Mohamed bin Zayed – The most influential leader in the Middle East
UAE diplomacy is well-crafted by leadership in partnership and dialog, in which the contours of “the most influential leader” in a volatile region and world are drawn.
Fruits harvested by the UAE and its president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the most influential leader in the Middle East, according to the Wall Street Journal.
This classification translates the thin strings of Emirati diplomacy into a highly complex context, which has succeeded in achieving the difficult equation between independence and strengthened relations with various parties and world powers.
Most Influential
“Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the UAE have emerged as the winners from the realignment of geopolitical relations” since the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war in February 2022, the US newspaper said.
“This win does not come without a price, as the strategy of dealing with everyone tested relations with the United Arab Emirates’ biggest ally, the United States, whose president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is taking a leading role in the new Middle East,” it said.
It is the first effort and a policy that is aware of the current problems and the future, both regionally and internationally. The UAE is also pursuing an independent international policy based on partnership and respect, including building bridges of friendship with all, without interfering in the internal affairs of countries or keeping a distance from all crises.
“In Ukraine, the UAE has remained neutral, placing it at the same distance from both sides of the conflict as well as maintaining its friendship with both countries, making it a trusted mediator.”
“The success of the UAE and Saudi Arabia in mediating, led by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman Al Saud, for the release of prisoners between the United States and Russia is well established.”
In a statement issued last December, the UAE and Saudi Arabia said in a joint statement that the success of the mediation efforts is a reflection of their countries’ shared friendship with Washington and Moscow and the important role played by the leaderships of both countries in promoting dialog between all parties.
Static situations
Several international crises, foremost among them the Ukraine war, confirmed the UAE’s firm approach and consistent positions regarding conflicts and disputes. This was summarized in the UAE’s assertion that it will not allow a state of great power rivalry to affect its policies and positions.
The trend is evident in many situations in which the UAE had a role and a strong opinion, such as the decision to cut production in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which was aimed at supporting energy stability. This was mentioned by The Wall Street Journal.
The newspaper cited UAE officials who said Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan “does not believe that the UAE’s close relationship with the United States precludes relations with Moscow or Beijing.”
The newspaper cited an earlier tweet by Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the UAE president, who said, “We will not allow a state of great power rivalry to determine our orientations and positions.”
The newspaper also highlighted Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s role in the exchange of prisoners between Washington and Moscow, saying that the UAE president met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg last October.
It added that Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed “played a pivotal role in some issues of strategic importance to the United States, including the prisoner exchange that involved American basketball player Britney Greiner versus Russian arms dealer Victor Bout.”
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan praised the UAE’s de-escalation efforts in the region in a speech this month that addressed the Biden administration’s Middle East policy, the newspaper reported quoting a senior official in the Biden administration.
Fighting terrorism and stabilizing energy markets
The United States sees the UAE as a key partner in fighting terrorism and stabilizing global energy markets, thanks to massive investments in the United States, the paper reported.
The newspaper referred to the Houthi terrorist attacks that targeted Abu Dhabi in 2022 and spoke of the lack of communication between then-US President Joe Biden and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as part of the international solidarity with the UAE against terrorism.
The newspaper quoted unnamed US officials as saying that “Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan asked for clarification of the US position, so Biden invited him to Washington, where Washington is expected to pledge cooperation with the UAE in the fields of security, energy, business, and religious tolerance.”
“It pointed out that in 2020, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed restored relations with Israel, the United States’ top ally in the Middle East, noting that since the founding of the UAE in 1971, the United States has been the country’s most important foreign ally.”
The newspaper cited Dr. Sultan al-Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and CEO of Abu Dhabi Petroleum Company, who said that the UAE wants to strengthen its relations with the United States, but not at the expense of other countries. He said that the matter concerns the United States, India, Europe, Russia, China, and others.
Expansion, openness, and successes
Over the past decade, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, “a calm-tempered 62-year-old”, drew “a fast-track to economic expansion, openness and societal progress, and building relationships across the Middle East”, the newspaper reported.
Not only is the UAE’s economy based on oil, but “its status as a stable country in a volatile region has made it an attractive market for money, logistics, and tourism”, it said.
Despite international competition and global turmoil, the newspaper showed the competitiveness of the UAE economy as a major attraction even among different parties. While the UAE has strong economic relations and huge partnerships with Europe and America, the UAE has become a center for Russian money.
Support in Time of Pandemic
The newspaper praised the UAE’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, noting that “at the time when the world was closing, the UAE was opening its borders, producing vaccines and being the most pioneering partnership and cooperation with Western companies in overcoming obstacles during the pandemic.”
In this regard, it noted that Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan “started to strengthen relations with China years ago, but the two countries have converged during the coronavirus pandemic when the UAE announced the opening of its borders while many countries closed them.”
“The UAE has produced face masks using machines from its sources in China, apart from DNA testing in collaboration with one of China’s leading gene companies,” it said.
“Vaccines were also produced in collaboration with China’s Sinopharm, which was more willing than Western companies to cooperate with the UAE,” the newspaper said.
