The Rise of the United Arab Emirates - History and Geopolitics - Special Episode 42

• Early human settlement and archaeological heritage

• Ancient maritime trade networks linking the Gulf to Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and East Africa

• Arrival of Islam and integration into the Umayyad/Abbasid Caliphates

• European incursions: Portuguese, Dutch, and British competition for Gulf trade

• Emergence of local tribal confederations (Qawasim, Bani Yas) and sheikhly rule

• The “Pirate Coast” narrative and British maritime treaties (1820–1853)

• British “Exclusive Agreements” and the development of the Trucial States protectorate

• Pre-oil economy: pearling industry, fishing, date cultivation, nomadic pastoralism, and debt-based labor systems

• Collapse of natural pearling under the Great Depression and Japanese cultured pearls

• Discovery of oil in the 1950s–1960s and the ensuing oil boom

• Visionary leadership of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum in channeling oil revenues into infrastructure, education, and social welfare

• The 1968–1971 unification process: British withdrawal, federation negotiations, provisional constitution, and the founding of the UAE

• Institution-building: Federal Supreme Council, Cabinet, Federal National Council, judiciary, and unified armed forces

• Rapid modernization: airports, seaports (Jebel Ali), roads, housing, healthcare, and free universal education

• Formation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (1981) and early foreign policy orientation

• Responses to regional conflicts: neutrality/tilt in the Iran-Iraq War and active support for the liberation of Kuwait in 1990–1991

• Economic diversification strategies: tourism, aviation (Emirates/Etihad), ports and logistics, real estate, finance (DIFC/ADGM), and manufacturing

• Role of sovereign wealth funds (ADIA, Mubadala, ICD, ADQ) in global investment and domestic development

• “Emiratisation” policies and the challenges of integrating nationals into a predominantly expatriate economy

• Post-9/11 security cooperation with the United States and counterterrorism

• Arab Spring interventions: Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen operations and the shift toward local partners

• Strategic footprint in the Horn of Africa: ports (Berbera, Bosaso), bases (Assab), and maritime security

• The Abraham Accords (2020) and normalization of relations with Israel

• “Omni-alignment” foreign policy balancing the U.S., China, Russia, and OPEC+ engagement

• Sustainability and climate leadership: Net Zero by 2050, renewable energy (Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park), Masdar City, COP28 outcomes

• Soft power projection: Expo 2020 Dubai, Louvre Abu Dhabi, humanitarian aid, and cultural diplomacy

• Nation-building and identity: Arabic language, Islamic values, cultural heritage initiatives, and long-term visions (We the UAE 2031, Centennial 2071)