Military Bases in the Foreign Policy of the United Arab Emirates.

• Author: Telci, Ismail Numan
• Position: ARTICLE

Introduction

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the leading Gulf countries in terms of oil resources. The country has pursued an active foreign policy on both regional and global scale, especially in the post-Arab uprisings period. The UAE government has established close relations with leading international actors such as the U.S. and Israel, and has started to play an active role in Middle East politics through its alliances and activities at the regional level. This policy activism, however, has been criticized by many experts who argue that Abu Dhabi's foreign policy initiatives far exceed its real capacity.

Despite these criticisms, the Emirati leadership is generally regarded as having a solid foreign policy agenda. The main figures of this foreign policy activism are Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Vice-President Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. With the leadership of these two important figures, the country aims to become an important regional actor with the capacity to fight against terrorism, secure the global energy supply, and confront the effects of the international economic crisis. (1) The UAE government has utilized various instruments in order to successfully implement its foreign policy. These tools are diplomatic relations, financial assistance, investment, humanitarian aid and, most strikingly, the use of hard power. (2)

Military bases are the new tools the Emirati leadership is using to achieve its foreign policy objectives. The country has focused on establishing military bases in order to make use of its hard power capabilities. Concentrating especially on the Red Sea, the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean region, these activities have continued systematically since 2014. During the past few years, the UAE has established military bases on Socotra and Perim Island in Yemen, the Somaliland and Puntland regions in Somalia and the port city of Assab, Eritrea.

By establishing military bases, the UAE aims to become a strong regional player, particularly in the Gulf of Aden. The country also aims to strengthen its geopolitical influence through strong military presence in one of the strategic locations of international trade. The military bases also serve the Emirati leadership in their aim to successfully compete with regional players such as Turkey, Qatar and Iran, countries that have already established strong relations with regional actors in the Horn of Africa. The UAE administration believes that having a military presence in the wider region will strengthen its position in regional organizations such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab League. Finally, being able to use hard power will allow Abu Dhabi to confront militant organizations such as the Houthis, ISIS and al-Qaeda. Before exploring the military bases established by the United Arab Emirates in detail, it would be helpful to examine the transformation of the Emirati foreign policy. This will provide a basis for better understanding the military base activities of the UAE.

The Transformation of the UAE's Foreign Policy

The United Arab Emirates has been under the Western security umbrella throughout its modern history. Particularly, the United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom (UK) provided the Emirati leadership with a solid alliance that could protect the Gulf nation from external and domestic threats. In the post-Gulf War period, the military and political influence of Western actors in the region became definite, while the transport of energy from the Gulf region, to both Asian and Western markets, continued at an increasing rate. (3) Having a considerable surplus in the budget through oil exports, the UAE drew global attention with huge domestic projects, while trying to take precautions against potential threats by creating a significant budget for armament. During the 2000s, the Emirati leadership invested heavily in weapons and military equipment, mostly from the U.S. and the UK, to bolster its own capabilities to fight against regional and international threats.

The Arab revolutions that started in 2010 ushered in a new era for the Middle East and led many countries to become more cautious in their regional activities. There was a significant change in the UAE's foreign policy in the post Arab uprisings era. (4) The Emirati leadership interpreted the Arab revolutions as a direct threat to the survival of its own regime; it was at this time that the UAE started to adopt a much more active and hard-liner foreign policy. As the Arab revolutions progressed, the UAE administration increased its activity in the region considerably, and started to use both hard power and soft power capabilities in line with its economic, political, military and religious-ideological objectives. (5)

In the period following the Arab revolutions, the most distinctive element of the Emirati foreign policy was concern for regime security. For this reason the UAE increased its military spending significantly, and became ranked at the top of the list of countries with the most military spending compared to their GDPs. Also in this period, the UAE took a tough position against the Arab revolutions process so that the regional status quo would continue. It attempted to prevent democratic transformations from taking place in countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen. Another reason for the change in the UAE's foreign policy was the perception among the Gulf States that the U.S. was 'abandoning' its responsibilities to the GCC region and normalizing relations with Iran. This was particularly visible with the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran during the Obama Presidency. (6)

In the post Arab-revolutions era, the UAE pursued an aggressive foreign policy against countries and groups that could pose threat to its regime survival. Countries like Turkey and Qatar and groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and the Houthis can be considered among the targets of UAE antagonism in the post-Arab uprisings period. The Muslim Brotherhood particularly bore the brunt of Abu Dhabi's hostile policies. Considering these countries and groups as major rivals in the regional power struggle, the Abu Dhabi administration took steps to quell the influence of these actors in the region. The Emirati leadership organized and funded the military coup in Egypt that toppled democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi, and declared the Muslim Brotherhood movement a terrorist organization in the post-coup period. The UAE also followed hostile policies against Turkey and Qatar. According to claims made frequently on international media, the United Arab Emirates, directly or indirectly, supported the military coup attempt in Turkey that took place on July 15, 2016. (7) Finally, the Emirati policy also targeted the tiny Gulf nation Qatar. During the summer of 2017 together with Saudi Arabia, the UAE led the political and economic blockade on Qatar, in order to force Doha to stop its active foreign policy.

While practicing these policies, the UAE has not refrained from using its economic and military power. This was clearly visible in the countries' policies in Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria. (8) Abu Dhabi has continuously supported the Yemeni forces that fight against the Iran-backed Houthis and the Libyan groups in Tobruk, led by General Khalifa Haftar, who seeks to establish a military regime by overthrowing Libya's internationally recognized central government. In both cases the Emirati intervention took the form of military support such as operations, weaponry and equipment. The Emirati army also took part in Operation Decisive Storm against the Houthis in Yemen. These developments reveal that the Emirati foreign policy increasingly employs hard power capabilities.

The United Arab Emirates has also adopted the policy of establishing military bases as a new instrument of foreign policy in the recent period. The main motivations of this policy are becoming an effective actor in regional politics, fighting against the Houthi threat in Yemen, and creating a secure corridor for oil export in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. By establishing these bases, the UAE aims to become a strategic regional player by creating of a safe passage for energy supply from the Middle East to the world. The UAE, which produces two million barrels of oil per day, aims to maintain its export level by establishing a secure environment in Bab al-Mandab for the flow of oil, mostly to European markets.

In line with this target, the UAE has increased its activity in the region and carried out strategic moves like establishing military bases on the islands of Socotra and Perim in Yemen, the port town of Assab in Eritrea and the Puntland and Somaliland regions in Somalia. Through these military bases, the UAE administration aims to become an influential actor in the Horn of Africa by having a military presence in the Gulf of Aden, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea. The Emirati leadership also aims to influence the region through political, military and economic means. (9) Therefore, it should be emphasized that these military bases established by the UAE are clear indicators of the transformations that have been taking place in the Emirati foreign policy.

Military Bases in Yemen: Socotra and Perim Island

Yemen has been struggling with political instability since the start of the popular uprisings in 2011. The country has witnessed the intervention of external actors since the post-revolutionary period, which has contributed significantly to the continuation of instability and violence. Despite the election of Mansour Hadi as president, a power struggle still rages between the Iran-backed Houthis and the groups supported by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. President Mansour Hadi's cooperation with regional actors such as Riyadh and Abu Dhabi has led Yemeni politics to be more open to the intervention of external actors.

In addition to the instability caused by...