment of good relations with all countries, especially those located in the vicinity of Turkey,» stressing that the Future Party also desires to maintain good foreign relations.

He added in an interview with Majalla that «when our current party leader Davutoğlu was foreign minister and also when he was exercising his duties as prime minister, he followed a policy

of zero problems, but Erdogan used foreign policy as a tool in domestic policy for the past four or five years, which led to the occurrence of inappropriate tensions in Ankara›s foreign relations, some of which continue to date.» Üstün added, «Today, we do not object to Turkey establishing good relations with the outside, but we deplore Ankara›s accusations against a country and then seeking to establish relations with it as if nothing had happened before.»

Here is the full text of the interview that Majalla conducted by phone with the Turkish official residing in the capital of Ankara: In your opinion, what are the reasons that led to the deterioration of Turkey›s foreign relations in the past years?

Ayhan Sefer Üstün (ASÜ): During the period when Davutoğlu, the current head of our party, held the position of foreign minister in the country and also when he was prime minister, Ankara pursued a policy of “zero problems” with neighboring countries and also followed a multi-directional strategy in foreign policy as in relations with South America and African countries.

But after the Turkish president used foreign policy as a tool in domestic politics, this actually led to the deterioration of Ankara›s relations with the world, and some of these tensions continue to this day.

But the Turkish president is trying today to reset his country›s

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After the Turkish president used foreign policy as a tool in domestic politics, this actually led to the deterioration of Ankara›s relations with the world, and some of these tensions continue to this day. countries such as Israel, Armenia and Arab countries such as the UAE. This comes in addition to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with which, I believe, a rapid rapprochement can be achieved in the coming period.

Ayhan Sefer Üstün

foreign relations. What is your position on what he did recently?

ASÜ: We, in the Future Party, want Turkey to maintain good relations with all countries, especially with its neighbours.

Therefore, we find that the recent rapprochement between Ankara and Abu Dhabi, for example, is of course positive.

But we object to the government’s contradictory rhetoric as it did with Abu Dhabi. Ministers who occupy important political positions in the government and even Turkish President Erdogan, openly accused it of being behind the failed coup attempt against his rule, which took place on July 2016 ,15.

Then, they establish relations with the UAE now as if nothing had happened, and therefore we have to ask some questions to the Turkish government, including: If the UAE was actually behind that coup attempt, how can there be a rapprochement with it now so easily? Then the other question that comes to mind: How can these accusations be so easily leveled and disrupt our relations with a country, if it was not originally behind the July 15 coup? The government must provide people with adequate answers to these obvious questions. * What are the reasons that prompted Ankara to review its foreign relations at the present time?

ASÜ: There is a severe economic crisis in Turkey, so the government decided to act more rationally in foreign policy in order to deal with economic problems inside and for this it wants to open a new page in relations with a number of

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Is the economic crisis forcing the Turkish president to establish these relations? Did he benefit from some of them?

ASÜ: The Turkish economy suffers from very rare crises.

The long-term economic crisis has reached the level of depression as a result of mismanagement and since the current government could not control it, it caused an increase in the three indicators: the exchange rate of the lira against foreign currencies, inflation and interest at the same time.

Consequently, Turkey is facing a storm in the economy and therefore relations with Arab countries, for example, will undoubtedly be beneficial to the local economy.

However, the Turkish government has focused on barter transactions with the central banks of Arab countries rather than establishing permanent economic and trade relations in an effort to solve, albeit partially, urgent foreign exchange and borrowing needs. Therefore, it is clear that this approach will not provide sustainable benefits.

So, could the current economic crisis in Turkey lead to early presidential and parliamentary elections?

ASÜ: When we ask if there is a need for early elections in Turkey, everyone says yes. But at a time when the economic crisis has reached its climax, I see that the ruling coalition will not go to elections that it will lose.

The government is trying to buy time to fix things and they can›t go to an early election without making sure it›s in their favour. In the event of a partial improvement, the ruling coalition may decide to hold early elections in October or November of this year.

I

nterview

Saudi Cultural Success Praised

by Arab World Institute Head

Jack Lang to Majalla: Countries Must Act Now to Preserve their National Language, Culture

By Mustafa El Dessouki Jack Lang is one of the prominent intellectuals, educators, and legal professionals in France. He contributed to the enrichment of French culture, when he was the Minister of Culture in France from 1981 until 1986, and again from 1988 until 1993. He was also the Minister of National Education from 1992 to 1993, and from 2000 to 2002.

Lang added a lot to the Arab culture by presiding over the Arab World Institute in Paris from 2013 until the present date. During the mandate of Lang, the Arab World Institute, founded in Paris in 1980, organized cultural workshops, concerts, conferences, exhibitions, festivals, and many unique activities inside and outside France, especially in Saudi Arabia. He received a special honor from the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Arab World Institute, the building for which was designed by Jean Nouvel, was created to document the Arab culture with its different beliefs and religions.

During a long talk between Jack Lang and Al-Majalla in his office in Paris, he discussed the role of the Arab World Institute in activating the relationship between French and Arab cultures and creating a constructive cultural dialogue with each other.

The former socialist minister explained what he considers “a cultural revolution” in Saudi Arabia, and applauded the changes happening in Saudi Arabia. He also expressed his amazement by the volume of work accomplished by the Prince bin Salman and his team, saying that it is an unprecedented and unique work.

Minister Lang (83 years old), who was born into a rich

family and studied law and political science, talked also about his book “The Arabic Language-Treasure of France” through which he highlighted the high status of the Arabic language which is classified as the fifth of the six languages of the United Nations.

At the end of the interview, Mr. Lang congratulated Saudi Arabia on the occasion of the February 2022 ,22, celebration of the first anniversary of the founding of the first Saudi state about 300 years ago.

The interview reads as follows: < What is the mission of the Arab World Institute and its major future projects?

- The mission of the Arab World Institute is to reveal the depth of the different countries, and the beauty, strength, and greatness of the Arab cultures. We cannot achieve anything great if we don’t succeed through education, culture, art, and information, and if we don’t integrate the history and present of the Arab culture with the people of the Western countries and all the countries of the world.

When I was the Minister of Culture during the mandate of François Mitterrand, I built this place to turn it into a highend center for the Arab culture. One of the main missions of the Institute is to highlight all facets of the Arab culture or cultures. The projects range from exhibitions, forums, meetings, concerts, and publications. It is really a unique Institute in the world and no other capital in the world hosts such Institute. < The Saudi culture aims at enhancing values of peace and dialogue among people, disseminating cultures,

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Jack Lang

establishing relations with others… What do you think of the cultural and intellectual support happening in Saudi Arabia since the announcement of Saudi Vision 2030?

- I greatly admire the measures taken in the recent years by the Saudi authorities for education and culture. A true cultural revolution is happening today in Saudi Arabia, and that is amazing. I was a minister for 10 years, and I am the president of this Institute, so I may say to you that I don’t know any country in the world where such a revolution is taking place. When I see the changes made in Saudi Arabia, I think that they are amazing! Politics, culture, art, cinema, music, theatre, literature, an unprecedented support for the Arabic language, modernization, creation of museums.

That’s really impressive, and the work done by Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and his team is remarkable.

We are observing today a deep cultural reality in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There are initiatives related to women and youth. I am also noticing today that the youth and women are feeling excited about this modern policy of a State that supports art and culture in order to build a cultured and unique Arabic society. That makes me really happy.

It is fortunate that Prince bin Farhan is in charge of the Ministry of Culture in Saudi Arabia, as he is a visionary modern man who prepares for the future.

In my opinion, the measures that are currently being taken in Saudi Arabia are a true revolution, because Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has a fruitful vision of the future. It is not merely a vision as a result of the achievements that are happening right now. Prince Mohammed Bin Salman knew that his country won’t be able to progress unless it relied on innovation, youth, women, and institutions, and that is

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I am travelling after few days to Jeddah for a three-day seminar on contemporary art, and I will be participating at the same time amazing. Saudi Arabia is a big country that eventually had to take a step towards modernity without renouncing its customs and beliefs. I feel happy today to go to a Jeddah or Riyad that has become an international cultural capital. The situation has completely changed, which requires a lot of political courage, intelligence, and vision.

What is currently taking place in Saudi Arabia today is not just words, everywhere we are seeing festivals, events, museums, cinemas, theatres, universities, and research centers. We in the West are oblivious to these changes. I kindly ask our friends in Saudi Arabia, why don’t you enhance more the knowledge of the positive activities that you are doing? I am maybe the only one talking outside about what is happening in Saudi Arabia, this amazing cultural life.

I participated in December in the first Red Sea International Film Festival, and that was amazing. I am going in few days to Jeddah for a three-day seminar on contemporary art, and I will be participating at the same time in the AlUla Council to discuss how to develop this wonderful site. I find this

I

nterview

amazing and exciting.

I am also involved in a number of initiatives, and I am thinking especially of AlUla. We will organize here a big exhibition for many months in AlUla, and it will travel around the world. We will present an AlUla exhibition in China’s Forbidden City, then in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and afterwards in other countries.

Talks are underway to coordinate the tour of a number of exhibitions from the Arab World Institute through several cities of Saudi Arabia, for instance, the exhibition on the divas of the Arab world, like Umm Kulthum, Feirouz, and Warda. Prince Bader approved this idea, and that’s what is being discussed with the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia. I would like to send a message to say that the exhibition is amazing and it will travel to Saudi Arabia. I would love if it goes to other Arab and Western countries.

Through Al-Majalla magazine, I request everyone interested in the event to contact us in order to organize the tour of the Umm Kulthum, Feirouz, and Warda exhibition as well as the Saudi artist Mohammed Abdo, across and outside of the Kingdom. < You wrote a book entitled “The Arabic Language-French Treasure.” Can you tell us more about it and what made you write it?

- Teaching the Arabic language is part of the Arab World Institute’s mission. Since I head the Institute, I try my best to teach the Arabic Language not only in the Institute, but also in schools and universities. Among the unique initiatives that we took is “The International Certificate in The Arabic Language” to assess the different levels of the knowledge of students. This system is similar to the TOEFL in the English language. It is unprecedented, it may seem strange, but that does not exist in the Arab World. We took this initiative and many countries helped so we can issue this International Certificate. It is a great success. < How is the relationship between Francophone and Gulf countries?

Saudi officials created twelve independent authorities, one of which is dedicated to the Arabic language and culture, one for cinema, one for music, one for visual arts, and that is also amazing.

- It is true that cultural and linguistic conflicts can come together. I am fond of the French and also the Arabic languages. I say sometimes in meetings that French and Arabic languages have the same struggle in order to ensure the protection of both languages. It is a very broad subject, great national languages are under a threat of being weakened through common use, publicity, and marketing.

I also think that even in Arabic countries, the Arabic language, even literary and spoken, should be preserved. I notice that in some countries, young people find it easy to speak in English more than in their national language. It is similar to what is happening in France and Germany, which is unfortunate. Modern languages should be preserved, for they are the treasure of humanity. We are working here in favor of the Arabic language, and I hope that others will work in favor of the French and German languages. I also think that multilingualism will constitute a true challenge.

Younger generations have to learn two or three languages and also preserve their own national language. It is a highly important matter, or else we will speak a bland international language that is missing life, color, and a special nature, and we will completely break the relation with the past.

We can shift towards modernity like the Crown Prince, but at the same time we have to preserve the cultural heritage as well as the culture. What is interesting in the policy of the Minister of Culture, Prince Bader Bin Farhan, and the Saudi authorities is that they established twelve independent agencies, one of which is dedicated to the Arabic language and culture, one for the cinema, one for the music, and one for visual arts. It is very important for the cultural policy not to forget the importance of the language of each country. I feel that a great effort is being made today in Saudi Arabia to encourage people to love, discover, and maintain Arabic and other languages. It is a great work done by the Saudi Minister of Culture and his team. I can talk for hours about Saudi Arabia which is considered an exceptional and unique country. I hope that this continues. Furthermore, the architectural projects of the Crown Prince are notable, for instance, he entrusted Jean Nouvel, architect of Arab World Institute, with the execution of a kind of resort in AlUla. The project is magnificent and it shows the beauty of the site. < What do you think of the cultural and intellectual life in Gulf countries apart from Saudi Arabia?

- The intellectual and cultural life in other Gulf countries is also rich. I think that in Bahrain, Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, accomplished a great deal working to revive the heritage by developing the pearl hunting trade and establishing a place for exhibitions. She is a remarkable woman. Many figures in Kuwait are also working to preserve its cultural heritage. At last, I can talk about the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed did a

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lot, in fact he was behind the establishment of the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi. He went to the French President and proposed the creation of this big museum, the architect of which is Jean Nouvel. Everything started with Jean Nouvel here in Paris when I chose him with Mitterrand to build this place. He became a star in Arab countries especially in the Gulf countries. Furthermore, Dubai and Abu Dhabi host amazing events, like the Expo that accomplished a great success with its wonderful pavilions, like the UAE pavilion and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pavilion. Drastic changes are taking place. It is important to say that in these countries, wealth is being invested in education, culture, beauty, and instruction, which means the future and the youth. It is an important milestone in the politics adopted in Gulf countries especially in recent years. < Umm Kulthum came to France in 1967, did you attend the concert?

- I was lucky to hear Umm Kulthum in Cairo. I was still a student on a trip to Cairo, Egypt, and by chance my friends obtained two tickets for me and my wife. We discovered for the first time Umm Kulthum and that was before she came to Paris. We were mesmerized and fascinated by her amazing voice. We were in an old-fashioned theatre, so we wondered if we went to the wrong place, but it was correct. Suddenly, Umm Kulthum appeared from behind the curtains or rather from in front of them. It was incredible how men sang with her and accompanied her. It is unforgettable. I also had a chance to encounter Feirouz when I was also a student on a trip to Lebanon, then she came to France. When I became

The spoken and written Arabic language should be preserved.

I notice that in some countries, young people talk in English more than their national language which is unfortunate. minister, I awarded her the Legion of Honor, and we stayed in contact. I also met Warda. I had the chance, whether as a spectator, citizen, or minister to meet all these divas that mesmerized the world and are still touching the hearts of millions of people especially in Arab countries and others.

They are truly a treasure that shall be preserved. < Do you have any favorite song for Umm Kulthum?

- No, I don’t have a specific song. I love her songs without exception, and how she can draw out a note or a syllable and prolong her voice for minutes and then reach a higher note. Her dexterity is remarkable in addition to the way of singing in harmony. < What about the Saudi Arabic singer Mohammed Abdo?

- Mohammed Abdo is a true star, an international icon. I am happy that he can travel all over the world as well as in Saudi Arabia. What’s great today is that he is still among you. There are many amazing singers and musicians. It is great that almost every week, we hear about concerts in one city or another, especially amazing electronic concerts.

Today, Saudi Arabia is the country that we should go to, where there is life, music, dance, and imagination. Not only the big stars, but all the people are vibrant. It is finally a place where we live with music, art, theatre, and cinema. It is amazing. < Saudi Arabia is celebrating its Founding Day on February 22, what would you like to say?

- On the Founding Day of the State, I would like to say that every time I go to the residence of the Saudi Ambassador to France, who is a remarkable man, I see that he makes sure to speak in French and Arabic. He is a francophone. It is time that we say to all the friends of Saudi Arabia, thank you for your commitment to development, peace, progress, culture, and education. I hope in this year, on the occasion of the Founding Day, to address my best wishes and respect to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and to the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Jack Lang

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R

eport

Democrats Disown Their Progressive Members Before Midterm Elections, Democrats Push Back Against Extreme Left Views

By Majalla – Washington As the leaders of the Democratic Party look fearfully toward the midterm elections in November, many are recoiling from some of the left-wing

progressives’ proposals that became prominent during the Trump administration.

While the progressives helped channel widespread anger with the former president’s policies while he was in office, many Democrats now see

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those same progressive opinions as too extreme and harmful to Democratic prospects this November.

Almost eight months before the elections, Democratic candidates in many states are scrambling to push back against slogans like “Defund the Police,” that were embraced by some progressives in the aftermath of the killing of Black George Floyd by a White policeman in 2020 in Minnesota.

Some progressives were forced to try explaining past associations with the controversial slogan, and some were recalled from boards of education in more than one city.

Last week, In San Francisco, the latest battle among Democrats over how far left the party should move was illustrated by voters recalling three school board members who veered towards the extreme left (some voters called the three “Communists”) even in a city that is a bastion of liberalism.

FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators calling to defund the police march during events to mark Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in Texas, two years after the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves elsewhere in the United States, amid nationwide protests against racial inequality, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 2020 ,19.

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The latest battle among Democrats over how far left the party should move was illustrated by voters recalling three school board members who veered towards the extreme left in a city that is a bastion of liberalism. to destroy the Life of Washington mural by Viktor Arnautoff in George Washington High School, which had depicted slavery and Native Americans...

Yes, after a national outcry, the board decided in a 4 to 3 vote, with me in the minority, to cover the art work instead. But, as I wrote then, ‘[the] mural is not historic. It is a relic. It is a remnant from a bygone era. You don’t get to tell us to Following are opposing opinions by two Demo- keep them. If you want them, come get them’ ... crats in San Francisco, from their tweets, web- Yes, I, and others on the Board, voted to rename sites and statements to the media: 44 schools, named after individuals and places On one side, progressive Alison Collins, who associated allegedly with racism or exploitawas fired from the board of education after voters tion. The intent was not to erase history, but to recalled her and two other progressive members. create space for new people who deserve to be On the other side, moderate (but calling himself celebrated ... Nobody is going to not know who “progressive”) Siva Raj, who started the peti- George Washington is. Nobody is going to not tion to recall the three members of the Education know who Lincoln is …

Board last April.

ALISON COLLINS: “FIGHTING RACISM” “Many on the left of the Democratic Party reject the notion that their ideas on education, policing, racial equity and other issues are a liability for the party…

I was elected to the Board of Education in 2018, among a pool of 19 candidates, and was supported by the party’s leadership, which now, fearful of the propaganda by the Republican Party, have (sic) disowned me, and two of my colleagues ...

Yes, in 2016, I complained about incidents of bullying and racism at Francisco Middle School, where my daughters were students…

Yes, in 2019, I voted with the rest of the board

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Yes, I voted with the 5-2 majority in 2021 to turn the merit-based admissions policy at Lowell High School into a lottery system calling the former system “racist”...

Then, there were my tweets about Asian Americans that were taken out of context and used against me by my enemies…

At the regular Board meeting, on March 23, 2021, I apologized for the tweets. But I refused to resign. In November 2021, I, again, expressed regret that my words caused hurt to the Asian American community...

But I maintained that my tweets were not racist, and that my words were weaponized by opponents with ulterior motives …”

Alison Collins

(These are excerpts from her tweets about Asian Americans: “Many Asian Americans whom I know will not engage in critical race conversations unless they see how they’re impacted by White supremacy. ... They believe they benefit from the ‘Model Minority.’ But that is [an obscene word] …

In fact, many Asian Americans actively promote these myths. They use White supremacist thinking to assimilate and ‘get ahead’ …

I have talked to many Asian American parents and you will hear praise of Tiger Moms and disparagement of Black/Brown ‘culture’ … No recognition Black Lives Matter exists among them …”)

SIVA RAJ: “OUR PARTY IS LOSING” “I’ve always thought of myself as a progressive — until now, recently, when I’m looking at this situation of a new racism behind the slogan of anti-racism. I’m shocked — like, how can progressives be for something like this?

This is not me. These are not the values that I buy anymore …

I was overwhelmed by joy when Biden defeated President Donald Trump in 2020. But I have come to believe that defeating the Board of Education’s most left-wing members, president Gabriela Lopez and vice president Alison Collins, would spare the party deeper political problems down the road. I don’t want Alison Collins and Gabriela Lopez to be the face of the progressive movement …

Siva Raj

Their actions had moved to: First, rename schools honoring figures such as Abraham Lincoln, whom they deemed flawed.

Second, sought to diversify an elite high school with an overwhelmingly Asian American and White student body by ending merit-based admissions.

Third, imposed a lengthy pandemic absence from in-person learning…

Now, even liberal San Francisco’s mayor backed recalling Alison Collins and Gabriela Lopez …

But slogans like ‘Abolish ICE’ [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and calls to renounce Lincoln were never representative of the broader Democratic Party.

Now, the Republicans have weaponized such extreme slogans, and have tagged all of their opponents with harsh attacks. These attacks resonated in part because Democrats have often been reluctant to respond directly lest they highlight their own divisions …

Take the phrase, ‘Defund the Police,’ that started after the killing of George Floyd. Unfortunately, the phrase has been so politicized and so many people believe that it is solely about cutting funds to police departments …

Our party has made a mistake in seeking to deflect such attacks rather than meeting them head-on. If there’s a broader lesson here for all us, the Democrats, left or moderate, it’s that we need to define what we’re standing for.

We start in the middle of the conversation and we start in response rather than showing what we’re for …”

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E

conomy

Who are the Fierce Competitors of Saudi Banks?

Here’s Why Financing Platforms Are Growing in Saudi Arabia

By Motasem Al Felou – Jeddah The Saudi banking sector is facing new competitors. The competition is coming from fintech (financial technology) and financing firms that are taking a slice of the banking business. The accelerating growth of the digital services and new competitors has brought down the number of banks’ branches from 2014 in year 2020 to 1945 branches currently, decreasing by 3.5%. The number of bank employees has continued to fall steadily since 2015 from 49563 employees to 46049 employees now. The number of banks’ remittance services centers has gone down from

752 centers in 2017 to 704 centers in 2021.

What going on in the Saudi banking sector? Who are those competitors?

BUY-NOW-PAY-LATER Less than two years ago, a couple of buy-now-pay-later companies: Tamara & Tabby were licensed by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). They provide credit solutions with an extended period for re-payment without interest in cooperation with a growing base of vendors.

Customers, who don’t prefer credit cards’ interest or can’t

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afford to buy something they want instantly, can apply easily. The buy-now-pay-later can easily check the credit record of the customer and give them a 3 or 4-month repayment plan without imposing interest.

How do they make profits? They get a cut from their partner vendors without having customers pay anything extra.

This solution is taking a slice from the banks’ credit customers.

E-WALLETS

Banks charge fees if customers belonging to different banks transfer money to each other. Ewallets charge nothing .for money transfers

There are 4 e-wallets that are licensed by SAMA including STC Pay, Inma Pay, Hala & Loop. They can be used to transfer small amounts of money (from as low as a single halala up to SR 20,000) between individuals using their phone numbers as an identifier.

Those wallets offer rechargeable VISA cards to their customers and are acceptable as a payment solution that is accepted by many vendors.

Banks charge fees if customers belonging to different banks transfer money to each other. E-wallets charge nothing for money transfers. Users can transfer money from their e-wallets to bank accounts and charge them using credit and debit cards, meaning those wallets benefit from the existing banking environment while competing with the same system.

It is worthy noting that the biggest Saudi e-wallet, STC Pay, is in the process of transformation into a digital, branchless bank after being granted a license by SAMA last year. More digital banks mean more competition to traditional banks.

INTERNATIONAL MONEY TRANSFER PLATFORMS In 2021, expats transferred USD 41.03 billion to their dependents overseas. Banks or companies related to banks used to be the only way to transfer money internationally.

In the past few years, companies like WU or SPL (Saudi Post) in addition to e-wallets have made it possible for individuals to transfer money using Apps. This means lost revenues for banks that charge transfer fees for each transaction.

The average cost for each international transfer is USD 5.5. With more workers in the Kingdom being digitally literate, it is expected that the dependence on international money transfer platforms will increase. That’s why banks have taken special care to develop their apps to make it even easier for bank account holders to transfer money internationally. The main competition now revolves around charging less fees.

PRIVATE SME, PERSONAL FINANCE FIRMS There are over 40 licensed financing companies that provide loans to small and Medium enterprises (SME) and in-

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More e-trading non-bank platforms are competing with bank platforms to get a bigger audience base.

Many platforms are based in Saudi Arabia, others are foreign platforms that are licensed by the Saudi Capital Market Authority (CMA). dividuals. The credit products they provide are diversified as there are companies that are specialized in residential loans, consumer loans, car loans, etc.

Those financing companies provide more options for individuals and companies alike with more competitive interest rates and easier conditions.

CROWDFUNDIG PLATFORMS Crowdfunding means raising small amounts of capital from a large number of individuals to finance new ventures or expand existing ones.

There are currently 8 SAMA-licensed companies that provide crowdfunding services. Those platforms give individuals investment opportunities away from banks. Those individuals make profits when the companies are sold to a new investor or get listed in the stock market.

STOCK TRADING PLATFORMS More e-trading non-bank platforms are competing with bank platforms to get a bigger audience base. Many platforms are based in Saudi Arabia, others are foreign platforms that are licensed by the Saudi Capital Market Authority (CMA).

Those e-trading platforms compete with banks by charging less for transactions with easier access to international stock markets.

CONCLUSION If we take each competitor individually, we will notice that their revenues or market share is small compared to banks; however, if they are taken together into consideration, we will find that they need to be taken more seriously by banks. This means that banks need to invest more in Fintech, ease restrictions on individuals and charge fees to avoid customer and revenue leakage.

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ook Reviews

American Book: US Almost Invaded Syria in 1919

By Mohammad Ali Salih – Washington The first major American military intervention in the Middle East took place in the aftermath of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, when nearly 400,000 soldiers were sent to the region as part of Operation Desert Shield. After the liberation of Kuwait, about 10,000 troops stayed in the region, to be increased about ten years later to nearly 200,000 troops as part of the allies total force of about 300,000 soldiers that invaded Iraq in 2003.

In 2011, at the beginning of Libya’s civil war, the US, without sending land troops, bombed former President Muammar Ghaddafi’s military installations and established a no-fly zone over Libya.

At the same time, with the start of Syria’s civil war, the US started supporting and training about 10,000 rebel fighters at a cost of about a 1$ billion a year. Shortly thereafter, in 2014 under Operation Inherent Resolve, the US military intervened in Syria first against Syrian government military installations, then by launching the massive campaign against ISIS. While most of the intervention was by the air forces, ground troops were involved, particularly special forces and commando operations – last month, about 700 US ground troops were involved in controlling a jail that was taken over

by ISIS. According to this book, the US troops almost intervened in Syria in 1919. At that time, the Ottoman Empire was falling rapidly after its defeat in World War l, and Western powers gathered in Sevres, France, to partition the remains of the Empire. France took Syria and Lebanon while Britain took Palestine.

That was when organizations of Arab immigrants

in the US sent delegations to France in support of an American occupation of Syria and Lebanon, in place of that by France.

In 1918, on a cold January day at New York harbor, Rev. Abraham Rihbany, from Shwayr, Lebanon, and a prominent leader among Arab immigrants, boarded a ship to France as the head of a delegation to negotiate about the future of the Arab countries. At his farewell were fellow immigrants Ibrahim Al-Khuri and Wadi’ Shakir.

The event was reported in “Fatat Boston” (Boston Girl), an Arab publication that had been launched a few years earlier.

During World War I, in Fatat Boston and other ArabAmerican publications, Rev. Rihbany wrote extensively on “Americanism,” “East-West” cultural exchanges and the “Fourteen Points” that had been declared by then President Woodrow Wilson calling for selfdetermination of the peoples that were being ruled by European powers.

Ribhany wrote: “America is free from personal ambitions and has demonstrated its disinterest in this war. America has earned the respect of nations in the East and in the West.”

Among the documents of support that he carried with

Book: “Between the Ottomans and the Entente” Author: Stacy D. Fahrenthold Publisher: Oxford University Press Paper pages: 240 Paper edition: $21.08 Electronic edition: $14.57

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“America is free from personal ambitions and has demonstrated its disinterest in this war. America has earned the respect of nations in the East and in the West.”

Book Cover

him to France was a letter from Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and father of Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., a prominent senator and politician about half-a-century later.

However, France, with the help of Britain, locked the doors of the Sevres conference in front of Arab delegations, particularly those from the Americas.

According to this book, the two countries “employed procedural tactics to block appearances by delegates with goals contradicting their own regional claims …

The conference, therefore, constructed a significant legal fiction: That the Arab Middle East lacked a viable means to independence and required foreign tutelage.”

Among the petitions to Sevres conference, accepted or not, was one that argued that the US was “the champion of liberty, not only in words, but, also, in deeds.” The US was called upon to “do the work of a liberator and educator.”

By that time the US expansion westwards had taken over almost all the states of the midwest, the south-west and the Pacific coast, and Arab-Americans raised the slogan: “America, Go East.” “America could go into Syria as a friend and helper, not only as a power that is free from

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the age-long European complications and without the craving for a ‘sphere of influence’ for herself, but with the tangible fruits of a vast and successful experiment in peacefully welding together many racial elements together and making them one free and enlightened nation.”

The campaign found its way to Robert Lansing, Secretary of State, and the military in the would-be Pentagon started drawing scenarios for sending troops to Syria and Lebanon. A new phrase spread, “the US mandate is an interesting proposition.”

The campaign reached the Middle East, and in Cairo, Lebanese-Egyptians Faris Nimr and Ya’cub Sarruf, owners of “Al-Muqataf,” and “Al-Muqattam,” publicized the campaign. There were reports that the British, who were the de facto rulers of Egypt, might support the American intervention so as to defeat the French, their arch-enemies.

The US, having never declared war on the Ottoman Empire, continued its position of “neutrality” that it had earlier abandoned when it declared war on Germany.

The US seemed to want to leave the door open for a friendly relation with the Turks, and it was one of the first countries to recognize the Kemal Ataturk Revolution.

The Arab-American campaigners for the US rule of Syria and Lebanon, instead of France, were optimistic that the Turks might help, but the relations between the US and the Ottomans had drawbacks that became obstacles: First, the above-mentioned French blocking of their access to Sevres conference. The French even blocked the results of the King Crane Report that declared that the ‘majority of Syrians … favored an American mandate.”

Second, the anger of Sultan Abdul-Hamid towards the US because of what he said was its anti-Muslim policies— in Turkey, supporting the Christian Armenians, and, in Philippines, crushing Muslim jihadis who were fighting American rule there. Jewish US ambassador to the Ottoman Empire Oscar Straus was not helpful.

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echnology

The War for the Metaverse Enters a New Phase as Sony and Apple Join the Fray

Sony Unveiled Its New VR Headset, and Apple Reportedly Has Two New VR Projects on the Way

By Chris Morris It would be easy to write off Sony’s unveiling of the PlayStation VR2 headset and controllers on Tuesday as just the latest move in a marketing campaign, meant to slowly build interest in the PS5 peripheral. And in many ways, that’s just what it is. But it’s also a sign that the battle for virtual reality (VR) supremacy is about to heat up once again—and the fate of the metaverse could be at stake.

VR’s not entirely essential to the metaverse, of course.

You can visit Decentraland without a headset, for instance.

But proponents have pushed VR technology as the best way to interact with others in the virtual world (none more loudly than Mark Zuckerberg, who just happens to own a VR company).

Sony had an advantage when it released the first PlayStation VR in 2016. The system was cheaper than the then-new Oculus Rift, didn’t require a highend computer, and, while not wireless, was much less cumbersome than other VR headsets at the time. It also launched with game franchises people knew, including Batman: Arkham, Resident Evil and Final Fantasy. That led to sales of more than 5 million units by the end of 2019.

But this time around, the competitive landscape is different. Meta’s Oculus Quest 2 costs a reasonable 299$

(vs. the 599$ original price tag of the Rift). It’s also a wireless device with a rich catalog of software. And the company has sold more than 10 million Oculus Quest 2 headsets, as Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon announced at that company’s 2021 investor day last November.

(Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 chipset powers the Quest 2.)

Sony has not provided pricing or a release date for the PlayStation VR 2 so far. But, the field for VR headsets is growing more crowded. HTC’s Vive remains a competitor in the VR space—and its introduction of the 499$ Vive Flow, a VR headset with no controller and a sunglasses-like design—could make it a player as the metaverse grows. The real looming threat, though, comes from Apple.

While the Cupertino-based company has not made any formal announcements, it is widely expected to launch its own VR headset in the coming year, possibly this fall, though that could be pushed to 2023.

Apple is reportedly working on two virtual/augmented reality projects: a high-end headset for developers and professionals and “Apple Glasses,” which are targeted at a wider audience. It’s unclear if those will launch simultaneously.

Add it all up and there are several companies jockeying for a leadership position in VR. The long-term play, of course, is the metaverse.

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)Photo Credit: (TNS

Facebook is spending 10$ billion over the next year to shift its focus to the digital world. And while Sony (and perhaps others) will focus initially on the interactive entertainment aspects of the technology, they’re certainly keeping their eye on the long term.

After all, while Facebook is hoping its efforts will become the home of the metaverse, there are plenty of possible competitors, including gaming juggernaut Fortnite, which has steadily been building on top of its origins as a battle royale action game, most recently adding experiences called Party Worlds, player-created spaces that have strict rules prohibiting violence and combat. Examples of these include Walnut World, a virtual amusement park, and Late Night Lounge, an area to make new friends and hang out with older ones.

Roblox, similarly, creates virtual spaces for players, including hosting concerts from acts like Twenty One Pilots and Lil Nas X. Neither Fortnite nor Roblox utilizes VR headsets right now, but it’s easy to picture one or both incorporating support for the technology. And Sony and Apple each have their own ecospheres that could easily be converted to a metaplace gathering spot.

Step one, though, is getting headsets into people’s hands— and on their heads. Just as important is showing them why the metaverse is worth their time.

Both are sizable hurdles. VR has been touted as the

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Apple is reportedly working on two virtual/augmented reality projects: a high-end headset for developers and professionals and “Apple Glasses,” which are targeted at a wider audience. technology of the future for nearly 55 years, when Ivan Sutherland (in 1968) created the first VR headmounted display system, which he dubbed The Sword of Damocles (due to its intimidating appearance). And it was eight years ago that Oculus began to turn heads, only to suffer a number of setbacks that slowed its momentum.

But if the metaverse actually is going to be a critical part of people’s lives in the future, particularly with VR as a significant component, this is the time we’ll look back upon to see where some of the foundation was laid.

This article was originally published by Fast Company.

A Weekly Political News Magazine

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Issue 1893- February- 25/02/2022

Vladimir Putin: “Czar of Russia” Who is Dreaming of Restoring Soviet Glory www.majalla.com

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Photo of Souq El Fustat.

Credit: Salwa Samir

Egypt’s Souq El Fustat: When History and Heritage meet

By Salwa Samir Souq El-Fustat, or Fustat market, is located at the heart of the old Cairo district. It houses some 50 galleries with Egyptian handicrafts that struggle to survive for fear of the danger of extinction.

The souq is surrounded by a number of Islamic, Christian and Jewish monuments in the section known as the Religious Complex that add more grandeur and authenticity to the souq with its unique crafts.

Souq El Fustat was established in 2002. “The area was previously a rubbish dump until an agreement was made between the Cairo Governorate in which the area lies and the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry, represented by the Tourism Development Authority, to turn this 2000-metre area into a tourism market,” Ehab Ahmed Awad, the Director of

Marketing at Souq El Fustat, told Majalla.

“The aim of its establishment is to preserve the handicrafts in danger of extinction due the use of machines and factories,” he added.

According to him, Egypt has 127 traditional arts and handicrafts, which are facing extinction over time. “By establishing the Souq we help to preserve as large a number of these crafts as we can.”

FUSTAT HISTORY Legend says that in the 6th century, a dove laid an egg in the tent of the Muslim conqueror of Egypt, Amr Ibn AlAas, which had been pitched north of the Roman Fortress of Babylon. This happened just before he began his march on Alexandria in 646.

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Photo of Souq El Fustat.

Credit: Salwa Samir

When Ibn al-Aas saw the dove, he left the tent untouched and went off with his soldiers to battle. When they returned victorious, Ibn al-Aas told his troops to pitch their tents around his. He thought that the dove’s choice of the tent as a nesting place was a divine sign from God that this location should be the capital of Egypt.

Ibn al-Aas established a city on that site and named it Fustat, which means “tent” in Arabic. In 642, he built his mosque, the first in Egypt and the whole of Africa, also in the area designated by the egg. Over the centuries, it has been rebuilt and extended and became a mecca to pray for thousands of worshippers hailing from the Egyptian governorates, especially in the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Fustat was a prosperous city, with shady streets, gardens and markets. It remained the capital of Egypt for nearly 500 years. However, its history as the seat of administrative power was interrupted many times.

At the end of Fatimid rule, Fustat witnessed the darkest moments of its history, when the Crusaders tried to invade it.

Shawar, the Fatimid vizier, ordered Fustat to be evacuated.

The citizens had to leave behind their money and property and flee with their children to the nearby city called Cairo, founded in 969.

The vizier then had about 10,000 fire bombs distributed round Fustat. For more than 40 days, flames and smoke engulfed the city.

Fustat remained a ghost town for several years and lost its status as capital of Egypt, the title ultimately being taken up

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“The aim of its establishment is to preserve the handicrafts in danger of extinction due the use of machines and factories.”

by Cairo.

LANDMARKS In addition to Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque, the area is rich in many monuments. The Hanging Church is one of the oldest in Egypt, dating back to the 3rd Century AD. The Hanging Church was given its name because it was built above one of the gatehouses of the Babylon Fortress, the Roman fortress in Old Cairo.

The Fortress of Babylon is one of the most important Roman monuments in the country. The fortress was built in the second half of the 6th Century BC, when Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon (605 BC - 562 BC), occupied and ruled Egypt.

After the Muslim conquest of the Levant, between ‎634–638 AD, and its liberation from Roman rule, the Muslim conquest reached Egypt in 642 AD, led by Ibn al-Aas.

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The Muslim army besieged the Babylon fortress, with the Romans holed up inside. The siege lasted seven months, but the Romans escaped before the fort fell to the Muslims.

Another landmark is the Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church, also known as Abu Serga Church, which was established on a site that was one of the most famous places associated with the Holy Family’s journey to Egypt.

Due to its association with the blessed journey, Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church became one of the most important religious and cultural tourism destinations for Egyptians and foreigners.

The souq is surrounded by a number of Islamic, Christian and Jewish monuments in the section known as the Religious Complex that add more grandeur and authenticity to the souq with its unique crafts.

HANDICRAFTS AT SOUQ EL FUSTAT The market’s design is in Islamic Fatimid style. Its ceiling is covered by domes, like those of Amr Ibn al-Aas Mosque.

The souq is preserving the environment insofar as it has no air conditioning and its ceiling is sufficiently high to ventilate the area naturally.

Once entering, many visitors feel positive energy in the place.

“It is the only building designed like that in Egypt,” Awad added.

The market is made of hashmi stone like that used in Fortress of Babylon.

Among the handicrafts made by skilled artisans at the market are products of wood, leather, copper, silver accessories, carpets, tableaus, potteries, glass, ceramics and even children’s toys made of wood such as shadow puppets.

“The toys are struggling to survive due to the Chinese-made toys that are scattered in many shops, despite their low quality and harmfulness to health,” Awad said.

In the market, the leather artisan makes bags according to the consumer’s preferred design. The galleries covered handicrafts from all Egyptian governorates.

There are handicrafts from Siwa Oasis, 560 km from Cairo, such as products made from rock salt, olive oil and fabric. In addition, one can find products from Nubia, Sohag and South and North Sinai.

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Photo of Souq El Fustat.

Credit: Salwa Samir

Photo of Souq El Fustat.

Credit: Salwa Samir

Awad said that most of the artisans have their workshops inside their bazaars. “The carpet maker has an old loom in his gallery, for example,” he said.

Despite the antiquity of the area and richness of the handicrafts, there are few visitors and the souq seems to have

Fustat was a prosperous city, with shady streets, gardens and markets. It remained the capital of Egypt for nearly 500 years.

However, its history as the seat of administrative power was interrupted many times. opened just a few minutes ago. However, the artisans are sitting inside their glass-fronted shops busy making handcrafts.

Awad complains that the non-profit souq is unknown to most Egyptians and foreigners alike.

“Most tourist groups come to have their meals inside the market at a tourist restaurant planned in their trip schedule.

When they do so, they have a look at the market’s galleries,” he said.

“I hope people would know this place and see the unmatched, unique products of the artists and encourage them to keep the handicrafts alive.”

Photo of Souq El Fustat.

Credit: Salwa Samir

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ovies

«Playground» Belgium’s Oscar Entry, is a Must-See Drama About School Bullying

An Ordinary Primary School Becomes a Battleground in Laura Wandel’s Debut

By Justin Chang

her face streaked with tears, clings tightly to her older brother, Abel (Gunter Duret).

You don’t have to be parenting a grade- It’s her first day of school, and they’re sayschool kid for the Belgian drama “Play- ing goodbye not only to their father (Karim ground” to shred your nerves or break your Leklou) but also to each other. Barely a few heart, though I can attest that it helps. (So years apart in age, Nora and Abel seem pardoes having been a grade-school kid your- ticularly close — maybe closer than you’d self.) A sharply chiseled, wrenchingly ob- expect, since society, like the movies, tends served first feature written and directed by to reinforce lazy assumptions about sibling Laura Wandel, the movie follows a 7-year- animus, especially between brothers and sisold named Nora (Maya Vanderbeque) as ters. “Playground” doesn’t just suggest the her primary education begins and she finds opposite; it grasps that, while these ties can herself adrift in a cold, gray world of com- be a source of anger and shame, they can monplace cruelty. You’ll recognize a lot of also be a crucial emotional lifeline. A moral what she witnesses and endures: the cruel one too. insults, the violent scuffles, the ineffectual parent-teacher interventions. Mostly you’ll Over time, Nora and Abel will be gradurecognize Nora, whose extraordinarily sad, ally ripped apart, sometimes by banal inwatchful gaze expresses all the pain and stitutional rules (kids from different grades confusion that she can’t yet put into words. aren’t allowed to sit together at lunch) but more often by the cruel Darwinian logic of Wandel confronts you with that gaze in the the schoolyard. There’s a reason why Abel movie’s grabber of an opening shot as Nora, avoids Nora at recess, one that she discov-

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From left, Belgian director Laura Wandel, Belgian actor Gunter Duret, Belgian actress Maya Vanderbeque and Belgian actress Laura Verlinden pose during a photocall for the film “Playground,” as part of the Un Certain Regard selection at the 74th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, southern France, on July 2021 ,8. (Valery Hache/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

ers on Day One, when she crosses into the big kids’ zone and catches her brother picking on some kids with a taller, tougher classmate, Antoine (Simon Caudry). Abel has already learned one of life’s uglier lessons — bully or be bullied — and he warns Nora not to get involved, not just because she risks becoming a target but because she could turn him into one too. His fears turn out to be depressingly well founded.

Soon Abel is being bullied himself, though what we see of his sufferings is filtered entirely through Nora’s eyes. “Playground,” which unfolds over several weeks but never leaves the confines of the school, is an experience of sustained intensity and radical subjectivity. (And remarkable economy: The movie runs a taut 72 minutes.) As she adjusts to her new surroundings and makes a few friends in class, Nora remains front and center, not just narratively but visually. From start to finish, the camera remains at her eye level, adopting the lowto-the-ground perspective of a kid wandering beside her in the yard or sitting with

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The French title of “Playground” (“Un Monde”) literally means “a world,” which is fitting for a movie that creates a world defined entirely by the limits of its protagonist’s perceptions. her at lunch.

It’s a profoundly empathetic gesture from Wandel and her cinematographer, Frederic Noirhomme, but also an intuitive one. Like her acclaimed countrymen Luc and JeanPierre Dardenne (“Rosetta,” “L’Enfant”), whose mode of spiritually infused neorealism is evoked but not mimicked here, Wandel can find an unbearable moral suspense in an image as nondescript as the

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back of a girl’s head. She reminds you just how rarely the movies try to approximate a child’s vantage — a vantage that “Playground” makes even more immersive with tight, shallow-focus close-ups (the buildings behind Nora become a blur) and the ever-present sounds of other kids laughing, yelling, taunting.

Abel, who endures so much humiliation and trauma at his tormentors’ hands that he becomes the school laughingstock — a crushing development that puts its own tremendous strain on Nora, whose association with

Günter Duret and Maya Vanderbeque in the movie “Playground.” Photo credit: IMDB

Those voices and others are sometimes deliberately disembodied. Wandel trains her camera so intently on Nora that we often don’t see who’s speaking to her, whether it’s a gym teacher giving her instructions or her classmates swapping the latest gossip at lunch. In time, that gossip will swirl around

“Playground,” which unfolds over several weeks but never leaves the confines of the school, is an experience of sustained intensity and radical subjectivity.

“Playground” movie poster.

Photo credit: IMDB

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Günter Duret and Maya Vanderbeque in the movie “Playground.”

Photo credit: IMDB

Abel makes her vulnerable in turn to the rejection of her own friends. Vanderbeque gives what may be the most fully formed child performance in recent memory. Confronted by a camera that gives her no room to hide, her eyes register mercurial fluctuations of feeling, pivoting from intense fear to growing confidence, from paralyzing shock to bitter disillusionment, as Nora gradually realizes what she and her brother are up against.

The French title of “Playground” (“Un Monde”) literally means “a world,” which is fitting for a movie that creates a world defined entirely by the limits of its protagonist’s perceptions. Adult authority has little real presence or purpose in this world; the few adults here loom over Nora, their heads often cut off by the top of the frame, except on those brief occasions when they kneel down to speak with their young charges.

It’s a sobering reminder of just how distant and ineffectual grown-ups can be, even the best-intentioned ones, like the kind teacher (Laura Verlinden) who lends a compassionate ear to Nora when she needs it most. I’ll confess that the figure of Nora and Abel’s loving father, trying in vain to fix their prob-

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lems the only way he knows how, filled me with recognition to the point of indictment; the movie left me wondering about the playground dramas I’ve heard my own 5-yearold share, and also the many she doubtless hasn’t.

No one in this movie has a complete understanding of what’s going on, but Wandel proves that a sensitive enough camera can provide a fuller picture than most. She’s viscerally attuned to the violence of Antoine’s physical assaults, but she also catches the subtler verbal blows inflicted by Nora’s mocking friends. Faced with her own looming ostracism in a school that sometimes feels more like a prison, what is Nora to do?

Will she spurn her brother, as everyone else has, in order to save face, or will she find a way to save him and perhaps herself? The final shot of “Playground” bravely answers that question, with a tenderness that refuses the easy comforts of either sentimentality or cheap cynicism. Nora and Abel, the movie insists, are not as alone as they think. Maybe none of us are.

This review was originally published by Los Angeles Times.

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Saudi Arabia’s CrossFit Fitspiration Coach Encourages Women to Aim Higher Amal Baatia Now Training to Compete in Saudi Games Tournament to Be Held on March 10

By Sarah Gamal Social restrictions did not prevent Saudi Amal Baatia from pursuing her unconventional sport in the Arab Gulf, known as “CrossFit,” and she chose to do it in a way that puts her among the girls whose ambitions jump at the chance to achieve a special advantage in Saudi women’s sports.

Her beginnings with sports came as a result of a

passion. She participated in the 5 km Obstacle Course Race (OCR) in Kuwait and ranked third with a time of 28 minutes. She also participated in the 12 km running race that took place at King Abdullah City and came in 2nd.

She posts many training videos on her Instagram, with the aim of encouraging women to practice CrossFit, a sport with which they are unfamiliar.

“Amal is a mom of two wonderful boys, Youssef

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Saudi CrossFit Coach Amal Baatia. (Photo courtesy: Amal Baatia)

16 & Malek 12, an athlete who›s passionate about sport, fitness, a health advocate coach, as well as the owner of Amal B Fitness Gym,” by these words the internationally accredited trainer for CrossFit and Calisthenics, Amal Baatia started her discussion with Majalla.

Baatia chose to indulge her passion for sports away from the mainstream and to jumpstart her ambition to attain an achievement for women, especially in Saudi women›s sports.

The mum of two has been involved with sports since she was a -10year-old gymnast, and she wants to share that passion with other women and young girls.

“I have been always passionate about sport since I was a little girl and joined the gymnastic team when I was 9 years old. So, basically active life was always a major part of my daily routine, exploring and trying different sports during the years until I found out about CrossFit in 2013,” she said.

CrossFit began in the year 2000 in the United States of America on a very small scale. Soon this sport began to expand and spread with an increased demand for its practice in Europe, Arab countries, and the Gulf states. The idea of CrossFit is to improve overall fitness and health. It involves performing many movements at a high intensity and in a short period of time.

CrossFit sport includes a mixed variety of different exercises— starting first with warm-up exercises, the trainee moves to the more focused exercises such as abdominal exercises, jogging exercises, pullups, weight-lifting exercises, aerobics exercises, gymnastics exercises, rowing exercises, Swedish exercises, in addition to kettlebell exercises.

Raised in Jeddah all her life, Baatia has always been an active child, practicing gymnastics at her school in the 1980s before the sport was «banned,» but her mother made sure that her daughter participated in various activities such as tennis, swimming, and jogging.

Sport and health have always been an integral part of her life despite her many everyday responsibilities: “Daily training to me is as important as eating and sleeping, to me it›s a lifestyle and an amazing effective method to cope with my stress and improve my self-esteem, it helped me a lot to be where I am today mentally and physically,” Baatia told Majalla.

What attracted Baatia to CrossFit in particular is that this sport is “always challenging your strength and physical capabilities,” as it includes various activities such as aerobic exercise, weightlifting, and gymnastics.

However, the path to professionalism in this sport

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“I have been always passionate about sport since I was a little girl, joined the gymnastic team when I was 9 years old, so basically active life was always a major part of my daily routine , exploring and trying different fields during the years until I found out about CrossFit in 2013”. was not easy for Baatia, as there are no centers or specialized groups for CrossFit in Saudi Arabia.

Therefore, Baatia resorted to training in her own space, explaining: “A few years ago it was a major obstacle, having no facilities to support your sport, but to me it was a great challenge as I wanted to learn more about CrossFit, so I decided to take many courses abroad and to train with the most qualified personal trainers when I was traveling around the world. I used to take at least one month off from my work to train, two training sessions a day just to improve my techniques and get conditioned.”

The path to success is often filled with challenges and for Baatia the main challenge is to balance between her job and taking care of her home and two children. “A lack of equipped training centers and traveling a lot to train were also hard due to my job and having kids.” Baatia added.

In order to fulfill her passion for sports and to promote CrossFit in Saudi Arabia, she decided to take a big risk and quit her job, in which she was an investment manager.

Although Baatia was afraid of people’s reactions when she started sharing her sports journey on social media, she was surprised by the encouragement and support she received, and said: “I was worried that people would not accept the fact that a Saudi female can do these things, but they were really great.”

When asked how she felt about being the first Saudi CrossFit coach, Baatia said; “Although being the first CrossFit trainer was a great achievement, the greatest accomplishment that I’m grateful for is taking the 3rd place in the world pull-up championship which was held in Finland in 2019. Now I’m training to

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Amal Baatia is recognized as “The first CrossFit women’s coach from Saudi Arabia”.

(Photo courtesy: Amal Baatia)

compete in the Saudi games tournament that will be held on March 10th.”

Regarding her recent selection as a Board Member of the Saudi Arabian Wrestling Federation, Baatia said: “I’m very excited and thrilled to take part in the Wrestling Federation, and, considering the fact that it is still an unknown sport among females, our major role is to promote it and encourage Saudi females to participate. We also had conducted a ten-day wrestling course hosted by two Olympic

“My country has literally covered and improved most of the reforms and eliminated the major obstacles that we used to face as women in most fields, and that helped me a lot as a single mom, athlete and businesswoman.”

Amal Baatia, a Saudi CrossFit and calisthenics coach in Jeddah (Photo courtesy: Amal Baatia)

medalist athletes and great coaches from the states and Tunisia. It was a great success, and we are planning for more courses in the future and hopefully creating the first Saudi female wrestling team soon.”

With the recent positive changes that Saudi Arabia has been experiencing and the reforms that improve the lives of women in Saudi society, Baatia says: “My country has literally covered and improved most of the reforms and eliminated the major obstacles that we used to face as women in most fields, and that helped me a lot as a single mom, athlete and businesswoman.”

As for her aspirations for the coming period, Baatia would like to pursue her career as a CrossFit and calisthenics coach and enhance her skills in sports activities, “We are expanding by opening a new gym soon and hope to be lucky enough to get qualified in the upcoming Saudi games and to compete with other amazing athletes. Last but not least we will keep promoting fitness and wellbeing,” she concluded.

Amal has totally changed the game as Saudi Arabia’s first female CrossFit coach and is now determined to show other Saudi women how empowering physical strength and ability can really be.

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CrossFit Coach Amal Baatia during her training.

(Photo courtesy: Amal Baatia)

CrossFit Coach Amal Baatia during her training.

(Photo courtesy: Amal Baatia)

CrossFit Coach Amal Baatia during her training. (Photo courtesy: Amal Baatia).

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Typing and Tapping Despite Hand Pain

Do Stiff Hands Make it Hard to Use Your Smartphone or Computer?

By Heidi Godman Try these tips so you can keep using your devices.

Thanks to technology, the world is at your fingertips. All it takes is tapping on a smartphone, typing on a keyboard, or clicking with a mouse.

That’s not so easy, however, when it irritates underlying conditions, such as tendinitis or arthritis.

“The problem is the repetitive movement of your fingers on a keyboard or reaching and stretching your fingers on a mouse. With a phone, it’s the repetitive movement with one hand and sustained grasping with the other hand,” explains Eve Ken-

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nedy-Spaien, clinical supervisor of the Pain Management, Work Injury, and Integrative Medicine Programs at Harvard-affiliated Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital.

Consider the following strategies when hand pain or stiffness makes computer or smartphone use difficult, and check with your doctor to make sure these tips are right for you.

DISTRIBUTE WORK Do you have a “hunt and peck” typing style? Do you text only with your thumb? That can lead to overuse injuries. Instead, distribute the work among your fingers and hands. “Alternate which fingers are doing the work,” Kennedy-Spaien says. “If you only use a mouse with your right hand, try mousing left-handed. Or switch the hand you use to hold a smartphone.”

Photo credit: Harvard Health

Holding or moving your hands in unnatural ways can cause pain. For example, maybe you’re reaching for the mouse with only your wrist; twisting your wrist as you hold your smartphone; or propping your laptop on your fingers.

USE HEAT OR COLD THERAPY

Heat and cold therapies have differing uses. Heat is soothing and relaxes muscles. It’s helpful before typing or using your phone for an extended TAKE BREAKS period. “It’s good for stiffness but not swelling,” Kennedy-Spaien says. “Moist heat gets deeper Using a computer or smartphone is a sedentary into the tissues and joints. You can get moist heat activity. It keeps you from being active and re- from warm hand soaks or using microwavable stricts blood flow to your hands, which makes moist heat mittens.” them stiffer and harder to move.

Ice is an anti-inflammatory and a painkiller. “It’s best for tendinitis or swollen, hot joints. It helps To combat it, take scheduled breaks before you after you’ve been using your hands for a long feel the need to stop. “By the time your hands are time,” Kennedy-Spaien says. Try an ice pack, complaining, you’ve already aggravated them. It cold therapy gloves (with gel packs you keep in takes longer to get the pain and stiffness under the freezer), or a hand soak in icy water. Limit control, and you end up needing a longer break,” therapy sessions to 20 minutes, to avoid hurting Kennedy-Spaien says. “Take a five-minute break your skin. after 45 minutes of activity. Stand up, get a drink of water, or do anything that completely changes AVOID AWKWARD HAND POSITIONS your position.”

Holding or moving your hands in unnatural ways STRETCH YOUR WRISTS AND HANDS can cause pain. For example, maybe you’re reaching for the mouse with only your wrist; twisting It’s important to keep your wrists and hands your wrist as you hold your smartphone; or proplimber. Stretch them periodically. Start at your ping your laptop on your fingers. All of those wrists, keeping your forearms still and slowly activities put pressure on the joints and small moving your fists in circles. Next, gently open muscles. “Use your larger muscles--such as your and close your fists, stretching your fingers if whole arm to move your mouse--and keep weight you can. “Make sure your fingers are aligned off of your fingers,” suggests Kennedy-Spaien. and moving together, and that no finger is going ahead of or lagging behind the others, which USE HELPFUL TOOLS can happen when you have arthritis,” KennedySpaien advises.

Go easier on your hands and wrists by using some

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of the following tools.

“Virtual” assistants or voice-to-text features. Most computers and smartphones have features that allow you to type, text, or carry out commands by simply talking out loud. Don’t know how to use them? Search for an instructive video on the Internet or ask a family member for a lesson.

A comfortable mouse. “You should be able to move the mouse without having to grasp it tightly or stretch your fingers out too wide,” KennedySpaien notes. Get a mouse that’s bigger or smaller to fit you better, or try a vertical mouse that keeps your hand in a handshake position.

A wide-grip stylus. It’s easy to hold and saves your fingers from tapping on a smartphone or tablet.

“By the time your hands are complaining, you’ve already aggravated them. It takes longer to get the pain and stiffness under control, and you end up needing a longer break,”

A smartphone holder. “A gooseneck holder enables you to adjust the height and angle,” Kennedy-Spaien suggests.

Gel-filled wrist rests. Get them for your keyboard and mouse.

Get a comfy chair. Be sure it has good support and that you sit up straight in it. “The body is a dynamic chain,” Kennedy-Spaien says. “When one part isn’t in a good position, it affects the rest of the body, including your hands.”

This article was originally published by Harvard Health.

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Alexandr Podvalny/ Pexels

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Vladimir Putin: “Czar of Russia” Who is Dreaming of Restoring Soviet Glory

By Majalla Illustration by Jeannette Khouri With tensions between Ukraine and Russia at breaking point, all eyes are on the man at the center of the crisis. Russian leader Vladimir Putin shows no sign of pulling Europe back from the brink, despite international condemnation and sanctions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin put the weapons of war on standby last April, when he began deploying Russian troops to the Ukrainian border, for use at these moments.

In fact, Putin began to line up his weapons years ago: during the Russian war in Georgia, in August 2008; its occupation of Crimea in February and March 2014; and, its agitation (and semi-clandestine participation) in the civil war that same year in the Donbass region of Ukraine. However, the inattentive West chose to ignore those precursors.

This conflict is not the result of a Western policy to dismantle the Soviet Union, it was Russian politicians who disconnected the USSR. Neither is it about the expansion of NATO, which stopped expanding nearly two decades ago, nor is it a question of an abnormally created state. Ukraine is just a rebellious Russian province that has no legitimate existence outside Russia, according to the Russian official narrative.

Rather, this conflict is the product of a frustrated imperialist power facing the reality

of national secession by Ukraine.

Ukraine gained its independence three decades ago, with an independent existence based on a distinct language and culture, and an identity shaped - like all national identities - through experience and choice.

Thus, conflict and war are essentially the work of one man, Vladimir Putin, a president who, after 20 years in power, wants to make his final mark in Russian history.

In December 1999, Boris Yeltsin resigned from his position as the president of Russia and appointed Putin to replace him until the date of the official elections. In March 2000, Putin was elected in the first round with 53% of the total votes. At that time, Putin promised to carry out political and economic reforms. He restructured the government, launched a campaign of investigations into crimes related to the business dealings of Russian citizens in high-ranking positions, and continued the Russian army’s military campaign in Chechnya.

In September 2001, in response to the terrorist attacks on the United States, Putin announced Russia’s solidarity with the United States in its campaign against terrorism, but when the “American War on Terror” shifted to focus on the removal of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Putin joined the German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac in their opposition to the US plan.

Then in 2004 Putin was re-elected to the presidency and in April of the following year he made a historic visit to Israel for

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talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, which was the first visit to Israel by a Russian president.

After that, Putin was unable to run for president in 2008 because he was restricted to the length of the presidential term according to the Russian constitution, but that year the presidential term was extended in the constitution from four years to six.

When his colleague Dmitry Medvedev succeeded in the presidential elections in March 2008, Putin was appointed prime minister immediately, which allowed Putin to maintain a key position of influence over the next four years.

In 1980, Putin met Lyudmila, who was working as a flight attendant at the time and later became his wife. They married in 1983 and had two daughters, Maria, born in 1985, and Yekaterina, born in 1986. In June of 2013, after approximately thirty years of marriage, the couple announced their intention to divorce and gave brief explanations for this, but they confirmed that the decision was made mutually by both parties. As for Vladimir Putin’s religion, beliefs, and original sect, he was born into a Roman Orthodox Christian family.

Putin has dominated the world stage for more than two decades, but analysts and experts still find the Russian leader mystifying, so it is difficult to predict what happens next in Ukraine because Vladimir Putin himself has always been so unpredictable.