Assad in the UAE: A new era for Syria and a shift in Mideast complexity - analysis

Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad travelled to the United Arab Emirates on Friday. According to the UAE’s The National, “Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, discussed the latest developments in Syria with its president.” This was an important milestone for the Assad regime which had been isolated during a decade of Syrian civil war. Now Assad is coming in from the cold. Previously his only real access to the outside world was via Iran and Russia.  

This is symbolic because the UAE has walked a complex line on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The UAE abstained from a UN Security Council vote condemning the Russian invasion back in early March, and appears to be weighing the new world order, along with China and India, as Russian tanks seek to crush Ukraine’s independence.  

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was just in the UAE and Saudi Arabia last week. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was supposed to visit the UAE this month. It is not clear if that visit will happen now. It is worth recalling that Iran-backed Houthis fired missiles and drones at the UAE earlier this year. The US helped intercept those attacks. Israel’s President also visited the UAE around the time of the attacks. The UAE obviously wants the US to take these attacks more seriously. But Iran’s attacks haven’t ended. Iran used missiles to target the Kurdistan region last week as well. READ MORE