Amid an escalating crisis in the Middle East and justifiable anxiety about how this war will end, it was heartening to see footage of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed walking through Dubai Mall greeting shoppers on Monday night.
Sheikh Mohamed and several over top-level figures met for coffee after breaking their Ramadan fast. The President also posed for a photo with a tourist and spoke with a young girl who ran up to him. This display of composure highlights the resilience and internal strength of the UAE.
It also stands in stark contrast to the rhetoric coming from Iran’s remaining leaders whose unjustifiable attacks on at least half a dozen neighbouring countries have brought the region to crisis point.
After another night of indiscriminate bombardment against countries uninvolved in Israel and America’s attack, those directing Iran’s retaliation seemingly remain entranced by a redundant ideology of “resistance”. In this flawed worldview, Gulf states are incorrectly seen as susceptible to pressure in the form of violent attacks. This is a fundamental misunderstanding.
Members of the GCC are sovereign nations but are also globally integrated societies, not just in terms of international partnerships and international trade but in hosting large expatriate populations from hundreds of different countries. Iran’s lashing out, far from pushing Gulf states to cleave from their security, energy and economic relationships, have instead strengthened their resolve to protect themselves, their societies and their prosperity.
This determination could be seen in a joint statement released late on Sunday in which six Arab states and the US condemned Iran’s drone and missile strikes on the region and made clear their sovereign right to defend themselves. The UAE joined the US, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait in saying it stood “united in defence of our citizens, sovereignty and territory, and reaffirm our right to self-defence in the face of these attacks”.
Threatening international energy flows, bombing airports and hotels, and endangering the lives of millions of uninvolved civilians will have repercussions far beyond the immediate region. This – coupled with Iran’s spiralling economy, domestic turmoil, lack of international support, and the loss of much of its air and sea power – isolates Tehran further.
Having spent decades forging a state defined by ideology and confrontation, it is questionable if those running Iran can change course now, especially as the current government fights for its survival. Nevertheless, should Tehran choose to look across the Gulf it will see the targets of its retaliation continuing to function, protecting their citizens and residents, and working closely with international partners. It may even see a head of state comfortable to have a coffee while surrounded by the public – that is what real leadership looks like.
