One of the primary external challenges UAE faced during its formation in 1971 was regional political tension and fragmentation in the Middle East. Notably, the Arab world faced significant regional political tensions and fragmentation in the 1970s due to political rivalries and revolutions such as the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and armed conflicts in the region such as the October War in 1973. The 1970s was an important transition period for the Middle East and its states due to the revolutions that aimed to significantly change the region’s political, economic and social strength and end the Western dominance in the Arab countries. However, the revolutions and military confrontations created an unstable political and diplomatic environment for UAE, especially the Arab-Israeli war that lasted for several decades. Notably, the political tensions, revolutions, and military confrontations in the Middle East all affected UAE by limiting opportunities for stable diplomatic relations and increasing the efforts that the newly developed state had to use to de-escalate the regional tensions and establish sustainable relationships with its neighbors. In addition, the Middle East’s regional conflicts and political fragmentations in the 1970s created a significant challenge to UAE by affecting its trade and diplomatic relations with nations from other parts of the world. The conflicts exacerbated trade and diplomatic barriers due to the complex geopolitical landscape of the Middle East, which made it difficult for the young state to form international allies and trade partners. Thus, one of the UAE’s main external challenges during its creation in 1971 was regional political instability, conflicts and revolutions in the Middle East.
Another external challenge UAE faced during its creation in 1971 was a national security challenge. The country faced unprecedented national security challenges due to its vulnerability to military confrontations, political tensions and revolutions in the Middle East in the 1970s. The challenge of national security was significant because UAE is a small country with valuable resources such as oil and is in the midst of unstable countries like Iran and Iraq. This implies that the country was not in a good position to manage its transnational threats and other significant external shocks that can increase its fragility. In addition, this fragility exposed the new country to the risks of external exploitation and the increased influence of foreign countries, especially due to its oil reserves. This limited the country’s ability to maintain its independence and sovereignty or defend against any aggressions upon its existence. Thus, the UAE faced significant security threats from its the politically-unstable neighbors in the Middle East during its creation in 1971.
The third challenge that UAE faced during its creation in 1971 was border disputes with its neighbors such as Saudi Arabia and Iran. The newly created state had significant border disputes that could escalate into conflicts with its imminent neighbors like Qatar, Iran and Saudi Arabia. For instance, the state had a long-running territorial dispute with Saudi Arabia over the disputed sovereignty of the Buraimi and Khor al-Udaid regions. However, the Jeddah Treaty solved the border dispute in 1974, a few years after the formation of the state. Similarly, the new state faced an external challenge from its border dispute with Iran over the Abu Musa, Lesser and Greater Tunb regions which were initially occupied by Iran in 1971 during the formation of UAE. The unresolved border disputes continued to exasperate diplomatic relations between the state and its neighbors during its formation. Thus, besides regional instability and vulnerability in terms of security, UAE faced a significant challenge in its border disputes.
How UAE Used Diplomacy to Address the External Challenges
UAE used diplomatic tactics to form sustainable relationships with its neighboring countries to limit its vulnerability to the region’s political instability and military conflicts. For instance, the state developed sustainable diplomatic relations with all the strong powers in the Gulf region, including Iran and Iraq, to enhance its peace by eliminating threats of invasion. In addition, the state developed healthy diplomatic relations with other countries beyond the GCC region, particularly Israel. To illustrate, the country became the first state in the Gulf region to normalize relations with Israel to promote peaceful coexistence and prosperity. Thus, UAE has used multilateral diplomatic strategies to enhance its security and eliminate threats of invasion from major powers of the Middle East.
The UAE has also used its multilateral diplomatic strategies to strengthen its national security posture by sustaining diplomatic relationships with the United States. UAE’s strong diplomatic relations with the US have been crucial in enhancing its security by deterring forces that might invade it in the future due to strained diplomatic relations, like Iran. Precisely, the close connection and strong diplomatic relationship between UAE and the United States has enabled the US to maintain its naval presence in the Gulf, leading to enhanced security because invading such strong forces will require huge amphibious capabilities and military resources that its potential attackers like Iran lack. The US was among the first countries to establish formal diplomatic relations with UAE, and the two countries have created government-to-government relations and ties that have enhanced UAE’s security. Thus, the state has strengthened its security posture through multilateral diplomatic tactics, which enhance peaceful coexistence and strengthen its military power. Finally, UAE has used diplomatic tactics to solve its border disputes through compromise, like in the Jeddah Treaty with Saudi Arabia in 1974. However, the border disputes with Iran remain unsolved and still strain the two countries’ diplomatic and political relationships. Despite the friction, UAE’s leaders have used peaceful diplomatic methods to pressure Iran to surrender control of the Islands using the moral urgency of the nation’s claim over the disputed Islands.
In conclusion, UAE’s main external challenges during its formation included political fragmentation and revolutions in the Middle East, vulnerability to external invasion, and border conflicts. The country has leveraged multilateral diplomatic methods to create sustainable, peaceful relations with countries in the Middle East region to eliminate invasion risks. Also, it has used diplomatic tactics to form close ties and allies with the US, further enhancing its security. However, resolving its border disputes through diplomatic methods is an ongoing process.
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