The world needs more people like Bill Richardson, who passed away on Friday. I say this not because he had an exceptional career in public service – seven terms in the US Congress, twice governor of New Mexico, he was also America’s ambassador to the UN and energy secretary during the Clinton administration. Nor because he won a place in the Guinness Book of Records – an achievement of which he was inordinately proud – for the politician who’d shaken the most hands (13,392) in an eight-hour period.
Nor because he was clearly the most amiable of men and held in wide affection. When he stood for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2007, the first of Latino descent to do so, he looked around the podium during a TV debate and said: “Let me just say, I love all the candidates here. In fact, I think they would all do great in the White House … as my vice president.” Everyone in the room, candidates included, erupted with laughter.
And neither do I say so solely because he became most famous for his skill as a special envoy – sometimes official, sometimes not – to world leaders who were often sworn enemies of the US, frequently securing the return of detained Americans, although it is connected to that.
I say we need more Bill Richardsons because of the wisdom that informed the way he managed to broker deals with an unlikely roster that included Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussein and “a Kim or two”, as he put it, referring to the ruling family of North Korea. “Respect the other side. Try to connect personally. Use sense of humour. Let the other side save face,” is how he once described his negotiating style.
Understanding the importance of saving face is also crucial
It sounds such a simple formula. And yet it seems too rare at a time when many public officials try to outdo each other in performative behaviour, never shy of berating other countries and telling them what to do. The point is general, but it would only be fair to add that it is mostly western officials who are guilty of this. We don’t, for instance, hear of Global South countries getting together to denounce the UK for its epidemic of homelessness and child poverty – which affects nearly 30 per cent of children, according to the latest statistics – and “demanding” that the British government take action.
But respecting “the other side” or other peoples appears to be something some officials are just incapable of doing instinctively. I wrote last year about the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, who told an audience – of young diplomats, if you can believe it – that “Europe is a garden ... It is the best combination … that humankind has been able to build. Most of the rest of the world is a jungle, and the jungle could invade the garden. The gardeners have to go to the jungle. Otherwise, the rest of the world will invade us, by different ways and means.”
Mr Borrell later claimed his remarks had been misunderstood. “I am sorry if some have felt offended,” he said – a half-hearted apology that has not satisfied the many on social media who have referred to him ever since as “Josep ‘Gardener’ Borrell”.
Another instance that remains etched in the memory is the visit by then UK foreign secretary David Miliband to India in 2009. Mr Miliband caused such outrage by his all-advised words about the Kashmir dispute and his public overfamiliarity with Pranab Mukherjee, his septuagenarian counterpart – whom he kept calling by his first name – that some Indian commentators said it was the worst visit by a British foreign secretary since independence in 1947. If he’d only been a little more sensitive towards his hosts, disaster could easily have been avoided.
Understanding the importance of saving face is also crucial. “Saving face” is not merely some quaint Asian custom, as many Europeans and Americans apparently think. First, it is very real. Second, it ought to be obvious when it matters in geopolitics.
If any politician in Washington ever wants China to take a more accommodating stance on Taiwan (as they would see it), for instance, they have to understand that no Chinese leader can ever be seen to lose face over the issue. This is also going to be key to the future of the South China Sea, much of which Beijing claims, leading to disputes with several South-East Asian countries.
It doesn’t matter what rulings are issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in reference to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Beijing’s claims are illustrated on a map in Chinese passports. It would be politically impossible for any leader to back down on them. All sides are going to have to come to various accommodations that allow each country to present them as “wins” at home.
Mr Richardson would have known this, and although he was concerned primarily with personal diplomacy, he also conducted many missions to Myanmar from the 1990s onwards, negotiating with the military juntas that preceded and succeeded the short-lived period of democracy, and promoting humanitarian causes.
International relations would benefit greatly from the wide adoption of his formula. Let me repeat it: “Respect the other side. Try to connect personally. Use sense of humour. Let the other side save face.” Is that really so hard?
The fact that Mr Richardson was so unusual suggests that it is. Let’s hope, after the eulogies he received from so many, that his counterparts across the West stop to ask themselves: what could we learn from this remarkable man?
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
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Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
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Sunday
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Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
FIXTURES
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
