The UN's peace plan in Syria is a failure, but of course it was never near achieving success. The observer mission was suspended this week, with its chief, Gen Robert Mood, telling the UN Security Council on Tuesday that the unarmed observers had been deliberately targeted by gunfire.
The mission has a "moral obligation" to remain in the country, Gen Mood said, although he did not spell out exactly what purpose it would serve by hunkering down in Damascus.
It is worth asking whether the "ceasefire" plan has done more harm than good. The Assad forces have massacred Syrian civilians without pause. Every indication is that the regime and its thuggish militias have deliberately publicised their atrocities as psychological warfare, rather than rein in their worst elements under international pressure.
The observer mission dispatched to Damascus two months ago was only assigned to monitor the violence - even the most optimistic proponents of Kofi Annan's plan refrained from publicly stating that the monitors would stop the violence. On these pages, we supported that peace plan, arguing that even a dim hope of reducing the bloodshed was worth pursuing. That hope lasted only days.
The premise was flawed from the start. This is not a civil war between two opposing armies, which can engage in negotiations and make reciprocal concessions to end the violence. The regime is butchering its own people; the army defectors and the civilians joining the Free Syrian Army are responding to months of systematic murder, rape and torture.
In a sense, the observers' mission was completed from the outset. The world knows what is happening in Syria. As the situation spirals out of control, there will be more bloodshed, and war breeds horror on every side. This did not begin as an armed conflict, but as an unarmed civilian protest calling for long-promised political reform, a protest that was met with sniper fire and kidnappings and torture campaigns.
The UN's effort - admittedly, a tepid effort in the face of such violence - is a self-admitted failure. The question is not whether Gen Mood and his colleagues stay or not, it is what else there is to be done.
As The National reports today, a senior UN official has told the Security Council that there was no other plan to stop the violence. Defeatism is not, however, an option. If the international community abdicates its responsibility, there are many others - regime thugs and other terrorist groups - who will rush to fill that void.
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
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