The
United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the most important nations in the Arab
world. It is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and exercises a
considerable amount of influence not only on the Arabian Peninsula, but also in
the Middle East as a whole. Its influential role, despite its relatively small
size, is one of the most unique aspects of this country because it enjoys the
confidence of other GCC member states as well as numerous others in the region.
Its influence comes second only to that of Saudi Arabia, its biggest partner in
the region, and this has ensured that it plays an important role.
One
of the most significant strategic issues that affect the UAE in the region
involves the growing influence that Iran has in the Middle East. Iran is a Shia
Muslim state, and this is in contrast to the GCC countries which are
essentially majority Sunni Muslim states. The contentious relationship between
these two sects of Islam have been ongoing for centuries, but have ended up
becoming more magnified in recent years. This is especially considering that a
majority of Sunni nations consider Iranian influence to be a serious security
threat to their own survival (Guzansky, 2015, p112). Iranian influence has also
come close to home in Yemen, which is the southernmost country in the Arabian
Peninsula. Another strategic issue for the UAE is that involving the growing
influence of democratic as well as Islamic forces such as the Muslim
Brotherhood, which tend to be anti-monarchist and seek to ensure the
establishment of Islamic states following the abolition of monarchies in the
region (Hedges and Cafiero, 2017, p.129). The third issue is that brought about
by a situation where the UAE is faced with the need to stabilize the region
through retaining the status quo rather than allowing unpredictable revolutions
to take place.
When
handling the issue of Iranian influence, the UAE, along with some of its allies
in the GCC has taken military actions against the rebel groups in Yemen
supported by Iran. The military capabilities of the UAE are among the best in
the region and these have been utilized effectively to stifle Iranian, and by
extension, Shia influence on the Arabian Peninsula. In addition, being one of
the most powerful economies in the region because of its oil wealth has enabled
the UAE to ensure that it is able to make use of its financial clout to
influence some strategic events in the Middle East. Among these is that it is among
the foremost backers of the counterrevolutionary forces in such countries as
Egypt and Libya. In the latter, the UAE has been active participant in the
funding and arming of General Khalifa Haftar to become the most powerful person
in the country (Dorsey, 2017).
Finally,
the need to stabilize the Middle East has led to a situation where the UAE is
increasingly using its influence to prevent the exacerbation of the effects of
the Arab Spring. This is especially in countries such as Egypt, as well as its
actions in imposing sanctions on Qatar for sponsoring groups that it considers
destabilizing, such as the Muslim Brotherhood.