I will attempt to shed some light on this emerging political scene by highlighting a number of “champions” who have both expressed their willingness to run as candidates for the upcoming Federal National Council elections and have a record of association with a specific cause that may be translated into active support for them in the parliament. I have identified four possible blocs: religionist, ultra-nationalist, business and liberal. Read more »
UAE
UAE stands out for its civil liberties
A trend towards conservatism naturally translated into results at the ballot boxes in various Arab states, not only in Egypt and Jordan, but also in Kuwait and Bahrain, traditionally the most liberal of Gulf societies. Citizens, particularly the business community, must be assured that conservative lawmakers will not exploit religious beliefs to further personal agendas. Read more »
A State of the Union Address for the UAE
In countries the world over, from the US to Russia, and from the Philippines to South Africa, citizens look forward to an annual statement that outlines the state of the nation in the past year and highlights plans for the coming 12 months. Read more »
Meeting the UAE halfway
Back in August, 2009, I touted the benefits of the close ties between Canada and the United Arab Emirates in the pages of this newspaper. Flash forward to today and things seem quite different. A commercial dispute escalated into a diplomatic incident between both countries in which no one party can emerge victorious. In this globalized world size matters less than it did 50 years ago and the emphasis is now on international co-operation. The issue of landing rights has escalated in neither side’s advantage. The local press has reported that in the two years that the UAE’s ambassador has been stationed in Ottawa he has yet to meet with Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon. Read more »
2010 shines as a celebration of ‘Kulluna Khalifa’
One need only look to the thousands of UAE citizens who thronged to Al Rawda Palace in Al Ain during September 2010 to see that this year was the year of Sheikh Khalifa. Read more »
What We Can Learn From Abu Dhabi’s Soft Diplomacy
On December 2, 2010, the UAE began celebrating the countdown to its 40th anniversary as a federation. It is going to welcome its fifth decade in a few months as a mature diplomatic nation, due to a new phenomenon in the form of soft diplomacy. This report will review some of the recent milestones the UAE has witnessed in this field. Read more »