“Stability in the region and preservation of the nation state is UAE’s priority now”

Dr. Ebtesam El Ketbi is the President, Emirates Policy Centre. She was recently in New Delhi for a conference hosted by the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses. She spoke to Aditi Bhaduri on the foreign policy objectives of the UAE and its role in the region.

What are the main foreign policy priorities of UAE right now?

Our main objectives now [are] development, stability, preserving the nation state, this is mainly how the UAE looks to the region and also to itself so that it is not an isolated island. The UAE wants the region to be stable, no anarchy. So that is why its [focus] is now going beyond its borders, to preserve the national state from non-state actors, fighting terrorism, spreading tolerance and modernity in the region. These are the UAEs main goals.

What about the UAEs relations with Iran and the sectarian divide in the region?

The UAE does pursue relations with Iran.
Iran by history, by geography it is a neighbour. We still have a relation with it as you have mentioned, commercial relations. We acknowledge that Iran is a regional power but it does not mean that we acknowledge that Iran would be a hegemonic power in the region, we dont accept the sectarian policies that Iran follows in the region, we dont accept [it] creating proxies and militias to destabilize the nation state in Iraq, in Syria, in Yemen. We have some relations and some cooperation in maritime security but we have interests and they have their interests but it does not mean that our interests are identical. We agree on something but we oppose Iran in many things.

How do you see relations with Iran going forward?

It depends on Iran, it does not depend on UAE. If Iran wants to be a normal state, respecting international law, and being a responsible state, abandoning being in revolution, and being a responsible state then welcome to the international community.. [But if] Iran wants to be [in a state] of revolution forever, then no one will accept that. Not us, not the region, not the international community.

4. What about the UAE’s position with regards to Libya?

From the goal of UAE we want to preserve the nation state and not let it get into hands of militias and non-state actors. This is our position. That is why we are siding with Haftar, not because of Haftar himself but because the others are part of an ideological group and UAE does not believe in such ideology group like those in Benghazi.

5. Is the UAE’s foreign policy focus shifting away from US to the east to countries like China, India, South Korea, Japan?

It is not shifting, it is diversifying the strategic partnerships. The US is still the main ally for us and other Gulf countries, but we are diversifying our partnerships towards Asia.

6. Tell us where India figures on the UAEs strategic radar?

India is a rising power, and I would say for UAE is looking to India [as] balance for the security in the region with its maritime forces. India is also a promising country for investments, for having many levels of relations which the UAE can develop with India. It is a strategic partnership and the Prime Minister of India visited UAE twice and the Crown Prince, and Vice President and Prime Minister visited India twice. It shows the level of the strength of this relation.

7. You have a Ministry of Tolerance, and  a Day of Happiness recently. Are these new directions of domestic policy?

This is representing the real culture of UAE. We have 200 nationalities living in UAE. Managing those, and have them live in peace, not fighting each other, it needs a culture of tolerance. And UAE ha never belonged to any fanatic sect.
So it was easy, with different nationalities, with different religions, with different sects, coming here to be absorbed, melt into society.
What I would say is that it is reflecting our culture. Maybe that is something new for others that we have a Ministry of Happiness. But that Ministry is putting together parameters of what makes people happy and monitoring them in terms of housing, in terms of all services, and also monitoring the providers of services, and to response to peoples needs.
And tolerance, of course, reflects the same culture. Now we have the church, the Shia mosque, the Sunni mosque, we have a temple.

8. You are the first woman to head a think tank in the Arab world. Tell us about your experience.

I am a professor of political science. I initiated the think tank six years ago. It was my dream to establish a real think tank in the region focussing on policies. And this dream has now come true, this is the leading think tank in the region now, we rank sixth amongst the think tanks in the Middle East and our annual conference the Abu Dhabi strategic debate – ranks tenth on the international level.
So it took a lot of effort but when you have vision and you know where you are going and the first years were not easy. But think tank is not just a name, its methodology and you have to update yourself constantly and you train people. Thats how you become credible for your government and for the research community and for the world.
So now when anyone comes to the UAE, wants to know anything about the region they come to

Aditi Bhaduri

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