Houthi attacks exposed the security bubble in the UAE

American experts said that the attacks of the Ansar Allah group Al-Houthi revealed the security bubble in the Emirates, at a time when Washington called for avoiding travel to Abu Dhabi against the backdrop of the military escalation in it.

The US State Department announced that the United States responded to about 90% of the attacks launched by the Houthis in Yemen during the past few days and called on American citizens to avoid travelling to the UAE due to “there are threats to launch more attacks.”

The Intercept website considered that the recent attacks by the Houthis on Abu Dhabi revealed the “security bubble in the Emirates,” noting that these attacks came as a result of “the Emirati Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed turning his country into an active warrior in Yemen.”

The American website stated, in its analysis, that the UAE established an economic and political system that relied on its location as a haven in an unstable region. Its prosperity pushed people worldwide to work, live and invest in the tiny Gulf country, which is only 150 miles away from Iran, which is located on the other side of the Gulf.

It added that the UAE’s success is seen as “a bubble of exorbitant wealth that grew and developed in the desert over short decades, thanks to the contribution of migrant workers and professionals.” However, this “fragility of this bubble emerged this week when the war in which the UAE contributed in poor Yemen reached its doors.”

The analysis pointed to the UAE’s participation in the Libyan war, which has been going on for several years, which helped reinforce the country’s image, which was dubbed “Little Sparta,” and that it is capable of confronting forces greater than it.

This shift in foreign policy came in contrast to the traditional policy pursued by the leaders of the UAE, and it was conservative in its relations with the rest of the other countries in the region. According to the analysis, the leaders were aware of the fragile nature of their economic model based on incoming forces.

But under Bin Zayed, the UAE aspired to turn into a major power, played a role in foreign military campaigns and allied with powers outside the region such as the United States to contain regional powers such as Turkey and Iran, and remained immune from the repercussions of its foreign policy until the missiles struck its territory.

The Intercept noted the danger of such a situation continuing for the UAE. Unlike the countries in the region where indigenous citizens live, the wealth of the tiny Gulf country depends on the survival of millions of expatriate workers. They take their money and skills with them. If the security on which the country’s prosperity is affected, these foreigners will quickly leave and return to their original countries.

However, the analysis of the American site believes that the leaders of the Emirates still have time to correct the path and return to the traditional way in dealing with the region and the settlements that helped preserve local security. “This is the clear approach in the Sultanate of Oman’s dealings with its neighbours, as it commits to the role of mediator between the competitors in Middle east”.

“In the absence of this transformation, it is difficult to prevent the violence that tormented the rest of the Middle East from reaching the gates of Abu Dhabi,” according to the analysis.

The Houthis announced two separate attacks on the UAE on January 17. It hit Abu Dhabi International Airport and an oil depot, which led to explosions that killed migrant workers. The attack angered the Emiratis, who responded and beat a prison in Saada, north of Yemen, killing dozens.

The retaliatory attack did not prevent the Houthis. This week, they struck the UAE with ballistic missiles targeting a military base outside the capital Abu Dhabi, where thousands of American soldiers work.

Pictures of the intercepted missiles that lit up the sky were widely spread on social media platforms, which vividly summarized how the violence in Yemen reached the wealthy Emirates.