Interview
Division multiplication: the UAE’s foreign meddling
- The UAE is projected to maintain its status as a "global power broker" and "all-around good guy" through 2025 while continuing to support militia groups to foster division abroad, a strategy predicted by Greg Karlstrom to yield "horrific consequences" and fail to achieve state takeover or division goals.
- By 2025, the UAE's backing of the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan is expected to position the nation on the opposite side of the US, China, and Russia, with its actions driven primarily by ideology against "political Islamist groups" and a desire to curb Qatar and Turkey's regional roles rather than access to gold reserves.
- Although US congressional advisors are discussing potential sanctions against the UAE, it is currently uncertain whether these measures will be implemented, with current discussions characterized as "might just be talk at the moment."
- Karlstrom argues that the UAE's pursuit of "hard power hegemon" status undermines its core strengths in the Middle East, economic diversification efforts, and "tremendous soft power."
- In Japan, rice farmer Kanno Yoshihide warns that the current situation threatens the continued existence of farmers, while Moeka Iida notes that the 2023 heat waves and poor harvest continue to affect the market due to year-long stock and distribution cycles.
- Despite improved rice availability, Moeka Iida reports that prices remain elevated, with the cost of rice in Tokyo recorded as "90% higher from a year earlier" in March, and anticipates that the crisis will serve as a starting point for better discussions on food security.
- It is predicted that while everyday verbs will evolve as the world changes, pronouns undergo a much slower transformation, though the singular "they" is expected to become a more formal part of the language.
- While newly introduced gender-neutral pronouns like "Z," "HESH," and "C with an XE" have not yet gained traction, historical examples such as the recent adoption of a gender-neutral pronoun in Sweden suggest future success is possible for similar innovations.