Little Sparta: The Origins of the U.S.-UAE Relationship

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Little Sparta is a name bestowed on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by U.S. General James Mattis for the tiny nation’s advanced military, booming economy, and partnership with the United States. But this prosperity and relationship was not always the case. The UAE began as a struggling federation born from British withdrawal and determined to stay independent of great powers. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the UAE, led his country to its current state and its current relationship with the United States. He famously said, “I do not want to bring the Bedouin to civilization, but I want to bring civilization to the Bedouin.” In the 1970s, British withdrawal from the Gulf region put the existing Sheikhdoms in a precarious position, especially with increasing territorial encroachment by their Saudi and Iranian neighbors. Sheikh Zayed, the leader of Abu Dhabi, used his charm to unite these Sheikhdoms into a federation. The United Arab Emirates declared independence in 1971, and the other sheikhs chose a charismatic Sheikh Zayed to lead the new federation. While domestic modernization and growth were of utmost priority to the Sheikh, he understood the region’s volatility and the importance of friendly foreign relations. His upbringing and personality shaped the new nation’s approach to foreign policy. The Sheikh was born a member of the Al Nahyan family, the rulers of Abu Dhabi. As a child he would sit and listen to the tribal matters brought to his maternal grandfather’s court, frequently asking questions on prominent issues. His upbringing embedded a sense of leadership and understanding of politics, but he remained humble and didn’t let status or power override common courtesy. The lack of any modern school in the region meant that the Sheikh only had a basic Islamic and Quranic education, shaping his worldview for years to come. His mother was also a major influence on the young boy, emphasizing the importance of diplomacy and nonviolence, an important lesson in a time of tribal backstabbing and warfare. Islamic teachings and his mother’s lessons would serve as the foundation for how he conducted himself.

Under the Sheikh’s guidance, the UAE embraced a foreign policy focused on regional cooperation, fostering peace, and promoting Islamic and Arab interests. British withdrawal from the Gulf in 1971 had precluded any idea of relying on a foreign power for defense; rather, the UAE endorsed the idea of Gulf countries handling their own affairs. This collective vision led to the creation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in 1981. This regionalism didn’t prevent foreign powers from involving themselves in the Gulf. America’s interests in the Persian Gulf were extensions of Cold War policy regarding the Middle East. Securing access to oil, countering Soviet influence, and protecting major allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia were the focal points of this Cold War policy. Before the independence of Gulf states like Kuwait and the UAE, the British ran them as protectorates with local tribal rule. This meant the United States deferred to the British position on matters related to the Gulf. Even after the independence of many Gulf states, the United States focused mainly on Arab nationalist threats and protecting the Jewish State. While the United States did consider a more active land-based role to protect the supply of oil, this was rejected by the UAE. Due to this, the United States relied on its Navy to secure access to oil during the Iran-Iraq war. The unyielding view of the Emiratis in opposition to leaning on a greater power would soon change as war befell the region, changing Middle East geopolitics forever.

Saddam Hussein of Iraq decided to invade, occupy, and annex the fellow Gulf nation of Kuwait in 1990. President George HW Bush, at the request of Saudi Arabia, built up American forces in the Kingdom, later using it as a staging ground to push Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. The UAE swiftly allowed the United States to use its territory to station American troops and aircraft, something the UAE had rejected during the Ford Administration. The Emiratis joined the coalition and committed forces to Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. This eager military cooperation with the United States was considered a watershed moment that created the close relationship we see today. The worldview of Sheikh Zayed and others in the UAE government had been turned upside down. The idea of Arab unity and opposition to meddling foreign powers started to fall apart as Iraq proved that geopolitical interests were not always guided by ethnicity or religion.

Following the Gulf War, the U.S.-UAE relationship only strengthened further. After nineteen Al-Qaeda terrorists-two of which were Emirati nationals-hijacked four commercial airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the UAE committed itself to fighting alongside the United States against terrorism. The UAE swiftly condemned the 9/11 attacks and severed ties to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The UAE ended up being the first Arab country to commit troops to the United States-led coalition in Afghanistan. Military cooperation only continued after the Bush administration; the United States used its Al Dhafra base in Abu Dhabi to fight against the Islamic State and stationed Patriot missile defense batteries there, which intercepted Houthi missiles launched at the UAE. Under the Biden Administration, the UAE was designated as a Major Defense Partner, which opened up closer military cooperation. The two nations also strengthened trade and investment relations, with the UAE becoming one of the United States’ largest Middle Eastern trading partners. Under the 2nd Trump Administration, the UAE pledged to invest $1.4 trillion into the United States over ten years.

The U.S.-UAE relationship hasn’t always been all positive though. The Iran Nuclear Deal was a turning point for many American allies in the Middle East. The UAE saw the deal as capitulation and a failure to guarantee their security against a belligerent and nuclear-aspirant Iran. This disagreement was made worse when the Biden Administration attempted to enter the Iran Nuclear deal again after the Trump Administration had withdrawn from it. Furthermore, the UAE has drawn criticism from many folks in the United States for its alleged support of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Sudanese Civil War. The RSF has been accused of horrific war crimes, and its actions have been declared a genocide by the United States government. The UAE has also strengthened its relations with China by increasing economic and military ties, raising the future possibility that the UAE could lose its status as a reliable ally of the United States.

For now, the UAE remains a strong ally of the United States and a key military and economic partner. The U.S.-brokered normalization agreement between the UAE and Israel reinforced U.S.-UAE regional interests, and the recent $1.4 trillion investment pledged by the UAE in the United States only further ties the two countries together. The two nations have a long history of cooperation, and only time will tell if the UAE remains the United States’ Little Sparta.

Ayaan Karan is a political science student at UC Berkeley, the President of Young Americans for Freedom at Berkeley, and a member of the Federalist Society. He writes on the intersection of politics, law, and foreign policy, with a focus on constitutional interpretation, energy policy, and international relations.

Ayaan Karan is a political science student at UC Berkeley, the President of Young Americans for Freedom at Berkeley, and a member of the Federalist Society. He writes on the intersection of politics, law, and foreign policy, with a focus on constitutional interpretation, energy policy, and international relations.