The UAE’s crisis management and military defence systems have faced the toughest possible tests since Iran’s attacks on its Gulf neighbours began. Based on the Ministry of Defence’s reported figures on Thursday morning, 268 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1514 drones have been intercepted and destroyed by the armed services since February 28.
In the face of persistent assault and a broader regional crisis, the UAE has demonstrated an impressive response, something that will not be a surprise to anyone with more than a passing acquaintance with the country.
Courage, clarity of thought, unity and action are all parts of the complex lines of code that constitute the UAE’s foundation story, its contemporary history and governance – so, too, are resilience and dependability in the face of adversity.
On Zayed Humanitarian Day earlier this week, President Sheikh Mohamed described the enduring legacy of UAE Founding Father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as being encapsulated in the values of “compassion, resilience and care”.
These principles have often provided a framework for dealing with the many challenges that have presented themselves over the decades: from the nation-building years to the energy crisis of the early 1970s and the Gulf war at the beginning of the 1990s, as well as more recent obstacles, such as the rolling consequences of the 2008 global financial crisis.
On each occasion, those challenges have been met with reason and determination. As the President remarked when referring to recent aggression against the country: “The UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh. We are no easy prey. We will carry out our duty towards our country, our people and our residents, who are also part of the family.”
For decades, the UAE has shown this kind of tough resilience and a willingness to build sophisticated and multi-layered management techniques to absorb shocks. It is also this country’s openness to seeing history as a reference point, rather than as a burden, that helps foster a level of certainty in the current era.
Much of the UAE’s accumulated expertise and crisis management has been on show in the past two weeks, from phone alerts warning of incoming threats to the multi-layered defensive weapons deployed by the UAE’s Armed Forces, which mark 50 years as a unified force later this year, to tackle projectiles launched at the country.
Some of the courage and clarity on display today can also be traced to more recent times, specifically to the events of 2020.
When the World Health Organisation declared the Covid-19 crisis a pandemic six years ago this week (March 11), the UAE acted with agility and speed, as it has done recently.
Several events echo with similarity between then and now and may provide some guidance today. Schools went on early spring break then as they have this year and commercial air activity was becalmed temporarily, as it had been this month.
Financial markets shifted around feverishly, although in 2020 the West Texas Intermediate, the US oil benchmark, slipped to an unprecedented sub-zero figure, while oil prices have risen sharply this year amid the current uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz.
In the early phase of the pandemic, Sheikh Mohamed, who was then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, said the country was prepared to face any challenge and would bounce back once the worst of the pandemic had passed.
In 2020, we may initially have imagined the world would face a short sharp shock of disruption before returning to our regular lives. What transpired was a long fight that required a multi-faceted approach.
The UAE later emerged as one of the top-ranking countries on the Bloomberg international covid-19 resilience index, which measured preparedness and resilience globally, and was praised for its clear-thinking and cogent policymaking during the pandemic. It supported other nations with aid shipments of medical supplies, including Iran, and established robust mitigation strategies domestically.
That fortitude and strategic perspective has been on display once again this month and should provide a degree of clarity to those looking for a guide as to what might happen, even in a moment as fluid as now. The country will be stronger than before when hostilities cease.
This month has also provided a reminder that in conflict, as in life, it is easier to set out to destroy something than it is to defend it. It is easier to wage war than it is to build peace.
It requires significantly less co-ordination and sophistication to indiscriminately attack than to defend against that assault. We have also been reminded of the courage and selflessness of our service members.
Determination, care and resilience have been at the heart of the country’s actions over the past two weeks, as they have been since the country’s foundation.
