ABSTRACT
The growing assertiveness of Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy has been attracting overseas attention, and with good reason. Led by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MbS), Riyadh has begun to display unprecedented ambition, notably in leading the intervention in Yemen, blockading Qatar, assassinating and coercing dissidents abroad, and imposing sanctions on Canada. The UAE’s power has steadily expanded as its growing economy has allowed it to make major investments in its military and other instruments of national power. Managing the UAE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia is a complex undertaking: relations have been tense in the past, and the prospect of a hostile or collapsed Saudi state is the most significant potential threat to Emirati security. Indeed, even after its recalibration, the UAE continued to support secessionist groups, and shows no sign of planning to stop doing so.
