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Why the UAE Wants to Be Club Med for the World's Kleptocrats

Andreas Krieg

May 13, 20225 min read

Why the UAE Wants to Be Club Med for the World's Kleptocrats

Attracting dirty foreign capital is not just a money-making scheme for the UAE. It has become an integral part of its policy aims to...

The Russia-Ukraine war and the crisis of liberalism

Andreas Krieg

Apr 22, 20224 min read

The Russia-Ukraine war and the crisis of liberalism

As long as crimes against Uyghurs, Palestinians, or Yemenis go unchallenged, western support for Ukrainians resisting Russian aggression...

How does Qatar use its military power as a means to build influence?

Andreas Krieg

Mar 20, 20223 min read

How does Qatar use its military power as a means to build influence?

Despite Qatar trying to maintain its position as a neutral player, its use of military lever for alliance building has been firmly...

With Friends like This: The UAE emerges as key enabler of Putin’s Russia

Andreas Krieg

Mar 18, 20225 min read

With Friends like This: The UAE emerges as key enabler of Putin’s Russia

Andreas Krieg & Matthew Hedges A picture says more than a thousand words: UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed laughing with his...

Ukraine conflict: Could Qatar's gas bail out Europe?

Andreas Krieg

Jan 27, 20224 min read

Ukraine conflict: Could Qatar's gas bail out Europe?

With Europe now in the midst of an energy crisis, it is high time to diversify the continent's energy strategy [This article originally...

Saudi-Qatar reconciliation, from a divisive canal to a railroad connection

Andreas Krieg

Jan 12, 20224 min read

Saudi-Qatar reconciliation, from a divisive canal to a railroad connection

The post-Al Ula Gulf is still characterized by mistrust and suspicion, but what role will joint infrastructure and investment projects...

The limits of the UAE’s neo-mercantilism

Andreas Krieg

Dec 17, 20215 min read

The limits of the UAE’s neo-mercantilism

Since August, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been on a comprehensive regional tour that has involved Abu Dhabi reconciling with...

Qatar: Emir speech draws a line under tribal divisions and regional adventurism

Andreas Krieg

Oct 29, 20213 min read

Qatar: Emir speech draws a line under tribal divisions and regional adventurism

In the wake of recent diplomatic successes in Gaza and Afghanistan, Doha is emphasising the need for national unity and regional dialogue...

Qatar's Investment in the Taliban: How much Influence does it buy?

Andreas Krieg

Sep 17, 20213 min read

Qatar's Investment in the Taliban: How much Influence does it buy?

Doha has made itself indispensable to Afghan negotiations, but its influence depends on moderate Taliban members, who are now struggling...

UAE and Qatar: Soft power to replace the cold war

Andreas Krieg

Sep 17, 20214 min read

UAE and Qatar: Soft power to replace the cold war

Smart diplomacy might for the time being be more effective levers for the UAE as a self-declared regional powerhouse [This article...

Saudi Arabia and the UAE: When crown princes fall out

Andreas Krieg

Sep 17, 20214 min read

Saudi Arabia and the UAE: When crown princes fall out

The growing divergence of interests between the two neighbours has created serious cracks in the thin veneer of their once-hailed...

The UAE is not retreating from military adventures, merely entrenching

Andreas Krieg

Sep 17, 20213 min read

The UAE is not retreating from military adventures, merely entrenching

Abu Dhabi remains a highly assertive player in the region, willing to use all levers of power to achieve its ends [This article...

Al-Aqsa attacks: UAE social media influencers jump on Israel's hasbara bandwagon

Andreas Krieg

May 12, 20214 min read

Al-Aqsa attacks: UAE social media influencers jump on Israel's hasbara bandwagon

With the state's implicit support, Twitter users are twisting, selecting and reframing facts to serve Israel's cause at the expense of...

The UAE's grand strategy is shaping a new regional order

Andreas Krieg

Apr 30, 20214 min read

The UAE's grand strategy is shaping a new regional order

As Western countries take a backseat, the UAE is gradually building a region that empowers Russia and China – much at the expense of...

Qatar’s Labor Rights Legacy: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Andreas Krieg

Apr 11, 20213 min read

Qatar’s Labor Rights Legacy: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Most analysts agree that constructive criticism of the labor rights situation in Qatar is a necessary by-product of the run-up to the...

Qatar World Cup 2022: Critics are spinning the facts on migrant labour

Andreas Krieg

Apr 6, 20213 min read

Qatar World Cup 2022: Critics are spinning the facts on migrant labour

Far from being constructive, calls for a boycott of the international sporting event risk stopping Doha's reform effort in its tracks...

The UAE's Tactical Withdrawal from a Strategic Engagement in Yemen

Andreas Krieg

Apr 1, 20214 min read

The UAE's Tactical Withdrawal from a Strategic Engagement in Yemen

The UAE's drawdown from its Assab military base in Eritrea comes as the new Biden administration is re-evaluating America's commitment to...

Qatar blockade: The narrative war is far from over

Andreas Krieg

Jan 6, 20214 min read

Qatar blockade: The narrative war is far from over

While Saudi Arabia seems reconciled, a clash of visions will continue across the Middle East and North Africa [originally published on...

The Risks of Selling Arms to the Arab World’s Greatest Disruptor

Andreas Krieg

Dec 16, 20204 min read

The Risks of Selling Arms to the Arab World’s Greatest Disruptor

The debate about the sale of the F-35 to the UAE has been highly politicizes in Washington – yet mostly for the wrong reasons. Looking at...

How the UAE weaponised western fears of Islam to crush dissent

Andreas Krieg

Nov 30, 20204 min read

How the UAE weaponised western fears of Islam to crush dissent

Abu Dhabi has capitalised on orientalist fears in the West to stigmatise "Islamism" as a catch-all phrase encompassing any form of...