Institute: UAE’s Misconduct Overlooked as Washington Grants “Defensive Partner” Status

An American research institute stated that the United States rewarded the UAE for its negative behavior by designating it as a “Major Defense Partner,” reflecting a continued misleading approach in dealing with Middle Eastern issues.

The Quincy Institute for Studies noted that, with this new designation, the UAE has joined India as the only two countries under this title. The White House stated that this step will enable “unprecedented cooperation” in the pursuit of “regional stability” in the Middle East, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean.

As tensions rise in the Middle East, hinting at the possibility of a broader conflict, Abu Dhabi is positioning itself as a rational and decisive player. However, when examining its recent actions in the Middle East and Africa, the UAE’s record falls short of these claims.

While the UAE has been praised for supporting U.S.-backed coalitions and maintains a better reputation than some of its neighbors, Mohamed bin Zayed’s government has pursued its own interests through aggressive and destabilizing actions. These include prolonging the civil wars in Libya and Yemen, violating both U.S. and international laws, undermining stability in the Horn of Africa, and strengthening political and economic ties with Russia.

Yasser Zidan, a PhD student at the University of Washington and former National University of Sudan lecturer, stated, “The UAE is actively seeking to establish a strong economic presence in Africa and East Asia. They are involved in various regions, using not just economic policies but also military means to further their interests.”

Even more concerning is the covert support the UAE has provided to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan during their brutal 18-month civil war against the Sudanese Armed Forces, which are aligned with the military government.

The evidence of war crimes, genocide, and mass sexual violence in the first six months of the war was clear enough to prompt U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to issue an official condemnation, adding allegations of crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing by the Rapid Support Forces.

Last week, both the UAE and the United States reaffirmed their position that the war in Sudan “cannot be resolved militarily.” The UAE continues to deny any bias toward either side in the conflict, despite a growing number of accusations and evidence proving otherwise.

In January, the United Nations disclosed “credible” evidence indicating that the UAE was supplying weapons to the British Royal Air Force “multiple times a week” via northern Chad, constituting a clear breach of the recently extended arms embargo on the Darfur region of Sudan.

In August 2023, the Wall Street Journal released a report detailing an incident where the United Arab Emirates sought to deliver military and financial support concealed as humanitarian aid to Sudan.

Abu Dhabi also serves as a haven for business, finance, and logistics for the Rapid Support Forces, with Emirati investors recently finalizing a $6 billion deal to support Sudanese gold export ports on the Red Sea.

Dr. Annelle Sheline, a researcher at the Quincy Institute, believes that the agreement between the United States and the UAE reflects a growing trend among middle powers to successfully extract geopolitical gains from the dominant global powers, including the United States, as well as China and Russia in the case of the Emiratis, in order to maintain and enhance their influence.

Sheline stated, “This trend will become increasingly clear, and we will need American leaders who are unwilling to be constrained and continue to give these other powers what they want—what exactly is the U.S. getting in return? What the United States has gained from this is not clear, and it seems to me quite inappropriate, given that the UAE is not acting in the ways that the United States wishes to see from a close partner.”

One thing is clear: the United Arab Emirates has a set of ambitious political priorities across the Middle East and Africa. It may become apparent that the “open secrets” surrounding Sudan and other controversial conflicts, along with the UAE’s weak attempts to deny them, could place the United States in a compromising position given its new close relationship with Abu Dhabi.

With this new “major partner,” the United States, which has already expanded into other parts of the Middle East, risks becoming entangled in countless violent conflicts, humanitarian crises, and diplomatic divisions throughout the region.

The American institute emphasized that Biden and his successor must recognize that the risks of losing influence to China or Russia in the Gulf are far smaller than those arising from their ties to Abu Dhabi and its controversial foreign policy platform.