Today, as you read this, Britons will be casting their ballots in the most important vote of their lives: whether or not the UK will stay part of the European Union. At least, that’s the way the campaigners for and against Brexit, as it is popularly known, have framed the vote. A once-in-a-generation moment that is far more important than the general elections that decide governments.
The vote is, of course, important to many of our British readers and to the thousands of UK nationals in the UAE. And many others will have property and investments in the UK and will wonder what will happen after the vote – depending on which side you believe, a vote in favour or against could spell financial uncertainty.
But watching the arguments from the Gulf, there sometimes appear to be parallels in the thinking of Emiratis and Britons – but a clear difference in policies. For a start, both are countries fiercely proud of their independence and identity. Indeed, each of the seven emirates, and each of the many regions of the UK, cherish their own traditions, their linguistic variations and even their twists on local cuisine.
Both are surrounded by bigger unions – the EU, the GCC – that they wish to remain part of, but clearly separate from. Catch an Emirati man or an Englishwoman in an undiplomatic moment and they may admit, in their heart of hearts, that their countries are better in some crucial respect than their neighbours. Both are trading nations which, in a global sense, punch far above their weight.
And yet Emiratis, from a political perspective, have never doubted the value of being part of bigger groupings. From the formation of the UAE from seven emirates, to membership in the GCC and the Arab League, the UAE has understood the importance of doing things with others. Forming strong alliances, whether with neighbours or with farther-flung countries such the US and UK, UAE policy has often pursued strength through cooperation.
Whatever happens in the vote today, UAE-UK relations will remain strong and growing. The UAE Government has yet to express any view on Brexit. But across the country, Emiratis who see the values and successes of globalisation in their own cities may well wonder why a country at the heart of Europe would choose to walk away.
