UAE Exposed - Dirty Authoritarian Politics and Promotion of Sufi Values | Andreas Krieg | Thinking Muslim
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The UAE has curated a string of anti-revolutionary non-state actors across the Middle East to serve the state’s deeply secular interests. Abu Dhabi has waged a war against Islamic civil society and non-state actors under the pretext of fighting “terrorism” and today acts as the primary means by which the small but effective federation of seven emirates prevents the rise of independent states in the Middle East. Behind every foiled attempt to wrestle power from Arab dictators is the UAE, which has used its petrodollars and economic prowess to curtail civil society activism. Its deep alliance with Israel and its Zionist project have given the UAE an unprecedented means to act as a spoiler in the region. Today, we explore the tentacles of this project and its impact upon the hopes of much of ordinary Arab Muslim society.
Our guest today is Dr Andreas Krieg, an associate professor at the Defence Studies Department of King's College London and a strategic risk consultant working for clients in the Middle East and beyond. He recently penned a piece which forms the backdrop of our conversation on the assertive statecraft of the UAE.
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Timestamps:
0:00 – Introduction
2:19 – UAE’s role in Middle East
6:02 – UAE and 2011
7:48 – Hierarchy of UAE
10:20 – Donate to Baitulmaal
11:20 – Anti-Revolutionary forces
14:51 – US policy and UAE
18:36 – UAE’s removal of Morsi
23:20 – Counter revolutionary movement explained
27:19 – Islamic society contradiction
30:51 – UAE strategy
32:36 – UAE, Sudan, Hemedti
40:56 – Sudan’s case in ICJ
44:11 – UAE and Libya
50:19 – Unease about bloodshed?
51:31 – Syria
53:20 – UAE and Israel
56:07 – How to resist UAE statecraft
59:37 – Disapproval from Emirati public?
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Last viewed: 7 hrs ago Uploaded:
13 May 2025 (1 year ago)
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Shared: 06 Jun 2025
Duration: 1:02:11
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Who are Thinking Muslim? The Thinking Muslim Podcast explores key issues in depth with esteemed Muslim thinkers, academics and scholars??.What is Authoritarian? Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by strong central power, often with limited political pluralism and a suppression of dissent. It's a system where authority is concentrated in the hands of a few, who may not be accountable to the
people they govern. Authoritarianism can manifest in various ways, including through autocratic rule, oligarchic rule, or the rule of a single party or the military.
What is UAE? United Arab Emirates (UAE), sometimes simply called the Emirates is a country in Western Asia at the northeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf. UAE borders Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south and west, as well as sharing
maritime borders with Qatar to the west and Iran to the north. The sovereign constitutional monarchy is a federation of seven emirates consisting of Abu Dhabi (which serves as the capital), Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain. Their boundaries are complex, with numerous enclaves within the various emirates. Each emirate is governed by a ruler; together, they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council. One of the rulers serves as the President of the United Arab Emirates. In 2013, the UAE's population was 9.2 million, of which 1.4 million are Emirati citizens and 7.8 million are expatriates.