Name? Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (MBZ)
Westphalian identity? Emirati
Age? 60
Why is he in the news? MBZ is in the news for the UAE’s refusal to vote in favour of a UNSC resolution to condemn Russian invasion of Ukraine. Officially, the UAE believes that “taking sides would only lead to more violence”.
Why do we care? The Middle East region has been relatively quiet about Russia’s invasion, but MBZ had one good reason in particular. Voting patterns suggest a deal was cut between Putin and MBZ for the UAE to abstain in upcoming UN votes on the Russian invasion of Ukraine in exchange for Russia voting in favour of a resolution extending an arms embargo to all Houthi rebels, after a string of recent attacks on the UAE.
Why should you care? This is a prime example of realpolitik and it is sad to see that human lives are being exchanged in horse trades like this. At the same time, it does remind us that the Yemeni population has been experiencing the same horrors the Ukrainian population is going through for years now, with less international support. You should care 8/10.
Who else cares? US President Joe Biden. The USA, whose military provides security guarantees to the Emirates, lobbied the UAE to vote in favour of the resolution. However, since the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, relations between the Gulf Countries and the US have deteriorated immensely. MBZ has since then seeked to diversify the UAE’s dependence on different powers, one of them being Russia.
Any further comments? MBZ also profits from this crisis in another way, the rising oil prices over the Ukraine invasion only benefit his country’s budget as a major oil exporter. At the same time, the UAE, in particular Dubai, has long been seen as a magnet for Russian investment, and a vacation destination for the Russian elite, something MBZ is interested in maintaining.
