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History and Government
History: This group of small sheikhdoms on the coastline of the Persian Gulf was a backwater of the Islamic civilisation, which prospered in the Middle East from the seventh century onwards. It was then under loose Ottoman control, until the arrival of European colonists in the 1820s, when it was brought under British suzerainty after attacks on British-owned shipping by pirates operating in the Gulf region. The local Arab rulers signed a treaty with the British in 1853, under which they accepted British military protection and in turn promised to refrain from piracy.
In the 1950s, the British sought to weld the seven distinct regimes of the Trucial States into a single administrative bloc. Two factors set the future course of the territory: the 1968 decision by the British to withdraw military forces from the Gulf area; and the discovery of oil, which gave a sudden and rapid boost to the economy of the region. The United Arab Emirates came into being as an independent state on 2 December 1971. Internal politics are prone to instability, because of the uncertain nature of the federation and boundary disputes. Sharjah, in particular, has been the subject of a couple of coup attempts. However, the ruling families in the two main emirates, Dubai (the al-Makhtoums) and Abu Dhabi (whose ruler, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan, is the current president of the UAE), have managed to stabilise the federation.
After a quiet start on the international stage, the UAE has taken an active role in Middle Eastern politics, both as a founding member of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) – the principal pan-national grouping in the region – and as a mediator in disputes including those between Israel and the Palestinians, Morocco and Algeria, Iran and Iraq, and Oman and Yemen. It was also one of the first Gulf states to establish diplomatic relations with China and the nations of the former USSR.
In August 1990, in common with other members of the Gulf Co-operation Council, the UAE gave its firm backing to the US-led anti-Iraqi coalition. After the war, the UAE enhanced its national security by participating in various GCC defence initiatives, as well as signing bilateral agreements with both the USA and the UK. The political situation in the Gulf has been sensitive ever since. The American strategy of ‘dual containment’ (of Iran and Iraq) caused some difficulties for the essentially pro-Western UAE regime throughout the 1990s. The UAE has a long-standing territorial dispute with Iran over ownership of three small Gulf islands – Greater and Lesser Tunbs, and Abu Musa. The islands occupy a strategic position close to Gulf shipping lanes and substantial oil and gas fields. That dispute has yet to be resolved, although several other lesser conflicts with other Gulf states (principally Qatar) have been settled. In 2003, the prospect of an Anglo-American assault on Iraq is viewed ambivalently by the Emirates – most of the population are strongly opposed and, like most countries in the territory, the UAE is fearful of the consequences of another war in the region.
Government: The highest federal authority is the Supreme Council of Rulers comprising the absolute rulers of the seven emirates. Decisions reached by the Council must have the agreement of at least five members, including Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the two largest members. The council appoints a president to act as head of state. There are no political parties.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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