The United Arab Emirates - Coursework Example

United Arab Emirates Introduction United Arab Emirates or UAE was earlier known as the Trucial States during its colonial relation with England, before 1971. It consists of a federation of seven states or emirates and is situated on the Southern part of the Persian Gulf. It shares it boundaries with Oman in the east, Qatar in the north-west, and Saudi Arabia to its south west. All of these countries collectively are referred to the rest of the world as the ‘gulf countries’ or the ‘middle-east countries’ and share many things in common, culturally and historically. The seven states that combine to form the UAE of today as Haggett lists them from west to east are “Abu Dhabi (by far the largest), Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al Qaiwan, Ras al Khaimah and Fujairah. They all face north across the gulf except Fujairah, which fronts the gulf of Oman on the east coast of the Musandam peninsula” (Haggett, 2052). Abu Dhabi is the capital of UAE and is the hub of all the political, cultural and economic activities in the country. This is an Islamic country with its official language being Arabic. A low lying, dry, flat desert country with sparse vegetation, it is however famous for its oil deposits and is said to have sixth largest oil reserve in the world, owing to which it has the most well developed economic condition in the entire middle east region. UAE has a long history, dating back to the Neolithic periods, and had flourishing trade relations with many countries from around 3000 BC. This article will give a structured view of United Emirates of Arab and discuss in details its historical background, institutional features, and its political culture. The historical background will cover the it’s past, starting right from the evidences that relate it the Neolithic ages, its colonial past, and moving on to the significant events from modern history. Institutional features will describe the bodies that govern the country and discuss their various roles. The political culture will take a look at the scenario of the country from the time it gained independence, became suddenly cash rich after discovering oil, and the alleged associations in the funding of various terrorists attacks. Thus as a whole, this article will give a complete and detailed overlook on the country, previously called the Trucial States, and more recently known as United Emirates of Arab, and it is an interesting study of a ‘rags to riches’ tale of an ancient country. Body Historical background: The entire history of this region can be broadly divided into two parts, one part is many thousands of years old, and is before the oil era, and the other part, barely half a century old, is after the oil was discovered in 1950’s-60’s. The long and checkered past of UAE sets the stage for the modern country that we see today. If we explore the first part in detail, we will find that were traces of human inhabitation in these regions right from the Neolithic period, evidences of which come from, as Abed and Hellyer tell us “from a site at Jebel Barakah in the western province of Abu Dhabi where radial cores and the tip of a bifacial tool were recovered which might date to the middle Pleistocene” (Abed and Hellyer, 35). Trades relations with countries like Persia also existed from 3000 BC, and from the first century this region had caravan traffic with Syria and Iraq. There were also trade connections with the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, China, India and Omana (modern day Umm al Qaiwan) via the sea route. This region was famous for trade in pearls. During the seventh century, Islam came to this region via the emissaries of the prophet Muhammad and the entire region converted to this religion. One of the important battles of Ridda which were fought in Dibba after Muhammad’s death, where the non Muslims were defeated resulting in the rapid spread of Islam. As an author tells us “The UAE’s rich history is rooted in trade and tied to Islam, which came to the region in AD 630. Its location between Europe and the Far East attracted merchants from India and China and was prized by Europeans, in particular the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British”( Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington DC, The UAE History). During the early sixteenth century the Portuguese in lure of the lucrative pearl trade came to conquer this region. As King tells us “Portugal was one of the first to send its fleet to capture key posts in the Indian Ocean and along the coast of Africa and the Strait of Hormuz, in the 1500s. One hundred years later, they were driven out by the Dutch. The British and the French attempted to secure key ports in the region in the 1800s” (King, 26). The British primarily were more interested in guarding the waters, to protect their trade with India from the Qawasim piracy seen in these regions during the early nineteenth century, and attacked and destroyed the bases of these pirates in 1819. After this the British signed treaties with the local tribal leaders, in which the latter promised to tackle piracy. It is because of these treaties or truces signed with England, these parts of the gulf came to be known as the ‘trucial coast’. During the next 100 years many such treaties were signed with the British, and soon they became the most influential foreign presence in these parts, till the World War II, after which, England fell from its position of power in the world politics. Their military presence was removed the gulf regions by 1971. It was around the same time that oil was being discovered in these areas and with it started the second part of the history, better known as the ‘new beginnings’. With oil export bringing in massive foreign currencies we find “HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan …Ruler of Abu Dhabi …undertook a massive program of construction of schools, housing, hospitals and roads… to improve the quality of life of his people” and after the British left “Agreement was reached between the rulers of six of the Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm al-Qaiwain, Fujairah and Ajman), and the Federation to be known as the United Arab Emirates was formally established on 2 December 1971. The seventh Emirate, Ra’s al-Khaimah, acceded to the new Federation the following year” (Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington DC, The UAE history). The next three decades saw a massive transformation in the setup and entire outlook of the country. Poverty and hunger vanished almost overnight, and instead new high-rise apartments, luxury hotels, good roads and swanky office buildings have come into the picture, thus creating a new chapter in the history of the country. Institutional Features: UAE is a conglomeration of seven states and each having its own ruler at the helm. It has been noted that “Under the provisional constitution of 1971, each emirate reserves considerable powers, including control over mineral rights (notably oil and gas) and revenues. In this milieu, federal powers have developed slowly. The constitution established the positions of President (Chief of State) and Vice President, each serving 5-year terms; a Council of Ministers, led by a Prime Minister (head of government); a supreme council of rulers; and a 40-member Federal National Council (FNC). The FNC is a consultative body with half its members appointed by the emirate rulers and half elected” (US department of state, Background Note: United Arab Emirates). The political institution of the UAE is a combination and patchwork of an elected, presidential and federal ruler. The head of the state is the president of the UAE (Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan – ruler of Abu Dhabi) and the head of the government is the prime minister of UAE (Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – ruler of Dubai). The UAE government has three divisions. These are the legislative, executive and the judiciary. In the executive branch there is the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Federal Supreme Council and the Cabinet, consisting of a council of ministers. The body of the Federal Supreme Council is represented by the emirs from the seven different states, and they have the power to elect various governing members and bodies, including the President and the ministers and also decide on the judiciary members of the Federal Supreme Court. The Federal Council also decides on the policies of the governing agencies, laws, and treaties of the country. Here one thing is to be noted. The President and Prime Minister, though elected members of the representative bodies, are necessarily hereditary positions. The President of UAE is a post reserved for the ruler of Abu Dhabi, while the Prime Minister will always be the ruler of Dubai. As for example when the President of UAE and the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed bin sultan al Nahyan died in 2004, his son Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan was immediately elected to the vacant post by the Federal Council. Thus we find the political institution in this country is mainly authoritarian with no elected members and no political parties in the country to oppose the government policies. As a reporter from the BBC group tells us about the political institution of UAE, “politically it remains authoritarian. It was the only country in the region not to have elected bodies until 2006 December, when it convened a half-elected federal assembly, which, however, was restricted to a consultative role” ( BBC news, United Arab emirates country profile). Rulers, as head of each state, are autonomous, however a part of the revenue earned is given to the central budget allocated for UAE. The legislative body consists of 40 members that are representatives of all the 7 states. Amongst the 40 member body, around 20 are chosen by the rulers of the states, while the remaining members are indirectly elected to serve a maximum period up to 2 years, with a proposal in the way to make this body completely an ‘elected council’. This council has legislative and supervisory roles and can propose amendments in legislations, as per the Constitution norms. Judiciary is an independent body and is known as the Federal Supreme Court. However all the 7 states have their own separate Islamic and secular laws pertinent to their criminal, civil and high courts. Laws in UAE are far more liberal and secular when compared to other Arab countries. Political Culture: In the current scenario UAE does not have any political parties or any political platforms. All the government reigning posts are hereditary, thus not allowing much scope for outsiders to enter the arenas of politics, though amendments are being made so as to allow for elections, first of which was held in 2006. All the 7 states have their own ruling houses, and their rulers form the governing bodies of the joined conglomeration, called UAE. The present government sees to it that the laws governing the country are secular and liberal. Women are also given more freedom, allowed to drive, and can also work. As the UAE nationals are becoming a minority in their own country (only 14-15% of the total population), the government is trying to bring women in the forefront. As BBC reports “With the job opportunities of a booming economy, a government drive to empower and educate women and exposure to other cultures, Dubais women are moving in increasing numbers into a wide range of professions. The newspapers proudly tout the achievements of women firefighters, police officers, business leaders and the much-vaunted Economics and Planning Minister, Sheika Lubna Qasimi, appointed in 2004” (BBC News, “Dubai women storm world of work”). In its foreign policy, UAE has maintained cordial relations with all its neighbors. After the 1990 Kuwait invasion of Iraq, it has been on its guard and has maintained good relations with USA for military support against any aggression from its neighboring countries. It has also close ties with UK, France, Germany and Japan, as they form the largest oil buyer group. UAE in the field of aids and supplies has contributed much in the name of disaster aids, charities, and other monetary aids to under developed Muslim and non-Muslim countries alike. When charged with funding terrorists, they immediately clamped on such funding networks present within their country, and have pledged full support to the anti-terror war outfits. UAE’s economy is mainly oil driven, though in recent time diversification has been made to reduce the dependency. As the Oxford Business Group reports “The Dubai economic model consists of focusing on areas where the government can quickly cash in – hydrocarbons for example – and then, by way of diversification, investing the ensuing wealth into an economy largely based on the service sector. Indeed Dubais non-oil sectors grew by over 15% on average during 2000- 2005. Two segments of the service sector that shine especially brilliantly among the many bright lights of Dubais economy are real estate and tourism” (Oxford Business group, Politics). UAE is a hugely diverse and multicultural country with many foreign nationals present in the country. There have been reports of human rights violation where migrant laborers are not given any rights; however the government is trying to work out a solution that would suit both the workers and the owners. Clashes between divergent religious sections are not seen here, and all religions are allowed to foster under harmonious conditions. There are no strict dress codes imposed on the citizens and western mode of dressing is slowing catching on. Health and university education has been made free for all sections of the society, much to the benefit of the common people. Conclusion UAE is an amazing story of ‘rags to riches’ tale of a poor country becoming super rich almost overnight, based on it’s newly discovered oil reserves, in 1960-70’s. What is more amazing is that how well the country has shaped itself and made use of the money to build its infrastructures and other basic requirements, for all its citizens. Money has not only gone to the ruling houses but also been made use of, to give full amenities to its citizens. UAE has stood apart from its neighboring Arab countries by being liberal and progressive in nature. It has given its women many liberties, and is trying to create a strong women workforce. What is also surprising is that, in an authoritarian country like UAE, where power is in the hands of the hereditary ruling houses, with not many elected members and no political parties, it has progressed much, with its citizens enjoying a high standard of living, which is not seen in many democratic countries. Its rich history dating back to the Neolithic periods and its trading relations with the various ancient civilizations of India, China and Mesopotamia, its lucrative pearl trade that heralded the arrival of many European powers, have all provided a base for the modern multicultural socio economic condition that is seen in the country today. With its multi ethnic past and multicultural present, UAE has done wonders in weaving a colorful social fabric that is well integrated in its economically rich present, without forgetting it’s culturally and historically rich past, and as King tells us “in spite of the fantastic pace of change, the people retain their traditional values of generosity, hospitality and friendship (King, 5). Works Cited Abed, I and Hellyer, P. United Arab Emirates: a new perspective. London: Trident Press Ltd, 2001. Print. BBC News. United Arab Emirates Country Profile. ‘Overview’. 12th January 2010. Web. 3rd March 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/737620.stm BBC News. Dubai women storm world of work. ‘Opportunities’. 4th August 2005. Web. 3rd March 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4719639.stm Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington DC. The UAE History. 23rd February 2010. Web. 3rd March 2010. http://www.uae-embassy.org/uae/history Haggett, P. Encyclopedia of World Geography, Volume 1. Vicenza: Marshall Cavendish, 2001. Print. King, D. United Arab Emirates. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2008. Print. Oxford Business Group. The Report Dubai 2008. ‘The Economy’. Web. 3rd March 2010. http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/publication.asp?country=16 US Department of State. Background Note: United Arab Emirates. August 2006. Web. 3rd March 2010. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5444.htm Read More