‘World in state of confusion ... what if powers quit Gulf area abrubtly?’
“THE greater the anxiety about the future, the more alliances that appear, most of which are temporary and will not succeed in filling the void that the world is going through, whether real or imagined,” columnist, professor at Kuwait University’s Political Science Department and the advisor to Human Rights Watch (HRW) Dr. Ghanim Al-Najjar wrote for Al-Jarida daily.
“The subject of controversy over the end of America’s power is not new. For a long time, writings and seminars from thinkers and writers from all directions, right and left, albeit for different reasons, most of them Americans have swelled about the decline and collapse of America’s power, to the point that it almost becomes a theory, within the framework of a sharp internal division that makes the vision of the other blurry.
“When America ‘withdrew’ from Afghanistan in a sort of flight, after its longest war, it was easy to recall that written, audio and visual heritage of the theory of American retreat.
“As for the countries that depend on American protection, including the Gulf states and others, this goes beyond assumptions and ideas, to reach existential fear, in a region where the rate of major wars is the highest in the world.
“What would happen, for example, if America suddenly decided to withdraw its forces from the Gulf, without consulting with those countries, as happened with Afghanistan…? This is a question worth answering because it may happen one day for reasons that may not even occur to anyone.
“Of course Afghanistan is completely different, but isn’t every issue in the world different? That question was surprising when Great Britain decided to withdraw from the Gulf.
“All scenarios are open – the era of reducing dependence on oil as a source of fuel, the arrival of America years ago to a state saturated with oil to becoming an oil exporting nation.
“Regardless of whether America’s power has declined, which is a matter subject to give and take, America is not like the empires or colonial powers that followed it, which Paul Kennedy elaborated in his book, “The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers.”
“During the past 120 years, the world has suffered because of many wars, two of which are global, and hundreds of other wars, small or big, and most of them by proxy, especially during the Cold War, or bipolarity, the theory of deterrence, and the nuclear arms race, to prevent departure from the norm, and the Cuban missile crisis, a model of what was known at the time as “the edge”, meaning that a nuclear war was about to break out, but the truth is that there was no edge of an abyss, but rather political arrangements between the two great poles, between Kennedy and Khrushchev, that ended in understandings that were confidential.
“It seems that the world is facing a difficult state of confusion... Let’s talk about the rest.”
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“Germany bid farewell to the most powerful woman in the world. She is none other but German Chancellor Angela Merkel, she did not receive free services from the state, no housing, no electricity, no gas, no water, not even a free phone from the state budget at all, Ahmad Al-Dawas wrote for Al-Seyassah daily..
“This woman enjoyed the same rights and the same duties as any simple German citizen, shopping by herself even the vegetables, she drives her car, pays her taxes, and if she commits a violation, she pays for it out of pocket.
“Merkel left her position as head of government and handed it over to her successors, and Germany and its people are in the best hands.
“The Germans elected her to lead them. She led 80 million people for 18 years with efficiency, skill, dedication and sincerity. No transgressions were recorded against her during this period of her leadership.
“She did not favor anyone, did not assign any of her relatives a government position, did not brag about her achievements, did not cheer for her life, did not fight those who preceded her, did not utter nonsense, and did not appear in the alleys of Berlin for picture shoot
“She is Angela Merkel, the woman who was called the lady of the world, and described as equivalent to six million men.
“The reaction of the Germans was unprecedented in their history. The whole people went out one day to the balconies of their houses and applauded spontaneously for six minutes of continuous applause, and in contrast to our Arab reality, there were no poets praising her, no hypocrites, none whosoever, and no one exclaimed ‘Merkel only’.
“Germany stood as one body to bid farewell to its leader, the physical chemist, who was not tempted by fashion or lights, and did not buy real estate, cars, yachts and private planes, knowing that she is from the former East Germany, meaning she lived the life of deprivation during the socialist system.
“She left after placing Germany on the top pedestal, and did not change her old clothes. At a press conference, one of the female journalists asked: We notice that you wear this suit ‘again’, don’t you have another one? She replied: ‘I am a government employee not a model’.
“At another press conference, they asked her: ‘Do you have domestic workers to clean the house, prepare meals, and so on? Her answer was: ‘No, I don’t have workers and I don’t need them. My husband and I do this work at home every day’.
“Then another journalist asked: Who does the laundry, you or your husband? She replied: ‘I arrange the clothes and my husband is the one who runs the washing machine, and it is usually at night because the electricity is available and there is no pressure on it, and to take care of the neighbors from the inconvenience.
“Mrs. Merkel lived in an ordinary apartment like any other citizen before she was elected prime minister, and she did not leave it, nor did she own a villa, servants, swimming pools and gardens.
“This is how the Prime Minister lives, even though her country receives about $150 billion annually from only one car factory.
“She told them at the conference: I was expecting you to ask me about the successes and failures in our work in the government. “
“What does the future hold for us regarding Coronavirus?” columnist Dr Naji Al-Zaid wrote for Al-Jarida daily.
“According to the expectations of many scientists and doctors, the number of Corona cases will decrease. Corona may not disappear, but the virus that causes it will weaken as a result of genetic mutations and will not be more dangerous than the previous variants.
“This is stated in the summary of the opinions of many specialists, led by Dr Sarah Gilbert, in a lecture at the invitation of the Royal Society of Medicine that supervised the invention and manufacturing of AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine. The Queen awarded Gilbert with a medal and knighthood (DAME) in recognition of her efforts.
“At present, another virus that causes colds and influenza is worrisome. Many have noticed that during the Corona pandemic, it decreased remarkably or disappeared, because closures, social distancing, wearing mask, and taking care of hygiene and sterilization helped a lot.
“Inaction and negligence in following health regulations will lead to the spread of influenza. It will be the severe type. This could be the time to prepare for a vaccination campaign against influenza, especially since the vaccine is available and has been widely used in Kuwait for several years.”