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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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United Arab Emirates
Index
Zayid ibn Sultan Al Nuhayyan, president of the United
Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi
Courtesy Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Washington
In 1993 the most important political figures in the UAE
were
the senior members of the ruling families of the
individual
amirates--the Al Nuhayyan family of Abu Dhabi, the Al
Nuaimi of
Ajman, the Al Sharqi of Al Fujayrah, the Al Maktum of
Dubayy, the
Al Qasimi of Ras al Khaymah and Sharjah, and the Al Mualla
of Umm
al Qaywayn. The most powerful amir is Shaykh Zayid ibn
Sultan Al
Nuhayyan (b. ca. 1920), the ruler of Abu Dhabi and the
president
of the UAE (reelected to a five-year term in 1991). Shaykh
Zayid
ibn Sultan has ruled Abu Dhabi since 1966, when his older
brother, Shaykh Shakhbut Al Nuhayyan (r. 1928-66), was
deposed by
the British.
The Al Nuhayyan originally were beduin of the Bani Yas
tribe
and were based in the Al Liwa Oasis. An ancestor of the
current
ruler migrated to the island of Abu Dhabi in the late
1770s and
established a commercial port there. Prior to 1966, Abu
Dhabi
remained a small town and residence site of the ruler, but
it had
not attracted most Al Nuhayyan shaykhs, who preferred to
live in
the interior oases. Even Shaykh Zayid ibn Sultan favored
the
beduin lifestyle as a young man, and for several years
under his
brother's rule he was governor of Al Ayn in the Al Buraymi
Oasis.
Beginning in the late 1960s, the oil-boom-induced
transformation
of Abu Dhabi into a cosmopolitan city prompted politically
ambitious Al Nuhayyan members to settle in the capital,
where
many of them obtained positions in the expanding amirate
and
federal bureaucracies.
Shaykh Zayid ibn Sultan designated his son, Shaykh
Khalifa
ibn Zayid Al Nuhayyan (b. 1949), as crown prince. Khalifa
ibn
Zayid acquired progressively more responsibilities as he
matured.
In 1992 he served as president of Abu Dhabi's Executive
Council
(the amirate equivalent of the Council of Ministers) and
as head
of the Department of Social Services. In addition, he was
deputy
commander in chief of the federal Union Defense Force.
Shaykh
Zayid ibn Sultan had more than forty-five other children,
although most of them were not involved actively in
politics; one
son was a colonel in the Union Defense Force air force.
Several
of Shaykh Zayid ibn Sultan's cousins were prominent in
government, especially the sons of his cousin Muhammad ibn
Khalifa Al Nuhayyan: Tahnun ibn Muhammad Al Nuhayyan was
head of
ADNOC; Hamdan ibn Muhammad Al Nuhayyan was deputy prime
minister;
and Sarur ibn Muhammad Al Nuhayyan was chief of the
ruler's diwan
(court).
Until his death on October 7, 1990, Shaykh Rashid ibn
Said Al
Maktum (b. 1912), as ruler of Dubayy and vice president
and prime
minister of the UAE, was the second most powerful amir.
His
eldest son, Shaykh Maktum ibn Rashid Al Maktum, succeeded
him in
all his offices. The Al Maktum are a branch of the same
Bani Yas
tribe that includes the Al Nuhayyan. The Al Maktum
emigrated from
Abu Dhabi to Dubayy's creek in the 1830s and established
there
the port that eventually became Dubayy. The late Shaykh
Rashid
ibn Said succeeded to the rule of Dubayy in 1958 following
the
death of his father, Shaykh Said ibn Maktum Al Maktum (r.
1912-
58). During the 1960s and 1970s, Shaykh Rashid ibn Said
presided
over the transformation of Dubayy into a wealthy oil
amirate.
Since the mid-1980s, however, his sons effectively have
ruled the
amirate because of Rashid ibn Said's serious and chronic
illnesses.
Before taking over his father's offices, Shaykh Maktum
ibn
Rashid (b. 1941) was crown prince and had several other
governmental responsibilities. Shaykh Maktum ibn Rashid's
brother, Muhammad ibn Rashid Al Maktum, is UAE minister of
defense and head of Dubayy's armed forces. Two other
brothers
also hold important positions in the Dubayy or federal
administrations. In addition, several of Shaykh Rashid ibn
Said's
nephews and cousins are politically prominent.
Two branches of the Al Qasimi tribe rule Sharjah and
Ras al
Khaymah. The Al Qasimi, based at Ras al Khaymah, emerged
as a
major maritime power during the eighteenth century; the Al
Qasimi
control of trade in the Persian Gulf area led to conflict
with
Oman and eventually with Britain, which was consolidating
its
colonial empire in India
(see Treaties with the British
, ch. 1).
Following several naval battles, the British finally
defeated the
Al Qasimi in 1819, burning their ships and the town of Ras
al
Khaymah. Because of this history, the Al Qasimi inherited
a
historical hostility toward the British.
The Al Qasimi family of Sharjah is the larger of the
two
ruling houses. Shaykh Sultan ibn Muhammad Al Qasimi (b.
1942) of
Sharjah became ruler in 1972, following the assassination
of his
brother, Shaykh Khalid ibn Muhammad Al Qasimi (r.
1965-72),
killed in an unsuccessful coup to restore his cousin,
Shaykh Saqr
ibn Sultan Al Qasimi (r. 1951-65), whom the British had
deposed.
Shaykh Sultan ibn Muhammad has a reputation for being
relatively
progressive and for being an enthusiastic supporter of
strengthening the powers of the federal government.
The ruler also has a reputation for initiating
extravagant
construction projects for the amirate. Since assuming
power,
Shaykh Sultan ibn Muhammad had amassed a debt estimated in
1987
at US$920 million, creating discontent among some members
of the
royal family and precipitating a coup attempt in June
1987. While
Shaykh Sultan ibn Muhammad was out of the amirate, his
elder
brother, Shaykh Abd al Aziz Al Qasimi, issued a statement
through
Sharjah's news agency that Shaykh Sultan ibn Muhammad had
abdicated because he had mismanaged the amirate's economy.
Despite initial Abu Dhabi support for the pretender, the
coup
failed when Dubayy called a meeting of the SCU. Through
mediation
it was decided to return Shaykh Sultan ibn Muhammad to
power, but
to give Shaykh Abd al Aziz a seat on the SCU and the title
of
crown prince. Somewhat chastened, Shaykh Sultan ibn
Muhammad
initiated administrative and financial reforms, but he had
the
last word when, in February 1990, he removed his brother
from the
post of crown prince, revoked his brother's right to
succeed him,
and exiled him.
The Al Qasimi family of Ras al Khaymah is smaller than
the
branch in Sharjah. Shaykh Saqr ibn Muhammad Al Qasimi (b.
1920)
has ruled the amirate since 1948. As do his cousins in
Sharjah,
he has acquired a reputation for being sympathetic to Arab
nationalist issues. He is a contemporary of the former
ruler of
Sharjah, Shaykh Saqr ibn Sultan, and, like him, tends to
be
suspicious of the British. In 1971 he refused to accept
Britain's
compromise for resolving Iran's claims to Tunb al Kubra
(Greater
Tumb) and Tunb as Sughra (Lesser Tumb), two tiny islands
in the
Persian Gulf
(see Foreign Relations
, this ch.). Shaykh
Saqr ibn
Sultan has designated his son, Khalid ibn Saqr Al Qasimi,
as
crown prince; Khalid ibn Saqr was educated in the United
States.
The rulers of the other three amirates have limited
influence
within the UAE. Ajman, Al Fujayrah, and Umm al Qaywayn are
relatively small, poor, and dependent on their wealthier
neighbors for development grants. Shaykh Humayd ibn Rashid
Al
Nuaimi has ruled Ajman since 1981. Shaykh Rashid ibn Ahmad
Al
Mualla has ruled Umm al Qaywayn since 1981 as well. In Al
Fujayrah, where a majority of the population claims
membership in
the dominant Al Sharqi tribe, Shaykh Hamad ibn Muhammad Al
Sharqi
has ruled since 1974.
Data as of January 1993
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