UAE
The ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ Playbook
The sudden emergence of the label in the U.S. midterms is evidence of a rhetorical exchange between the U.S. and its autocratic allies in the Middle East, as each finds ways to delegitimize, demonize and even prosecute those who might threaten the illiberal status quo of their regimes.
The Menacing Fixer
Two decades after Hamas ousted Mohammed Dahlan from power in Gaza, the onetime strongman has emerged as a major power broker who triangulates between the UAE, the U.S. and Israel. Some say he could return to Gaza. For those aware of his menacing qualities, the prospect is frightening.
‘Those Who Wrap Themselves in America Are Naked’
A growing debate among Arab leaders and elites reflects deep divisions over the war with Iran, with some blaming the United States for dragging the region into conflict and others stressing the long-standing threat posed by Iran’s expansionism. Both groups agree that the region’s alliance with America is fraught.
The Curious Case of a Dubai Prince, a Tiger, Tucker Carlson and Andrew Tate
Princess Mahra calling out a male member of the powerful Al Maktoum royal family and initiating a divorce is not something you would expect from a woman, let alone a princess, in the Arab world, especially in a conservative, patriarchal society. This isn't just a matter of celebrity entertainment or a royal palace feud; it tells a larger story of a defiant woman standing up for herself in the most unlikely of places.
How Wahhabism Led the Fight Against the British in the Gulf
The British presence was not an extension of its colonialism in Iraq and the Levant north of the Arabian Peninsula. In fact, it preceded it, and came through the Indian Ocean from the south.
To the ‘People of the Red Sea,’ a Warning and a Hope
Maoz Fine, who studies coral reefs, was especially agog about the prospects of peace and better ties between his country and states along the Red Sea shores. When the first fruits of peace arrived, however, Fine and an ad hoc coalition of sundry Israelis found it unpalatable. A deal to bring oil from the UAE to Israel and then to Asia and Europe left many up in arms.
What I Taught in the Emirates — and What It Taught Me
The UAE wanted loyal citizens above all to preserve its political model; that primary lesson filtered down to the education system, even if it wasn’t written in the curriculum itself, in the ways that some rules were enforced and others were not, why some people were deported and others worked for decades in the same school.