The year 1973 is usually considered the great equaliser among major oil producers. But the 'Visions' strategies of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a so-called middle power and small state in the Middle East regional system, point to broadening economic relations as a great enhancer of economic power. This book explores the impact of regime type and leadership style on the two countries' foreign policies. It reveals how autonomy and influence, threat perception and alliance patterns are folded into the complex and personal riyal politik and economic statecraft that sit at the core of their international relations.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been engaged in a long-standing border dispute and in 2004 the UAE launched a public diplomatic campaign to persuade Saudi Arabia to revisit the issue. The governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE had already signed the Treaty of Jeddah in 1974 to end forty years of conflict over territory. However, discrepancies between the oral agreement and final text led to recurrent tensions. This book offers understanding about how the Treaty of Jeddah came about and why the UAE were so quick to sign an agreement they would later regret.
Thoroughly expanded and updated, this guide covers bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The book features 56 detailed maps, accommodation and restaurant options for all budgets, comprehensive political and historical notes, and invaluable information for travel in post-war Kuwait. Tips are given on buying Bedouin silver and Omani daggers.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven emirates (principalities): Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujayrah, Umm Al Qawayn, and Ras Al Khaymah. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ruled by the Al Saud family since its founding in 1932, wields significant political and economic influence as the birthplace of the Islamic faith and by virtue of its large energy reserves. A close Cold War-era relationship between the U.S. government and the ruling Al Saud family was built on shared interests in securing Saudi oil production and in combating global Communism. Since the end of the Cold War, the emergence of the Al-Qaeda terrorist threat and volatile regional security conditions in the Middle East have tested U.S.-Saudi relations. This book examines both the UAE and Saudi Arabia historical backgrounds and their current relations with the United States.
Led by Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the UAE has become deeply embedded in the contemporary system of international power, politics, and policy-making. Only an independent state since 1971, the seven emirates that constitute the UAE represent not only the most successful Arab federal experiment but also the most durable. However, the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath underscored the continuing imbalance between Abu Dhabi and Dubai and the five northern emirates. Meanwhile, the post-2011 security crackdown revealed the acute sensitivity of officials in Abu Dhabi to social inequalities and economic disparities across the federation. The United Arab Emirates: Power, Politics, and Policymaking charts the various processes of state formation and political and economic development that have enabled the UAE to emerge as a significant regional power and major player in the post Arab Spring reordering of Middle East and North African Politics, as well as the closest partner of the US in military and security affairs in the region. It also explores the seamier underside of that growth in terms of the condition of migrant workers, recent interventions in Libya and Yemen, and, latterly, one of the highest rates of political prisoners per capita in the world. The book concludes with a discussion of the likely policy challenges that the UAE will face in coming years, especially as it moves towards its fiftieth anniversary in 2021. Providing a comprehensive and accessible assessment of the UAE, this book will be a vital resource for students and scholars of International Relations and Middle East Studies, as well as non-specialists with an interest in the United Arab Emirates and its global position.
The tale of the UAE's birth is an inspiring account of how the constituent polities were able to achieve unity, despite a historical backdrop of failed Arab confederative experiments. Two distinctive attributes of the birth and evolution of the United Arab Emirates were the non-violent process of its establishment and the nature of the agreements wrought by the member-states on the union's functioning and apportionment, as well as what autonomy would be retained in the constituent emirates. Undoubtedly, certain external factors facilitated the UAE's nation building, among which were a window of relative regional peace, the support of Great Britain for the process, and the desire of most of the Emirates' neighbors for a successful outcome. Equally important as these and other factors were the personality and skills of one man who is credited with being the real unifying force behind the federation His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan.
The United Arab Emirates is a country of achievements. The world's largest skyscraper, busiest international airport, and most robust set of manmade islands make the UAE a popular travel and business destination. Beyond such feats, ethnic diversity abounds in the UAE, with citizens of Asian, Indian, Iranian, Arab, and Western descent. Learn why so many have come to call the United Arab Emirates home in this fascinating read for curious students.
The creation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971 ended a century and a half of the existence of the Trucial States in special treaty relations with Britain. This book, first published in 1978, describes the evolution of tribes and their rulers’ authority over time, and the tribes’ treaties with Britain as it sought to exercise imperial control over its trade routes. Analysing changes to society as well as the politics of the region, this book analyses the formation of the United Arab Emirates.
