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The United Arab Emirates in Africa: The Partly Thwarted Ambitions of a New Regional Player

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has long-standing ties with African countries, but the implementation of a genuine Africa policy dates back only about 15 years. 

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Cheikh Mohammed ben Zayed Al Nahyane and Mohamed Ould Sheikh Al-Ghazouani in the United Arab Emirates
Cheikh Mohammed ben Zayed Al Nahyane and Mohamed Ould Sheikh Al-Ghazouani in the United Arab Emirates
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Corps analyses

Initially instigated by the Dubai emirate, motivated by the opportunities offered on the African continent, this policy primarily served the UAE's commercial interests and responded to its food security imperatives.

The Arab Spring of 2011 has significantly shifted the focus of the UAE African policy by linking it with Abu Dhabi's foreign policy with political and military priorities. The UAE is now demonstrating an unabashed use of power in Africa, whether economic or military, to serve the international strategy of its leader Mohammed bin Zayed, for whom the fight against political Islam has become the central axis.

It is among its partners in the Horn of Africa (Eritrea, Somaliland) that the UAE has largely set up its military force, with the objective to deploy it in Yemen against the Houthi forces. At the same time, Abu Dhabi has developed close ties with the military institutions of many African countries, where it replicates its "Egyptian model" (Sudan, Mauritania) to contain the perceived threat of Islamist movements.

While the UAE aims to become a key player in the field of international diplomatic mediation (East Africa, Sahel), Emirati influence on the continent is not always well perceived. The export of Gulf rivalries to Africa and its military activism have destabilizing consequences (Somalia, Libya, Sudan) that can weaken bilateral relations (North Africa).

However, its recently diminished military ambitions in the Horn, due to its disengagement from Yemen, and the country's desire to strengthen its diplomatic reputation (notably as a future non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council) could alter the scope of its regional policy.

 

This content is available in French: "Les Emirats arabes unis en Afrique : les ambitions parfois contrariée d'un nouvel acteur régional"

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979-10-373-0403-2

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Jean-Loup SAMAAN

Intitulé du poste

Former Associate Research Fellow, Turkey/Middle East Program, Ifri

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Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul, Türkiye
Turkey/Middle East Program
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Ifri's Turkey/Middle East Program aims to provide expertise on the trends and developments in politics, societies and economies across the region.

The programme has the following objectives:

  • Proposing a new approach towards the MENA region through an analysis of local, regional, and international dynamics with the potential to guide and influence new policies.
  • Highlighting the role of foreign powers which have traditionally been present in the region and analyzing the new role taken on by emerging countries ;
  • Anticipating new directions and outlooks in each country.
  • Interpreting risks and potentials and putting forward new templates for analysis.

The programme has built a dense network of researchers and experts who provide expertise on the MENA region and working together on a range of crosscutting themes.

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Giulia FOURNIER
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As international relations have become increasingly unpredictable, the quest is to find a semblance of normality. Alliances are shifting as interests are changing. The so-called order established after the Second World War is being shattered by those who have given so much to create it. Global relations are being transformed by countries that wish to follow the rules and others that want to circumvent or ignore them. In this uncertain environment, it is therefore all the more crucial to find stable allies.

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RAMSES 2025. Between Powers and Powerlessness

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Never before have there been so many powers able to upset the international balance of power, and never before have the dominant powers seemed so powerless to counter the fragmentation of the world.

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Cheikh Mohammed ben Zayed Al Nahyane and Mohamed Ould Sheikh Al-Ghazouani in the United Arab Emirates
Afrique confidentielle

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