UAE

In the Arab capitals of the Gulf, ruling classes are quietly emerging beside rulers, boosted by economic diversification. Power and politics continue, traditionally, to be centralized and personalized. “Dynasticism”[1], driven by oil revenues, still represents the core of politics in the Gulf. In other words, it’s always a (royal) family affaire with a trend of power concentration in the hands of a single branch of royal families.

In recent years, Gulf countries have adopted national strategies and visions to diversify their economies away from oil.

The MED This Week newsletter provides expert analysis and informed insights on the most significant developments in the MENA region, bringing together unique opinions on the topic and reliable foresight on future scenarios. Today, we turn the spotlight on the UAE, where following the death of Sheikh Khalifa, Mohammed bin Zayed was appointed as the new President.

Turkey has significantly recalibrated its foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa. After having played a proactive role in the region, for over a year Ankara has gradually softened its assertive foreign policy, as it has grown increasingly aware of the need to defuse tensions, break out of its regional isolation, and mend fences with regional competitors due to international, regional, and domestic shifts.

The implications of the recent normalisation process between the UAE and Turkey will not be limited to the future regional balance of power. Over the last decade the two countries had expanded the competition arena beyond the traditional Middle East borders. Following the so-called Arab Spring, the two countries have exploited regional crisis and states' endemic fragility to boost their strategic positions. Accordingly, Turkey and UAE shifted competitive dynamics to third-party contexts.

The MED This Week newsletter provides expert analysis and informed insights on the most significant developments in the MENA region, bringing together unique opinions on the topic and reliable foresight on future scenarios. Today, we turn the spotlight on Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's visit to the UAE, his first trip to an Arab country in over a decade.

Yemen’s Houthis attacked Abu Dhabi twice in a week. For the United Arab Emirates (UAE), risk perception has dramatically increased: things will never be the same. The Emirati leadership, a master of strategy, suddenly came to realise how difficult it is to balance national security and regional ambitions. Despite a correction course in foreign policy, the UAE now stands in the eye of the storm. After a decade of assertive military posture in the Middle East, it could be too late for the UAE to avoid backlashes.

Naftali Bennett negli Emirati per la prima storica visita di un premier israeliano nel paese arabo: “Siamo vicini e cugini”.

The MED This Week newsletter provides expert analysis and informed insights on the most significant developments in the MENA region, bringing together unique opinions on the topic and reliable foresight on future scenarios. Today, we focus on the Saudi-Emirates relationship, as Riyadh's and Abu Dhabi's recent disagreements within the OPEC Plus cartel may indicate a possible fault line in one of the region’s most long-lasting alliances.

On the night between April 7th and 8th, the chief of the Polisario Gendarmerie, Addah Al-Bendir, was reportedly killed under unclear circumstances by an alleged airstrike in a Polisario-controlled desert area in the disputed Western Sahara territory near Tifariti, according to an official press release by the Sahrawi Ministry of Public Defence then quoted by several media outlets, though it was alm

The geostrategic scenario around the Gulf monarchies has significantly changed, a phenomenon that is reflected by shifting American and Chinese approaches to military outposts in the area. As such, a new security season has opened in the Gulf: for the monarchies, pursuing autonomous capabilities in the defence field is, and will be, all the more strategic.

The MED This Week newsletter provides expert analysis and informed insights on the most significant developments in the MENA region, bringing together unique opinions on the topic and reliable foresight on future scenarios. Today, we turn the spotlight on the Nile, where the dispute between Ethiopia and downstream countries over Addis Ababa’s plan to further fill his "Renaissance" dam is increasingly pressuring Arab states to mediate among quarrelling stakeholders.