UAE: Arab world split between successful states and those in a 'bottleneck', says top official

Khaleej Times

5 days ago

Countries should prioritise improving people's living conditions, education, and safety, rather than focusing on normalisation as it is being used as a 'scarecrow' to prevent positive societal change and economic progress in the Arab world, said UAE Presidential Diplomatic Advisor Dr. Anwar Gargash during his address at the Arab Media Summit in Dubai Wednesday.
'Normalisation is a scarecrow; the goal is truly to avoid facing the new reality,' Dr. Gargash stated, emphasising that establishing relations is a sovereign decision for each country based on its national interests.
'In the UAE, based on our calculations, we saw this as the correct strategic decision for the UAE. Each country has its sovereign decision, but using normalisation sometimes to prevent positive change in society is, in my estimation, a scarecrow to prevent change from failed policies,' he added.
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Dr. Gargash highlighted that these failed policies have led to internal tensions and territorial divisions in several Arab nations. 'Today, for the first time since the independence of many Arab countries, there is a fear that these Arab countries are truly extending their sovereignty over all their territories,' he noted.
Arab world at a crossroads
The senior UAE official painted a picture of an Arab world divided between successful Gulf experiences and struggling nations caught in what he described as a 'bottleneck.'
'The Arab world today is truly divided. There is a very successful experience in the Gulf, but there are experiences in the Arab world today of suffering because they are in a bottleneck,' Dr. Gargash said.
He specifically pointed to Syria and Lebanon as examples of changing political landscapes, noting that while some forces recognise the necessity for these countries to emerge from their difficulties, others attempt to pull them back to previous conditions.
'In my assessment, as there are forces that see the necessity for these countries to emerge from this bottleneck, there are forces trying to pull change back to what it was before,' he explained.
Ideology collapse
Dr. Gargash identified a significant 'collapse of ideology' in Arab politics, particularly evident in the past two or three years during the difficulties of the Gaza war.
'This collapse of ideology in Arab politics has happened before, but unfortunately, many Arabs haven't learned the lessons because this attachment to certain ideological terms was unnatural and contrary to the existing reality,' he said.
The Presidential Advisor called for a shift toward pragmatism, emphasising that priorities should focus on improving living conditions, education levels, and addressing youth migration to Europe and the Gulf.
'The priorities should not be fluttering slogans. Priorities must be about education levels, whether there is youth migration to Europe and the Gulf. Why can't we create opportunities for them? Priorities must be realistic,' he stressed.
UAE's foreign policy
Speaking about the UAE's approach to regional challenges, Dr. Gargash explained that the country balances addressing regional issues with creating opportunities.
'Part of our effort is based on dealing with the region's issues and problems because we live in this region, which also has opportunities. From this reality, the UAE deals with this situation,' he said.
He highlighted the UAE's role as 'the main outlet' for countries like Lebanon and Syria during their peak crises, noting the presence of productive Arab communities in the Emirates.
'If Arabs can produce, work, and innovate in the UAE, they can also produce, work, and innovate in their own countries,' Dr. Gargash remarked.
International partnerships focused on future
Dr. Gargash referenced his recent participation in strategic dialogue with France, noting how UAE-France relations have evolved from energy and security in the 1970s to cultural landmarks like the Louvre and Sorbonne, with Dubai now being 'the largest Francophone city in the Middle East.'
He revealed that the UAE is a major investor in creating an AI complex in France, a $50 billion project that the French need as Europe lags behind the US and China in electronic chips and AI.
'During President Trump's visit to the region, the part related to the UAE was about economy, investment, and technology—the future. All announcements from this visit weren't about weapons, security, or energy; they were truly about the future,' he added.
Palestinian commitment
Dr. Gargash emphasised that the UAE's pragmatic approach does not diminish its commitment to the Palestinian cause.'Our commitment to the Palestinian cause, Palestinians' right to a state, and our pain at what we see in Gaza is real. This will not cancel this approach, and what I'm saying today is not contradictory to that,' he stated.
He highlighted that the UAE has provided 42% of all humanitarian aid that entered Gaza since October 8, underscoring the Emirates' significant humanitarian role in the conflict.'We must turn the page, emerge from the bottleneck, and see that our coming challenges must truly be livelihood challenges: how to improve people's conditions, how to prevent the best minds from our countries from leaving, and how to provide real work opportunities,' Dr. Gargash said.