UAE - a skeptical ally of the US

Despite being a close ally of the US, the UAE pursues a policy of befriending everyone, including China and Russia, while remaining skeptical of security commitments from Washington.

Richard Clarke, the US national security adviser, once described the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as its closest counterterrorism ally in the Gulf region. Washington also considers Abu Dhabi a crucial partner in stabilizing the global energy market.

For the UAE, the United States has been its most important foreign ally since its founding in 1971. Over the years, the UAE has pursued a "friendship with all" policy aimed at strengthening economic and foreign relations with many countries around the world. However, this effort has made the relationship between the UAE and the United States more difficult.

In early 2021, US intelligence discovered that the Chinese shipping company Cosco was constructing a "suspicious" structure in the Khalifa port area of ​​the UAE, suggesting it was a "secret military base." US President Joe Biden subsequently spoke by phone with Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then Crown Prince of the UAE, warning that allowing China to "build a base" would seriously impact the partnership between the US and the UAE.

The UAE government stated they were unaware of plans to build a military base in the Khalifa port, claiming it was a purely commercial port, but acknowledged concerns from the US. A senior official in the Biden administration later said the UAE had halted the project.

In late 2021, the UAE threatened to cancel its purchase of F-35 stealth fighters, Reaper drones, and other advanced military equipment from the US, citing Washington's stringent security requirements to prevent these weapons from falling into the hands of Chinese intelligence. The US also opposed the UAE's invitation to China's Huawei to participate in building its 5G network.

UAE President bin Zayed Al Nahyan (left) and US President Joe Biden in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 2022. Photo: AFP

US and UAE officials say Mohamed pursued a more independent foreign policy after witnessing the upheavals in American politics under Donald Trump.

"The balance in the relationship has shifted. The U.S. can no longer simply pick up the phone and demand that the UAE comply with its requests," said Dina Esfandiary, senior advisor on the Middle East at the International Crisis Group in Brussels, Belgium. "The downside is that sometimes the UAE won't get what it wants from the U.S. because it doesn't follow Washington's instructions."

UAE officials have expressed skepticism about the US commitment after Washington accused Iran of carrying out attacks on Saudi Arabian oil fields and tankers in the Gulf in 2019 without any public retaliation. Previously, the UAE also claimed it was sidelined when the US secretly negotiated with Iran, leading to the 2015 nuclear deal that the UAE opposed.

They also expressed dissatisfaction with Washington's response to the Houthi missile and drone attacks on Abu Dhabi in January 2022.

Many world leaders sent messages expressing sympathy and solidarity with Crown Prince Mohamed following the attacks, but President Biden did not make any calls.

A few weeks later, the U.S. deployed fighter jets and guided-missile destroyers to the region. When a senior U.S. commander visited, Mohamed refused to meet him. A few weeks after that, when Russia launched its campaign in Ukraine, Mohamed refused to heed President Biden's call to support Kyiv.

U.S. officials have admitted they underestimated the UAE's concerns about regional security threats. One official said that the deployment of U.S. fighter jets and warships to the Gulf following Houthi attacks was evidence of Washington's security commitment to Abu Dhabi.

Crown Prince Mohamed assumed the presidency of the UAE in May 2022, following the death of President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan after a serious illness. He subsequently chose France over the United States for his first foreign trip, at a time when relations between Abu Dhabi and Washington were strained due to the energy crisis.

Twice in the past seven months, the UAE, along with its partners in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), has cut oil production alongside Russia, despite US objections. US officials have repeatedly warned that the UAE is helping Russia circumvent sanctions, as Russians flock to Dubai to trade oil, buy real estate, and store money.

The United States and the European Union (EU) have sanctioned UAE companies that facilitated Russian oil trade and had business ties with Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.

In a July 2022 exchange with Mr. Biden on the sidelines of a regional summit, President Mohamed expressed disappointment that the US had abandoned its security commitment to the UAE and reminded Mr. Biden that UAE soldiers had fought alongside US troops in the fight against terrorism for three decades, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE's climate policy minister, said the country wants to develop relations with the US, but not at the expense of other countries. He said the UAE wants to maintain relations with the US as well as with India, Europe, Russia, China, and many others.

President Mohamed began strengthening ties with China years ago, but bilateral cooperation only truly deepened during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the UAE opened its borders to China while much of the world remained closed. The UAE manufactured face masks using machinery imported from China and collaborated with Beijing on developing PCR testing equipment and Covid-19 vaccines.

Trade between the UAE and China has exceeded $70 billion. Beyond oil, the two countries have expanded cooperation to include finance, technology, and cultural exchange.

The UAE also shares many of Russia's interests. In February 2022, Abu Dhabi refused to vote in favor of a UN Security Council resolution condemning Russia's war in Ukraine, as it sought Moscow's support for a resolution designating the Houthi rebels as a terrorist organization.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Vietnamese President Sheikh Mohamed in the UAE in October 2019. Photo: Reuters

The UAE's abstention from voting dealt a blow to the initial US effort to rally allies to isolate Russia. Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE's ambassador to the United Nations, said the decision was made as the UAE prepared to assume the presidency of the UN Security Council and sought to mediate the conflict. On March 2, 2022, the UAE voted in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution demanding that Russia end the conflict.

UAE investment funds have poured billions of dollars into Russia, and Mohamed has also met regularly with President Vladimir Putin over the past two decades to strengthen the personal relationship between the two leaders.

"Mr. Mohamed has been very patient in building this relationship with Russia," said Anwar Gargash, foreign policy advisor to the UAE president.

Senior UAE officials said the country does not feel its alliance with the US hinders its continued cooperation with Russia or China. "With this policy, we will not get caught up in the competition between great powers," Gargash said.

Thanh Tam (According to WSJ )

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