ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the profound shifts in UAE foreign policy that have occurred since the 1990s and, in particular, the internationalization of the UAE and the emergence of Dubai and Abu Dhabi as aspirant global cities and hubs. The deaths of the UAE’s founding President, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and Dubai’s Ruler, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in November 2004 and January 2006 coincided with the long upward trend in international oil prices that began in 2002. During the oil price boom, which lasted through June 2014 with a sharp yet short blip in 2008-2009, the new leadership in Abu Dhabi and Dubai leveraged the UAE’s comparative advantages and capital accumulation to take full advantage of the new regional and international possibilities that opened up. Simultaneously, the UAE, led by Abu Dhabi, became far more hawkish in the politics of the Middle East and began to transform into a more muscular posture both regionally and internationally. The analysis in this chapter examines how, since the 1990s, the UAE moved
gradually away from the focus on Arab and Islamic issues and engaged proactively with key developments in the global economy and international governance to accumulate substantial reserves of “soft” and “hard” power and carve out niches in selected economic sectors such as aviation and international finance mentioned in Chapter Four. Relations with the United States deepened, particularly after the shock of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and remain a cornerstone of UAE foreign policy, but have also been complemented by the internationalization of UAE’s ties with global partners and a more proactive approach to issues of global governance. Emirati policymakers additionally have accrued considerable reserves of cultural influence through the careful projection of soft and smart power; however, with increasing global visibility came growing international scrutiny of such issues as migrant labor conditions in the UAE and related labor-sending states.
