Introduction
The UAE occurred about 50 years ago but only recently its development streamlined and improved. Today the country is known for its achievements in various spheres. Mainly they gained success by the dint of the national interests. They made up a strategy and described what should be done to reach the goals. The security of the country turned out to be one of the most important issues due to the region where it is located and a number of tourists. Unfortunately, national security needs to deal with a range of threats. Still, the UAE foreign policy is well-developed. The country focuses on the diplomatic relationships and believes them to be mutually profitable.
National Interest and National Security
Interests include the things a nation needs and wants. National interests are created to focus people on the country’s primary goals in different spheres. They include four main areas: defense, economic, world order, ideological. If one of them occurs to be threatened, the conflict arises. Morgenthau recognized that the interest of a nation, “the kind of interest determining political action in a particular period of history depends upon the political and cultural context within which foreign policy is formulated” (Shembilku 11). Similar views have Donald Nuechterlein, who has defined the national interest as “the perceived needs and desires of some sovereign state comprising its external environment” (Shembilku 15).
The most essential interests are called vital. They support the national strategy. The UAE focuses on the defense of their territory and people, protection of issues and interests.
In the economic perspective it considers the resources and finances. The extension of industry and urban development are primary goals as well as the increasing of the tourism.
The UAE is developing extremely quickly and tends to become the most progressive country. It is not going to submit to other countries. The UAE is aimed at becoming leaders in various areas and promotes co-working with the specialists from different countries.
It shares Arabism and Islam ideologies and is one of the most tolerant nations.
The main national interests of the UAE are:
- Economic prosperity. The UAE is known for the rapid economic growth. Recently the country faced a crisis, so now its goal is to overcome the issue and enhance the situation.
- Physical security. It deals with the protection of people and property from possible threats. These might be terrorist attacks or thefts, etc. There are lots of vacancies in this sphere, which proves the seriousness of the topic.
- Preservation of nations systems and government. These elements assure decent managing of activities in all spheres of life in the UAE. Its preservation is vital to keep the things running smoothly.
- Values and culture. Tolerance and openness are extremely important for the representatives of the country. It pays attention to the quality of education, healthcare enhancing and place of women in the society.
- Projection of nation’s values. To prove that the national interests and values are not just words, the UAE apply them in everyday tasks.
National security deals with the defense of the country and its safety. Its goal is the protection of political and economic power, ideology, etc. (Williams 6). The threats it deals with are various. They can be direct, those that are delivered straightforward and can be clearly understood. They have a particular target, which is threatened in a specific way. The other type of threats is indirect. They are vague and the true plan and target, etc. cannot be defined.
The threats can be also seen within the military framework. It can be a war or an act of terrorism. In the economic field, it is possible to deal with a loss of finances, which leads to the crisis). Cyber threats include attacks on the security systems through the internet. One can even control the rocket firing being in another part of the world. To prevent and cope with them, the UAE enhances the security of the country and checks the state of the possible targets. These threats can be illustrated using several examples of recent events.
As Iraq was invaded by Iran, the stability of the whole region shifted. The UAE believe it should have coped with the issue and manages the balance of the power. But now Iran gathers lots of military power and disrupts the stability even more. Thus, it threatens the GCC security, which is tightly connected with the UAE. At this moment, this threat occurs to be the main one (Malek par. 3).
The war in Yemen started, and the UAE occurred to be involved in it. “Air assaults, tanks, and ground troops” were used to invade the country (Turbeville par. 1). Thus, the threat is direct and it includes military powers, which prevent citizens from normal living. The UAE worked on peace negotiations to cope with the issue.
During the rise of Islamists in Libya the UAE “chose its allies on a regional and tribal basis, singling out militias in Zintan in the west” (Malek par. 4).They bankrolled Egypt and promoted its reforms within the sphere of economy.
ISIS threat deals with the terror group, which already controls some territories of Iraq and Syria. If several terror groups gather, they can become a serious issue for the USE and other countries (“UAE Official Warns of Potential for ISIS-Shabab Link” par. 4). Thus, the threat of terrorism occurs to be immense, and the best way to deal with it is to get prepared.
UAE Foreign Policy
The UAE foreign policy includes the ways it deals with other countries and their representatives, etc. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the first to contribute to the issue. Today it is supported by his follower. The main task is to become an example of the country that is the best one in various spheres and is always ready to support the general public. Its wisdom and tolerance are to be perceived from the first glance and should be admired (“UAE Foreign Policy” par. 2).
The foreign policy underlines the importance of good neighborliness. It involves the absence of interference in original issues and display of understanding. Thus, other countries will share the mutual openness and be likely to support the partnership in the range of different spheres.
The UAE foreign policy goals include:
- Regional and international peace and stability. To continue such rapid development, it is significant for the UAE to maintain territorial stability and absence of problems.
- Protection of sovereignty. It was not an easy task to gain sovereignty and as for many other countries for the UAE its protection is extremely important. The citizens got used living independently and did not need any guidelines from other countries.
- Promoting free trade and integration. They are likely to increase the income of the country and to enhance the relationships with them.
- Decreasing dependency on other countries for instance defense, economic dependence. As soon as the UAE occurs to be able to ensure the autonomy of the country without the outer help, it will be not afraid to lose the support and will prove to become stable.
- Promote its policy. Thus, it will develop an infrastructure so that others will refer to it on local, regional and global levels.
- Support its allies such as the GCC. In this way, the UAE establishes diplomatic relations with other countries.
- Fights its threats and enemies diplomatically. The safety of the country, its population, and their well-being is to be enhanced.
- Securing resources and food security. The majority of services and products are taken to the UAE from other locations. Thus, the water and agricultural resources, as well as products, are to be examined, and access to them should be always provided.
- Support international organizations to increase support for UAEs agenda. Example Supporting GCC and UN. Diplomatic relations are often mutual, which proves that if the UAE supports other countries and their organization, the same response is expected.
Conclusion
Taking everything into account we can draw a conclusion that the UAE has developed very quickly and to become stable it refers to the range of national interests. They help to remember what should be done to achieve the desired goals. The country is often threatened. Thus, the national security enhances the ways it should follow to make the UAE safe for people who live there. The foreign policy plays a huge role in the life of the country as it promotes beneficial diplomatic relationships.
Works Cited
Malek, Caline. Abu Dhabi Conference to Address Regional Security Threats. 2015. Web.
Shembilku, Rozeta 2004, The ‘National Interest’ Tradition. Web.
Turbeville, Brandon. Open War in Yemen! Saudi Arabia and UAE Invade. 2015. Web.
UAE Foreign Policy n.d. Web.
UAE Official Warns of Potential for ISIS-Shabab Link. 2014. Web.
Williams, Paul. Security Studies: An Introduction, New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.