Abu Dhabi's changing role in UAE
Abu Dhabi's changing role in UAE
When people around the world think of the United Arab Emirates, its capital, Abu Dhabi, is not the first emirate that comes to mind. Rather, Dubai is the most famous of the seven entities that united in the 1970’s.
Indeed, it was Dubai and Abu Dhabi that took the first tentative steps together to create the federation that those in the UAE now enjoy. But it has long been Dubai that has garnered the most fame world-wide for its extravagance, visits by celebrities and the ambitious property developments that contributed to its pre-2008 real estate boom.
The ongoing effects of the 2008 financial crisis have had a crippling effect on Dubai’s financial security though, and in the wake of defaults on loans and a rapidly declining construction industry, Dubai has had to come hat-in-hand to Abu Dhabi for assistance.
This sudden and unforeseen development has led much of the international media to represent the historical relationship between Dubai and Abu Dhabi as (rather unimaginatively) a sibling rivalry.
Dubai is cast as the younger brother, the free-spending, popular one, better-looking and, on the face of it, more successful. But the younger brother now finds himself in debt, and the older, more mature brother, who has always been careful with his money and careful with his friends, is now supporting him through the hard times.
The older brother is of course, Abu Dhabi. His time has now come, the financial recession has embarrassed Dubai, and prompted the international community and, crucially, international investors, to see Abu Dhabi in a new light.
The capital emirate has played it cool, but there are clear signs that a major shift is happening in the political dynamics of the UAE. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have always been on an almost equal footing with one another, but Dubai’s power seems to have diminished somewhat.
The renaming of the iconic Burj Dubai to the Burj Khalifa (emphasis added), was the first.
The Burj was meant to symbolize the pre-imminence of Dubai, the little city that could, a city that has grown from humble beginnings into an international destination on a-par with Monaco or Los Angeles, a playground for the rich.
Instead, Dubai officials, at the launch of the Burj tower on January 5th, carefully changed their message and said that the changing of the name now represented the unity of the UAE federation.
This seems simply to be the diplomatic way of saying thank you to Sheik Khalifa, President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi, for assisting Dubai financially when Dubai World, a government entity, came face-to-face with financial reality.
It is no secret that Abu Dhabi had, for a long time, grown weary of Dubai’s exceptionally ambitious antics, relying as it did, on a never-ending economic boom.
“There is no doubt that the success of the UAE is the direct result of Sheik Khalifa’s vision,” Abu Dhabi news media quoted Dubai billionaire, Abdul Aziz al-Ghurair, owner of Mashreqbank saying at the opening of the Burj Khalifa. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the survival of the UAE is a direct result of the interventions of Sheik Khalifa, whose careful fiscal practises created a surplus by which Dubai could be given financial assistance.
Abu Dhabi has not shared the limelight until now, because it has focused on unexceptional and unglamorous policies. It invested heavily in nuclear energy, for example, instead of in man-made islands, and explored the options available in renewable energies for when its oil reserves run out.
Abu Dhabi may be the careful, unadventurous, perhaps even rather dour older brother of the UAE. But it’s because of this that the federation is weathering the economic storm so well.
Comments
More Abu Dhabi News
RSS-
Multiple car crash on Sheikh Zayed Road causes major tailbacks
DUBAI // A number of cars were involved in a crash on Sheikh Zayed Road Abu Dhabi-bound this morning that caused an hour-long tailback. The incident, which took place near the Jafza buildings in Jebel Ali, happened as a result of tailgating, according to police. Due to the volume of traffic heading to the capital, it caused major disruption to commuters, however, no one was injured or required ...
-
False expectations make Emirati marriages fail experts say
DUBAI // Eight out of 10 newlywed couples have filed for divorce before their first anniversary, according to the chief executive of the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children. Afra Al Basti told an audience of married Emirati men and women at a forum on healthy marriage that the main reason for this startling statistic was immaturity. Speaking at the Dar Al Kuttab caf and bookshop in Uptown ...
-
BNP Paribas and Les Amis de la Sorbonne Abu Dhabi renew their partnership
BNP Paribas and Les Amis de la Sorbonne Abu Dhabi have renewed their partnership for the third year in a row and jointly host a Banking and Finance Lecture on the 13th May at Paris-Sorbonne University Abu ...
-
Musharrafs UAE supporters prepare to fly to Pakistan for protests
Pervez Musharraf 's supporters in the UAE are preparing to fly to Pakistan to hold protests backing the former president. Talks between senior members of Mr Musharraf's All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) have taken place this weekend in Pakistan and included some based in the UAE. "We are currently trying to lay the groundwork to allow for Mr Musharraf's supporters in the ...
-
Strike over as Arabtec builders in UAE go back to work
DUBAI // A two-day strike by construction workers over pay ended yesterday when the men were taken by bus back to their building sites. Workers from Arabtec Construction had refused to leave their accommodation in Abu Dhabi and Dubai on Saturday. The men, mostly from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, wanted their Dh350 monthly food allowance paid with their salaries rather than the three daily ...
-
Emirati art gains permanent home at Venice Biennale
The UAE has become the first Arabian Gulf nation to secure a permanent pavilion at the Venice Biennale for art and architecture. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has signed a 20-year agreement with the Biennale allowing the UAE to move from the temporary space it has occupied since 2009 to a designated building in the old Venetian shipyards or the Arsenale. Only 32 countries exhibit in the ...
-
Abu Dhabi Police crack down on sorcerers
Sorcerers claim they have spells to protect or heal people but any claims they make that their witchcraft does not offend Islamic teachings are false, say Abu Dhabi Police, who are cracking down on offenders. Illustration / ...
-
Solid $80 billion pledged for Abu Dhabi development over 5 years
Abu Dhabi Corniche The Abu Dhabi Executive Council has allocated Dh330 billion for the implementation of major development projects over the next five years in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, a good part of which would be invested towards the development of the emirate's Western Region.Mohammad Hamad Bin Azzan Al Mazroui, acting undersecretary of the Ruler's Representative Court in the ...
-
Abu Dhabis TAQA denies London bourse move
Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) has said it is looking at ways to improve the liquidity of its shares but had not taken any steps to remove a barrier to foreigners holding its ...
-
Stay in your lane Dubai police urge motorists
Traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. Police urge motorists to stick to their lanes as swerving was found to have resulted in 20 fatalities in the first quarter of this ...
-
UAE sedition trial Accused question evidence against them
ABU DHABI // The trial of 94 Emiratis accused of sedition resumed yesterday with the accused and their lawyers continuing their defence testimony. Several defendants questioned the evidence against them, and argued that they were not part of a secret organisation. In response, prosecutors argued that their statements were emblematic of their efforts to undermine the state. MR, the first to ...
-
Abu Dhabi to build Dhs175m bus depot
Abu Dhabi's Department of Transport (DoT) is set to launch the construction of the new Dhs175m bus depot project in the capital city, Wam has reported. The new bus depot, spanning over 10 hectares in Khalifa City A, will have facilities that accommodate up to 480 buses, providing them with fuelling, washing and maintenance services, in addition to the establishment of a building to provide ...
-
Etisalat to Showcase CSR Projects From Across ME Africa and Asia at 10th CSR Summit in Dubai
WAM ABU DHABI, May 19th, 2013 (WAM) -- The heads of Corporate Social Responsibility from Etisalat's operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Gabon, Egypt, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Togo and the UAE are travelling to Dubai to present their projects and engage with stakeholders to form new partnerships at IIR Middle East's 10th annual CSR Summit to take place in Dubai. During ...
-
Obesity We have an app for that
DUBAI // Three university students have devised a smartphone app to fight obesity. Cenna - named after Avicenna, the Latinised name of the Muslim scholar Ibn Sina - offers fitness tips and nutritional information, and its built-in forum allows users to discuss the challenges they face. The app, which runs on Android smartphones, also has an incentive system that gives users who meet ...
-
80 of UAE couples divorce within a year
DUBAI // Eight out of 10 newlywed couples have filed for divorce before their first anniversary, according to the chief executive of the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children. Afra Al Basti told an audience of married Emirati men and women at a forum on healthy marriage that the main reason for this startling statistic was immaturity. Speaking at the Dar Al Kuttab caf and bookshop in Uptown ...
-
One Australian jailed one freed in Dh44 million Dubai Waterfront fraud case
A former employee of Nakheel, Marcus Lee, has been cleared of all charges related to a collapsed Dh44 million property deal. Jeff Topping/The ...
-
Abdullah bin Zayed chairs EFYD board meeting
Abu Dhabi, 20 May 2013 (WAM) - Foreign Minister H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has presdied over a meeting for the board of directors of the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development (EFYD). During the meeting, Sheikh Abdullah was briefed on the progress made so far on the foundation's approach for collective social investment which capitalizes on long-term programmes for the ...
-
Oil industry skews Abu Dhabis carbon footprint
ABU DHABI // The energy sector accounts for nearly three-quarters of Abu Dhabi's carbon footprint, the first official audit of the emirate's greenhouse emissions has found. Power and desalination plants alone contribute nearly a third of greenhouse emissions. Extracting and refining oil and processing natural gas are also major emitters. Net greenhouse emissions were 45.4 tonnes of ...
-
Operation Hawksbill TDIC swings into action to secure Saadiyat nesting sites
The mother Hawksbill turtle on her way back to sea after laying eggs on Saadiyat beachfront yesterday. She is the first sea turtle to nest on the island at the start of the season. Photo Courtesy Tourism Development Investment ...
-
Diabetics guide to safe fasting in the UAE during the holy month
DUBAI // Diabetics should see their doctors a month before Ramadan to find out if they can fast and plan a way to do it without harming themselves, doctors say. Fasting in the holy month presents special challenges and risks to Muslims with diabetes, said Dr Abdulrazzaq Al Madani, chairman of the Gulf Group for the Study of Diabetes. "If you want to fast in Ramadan then you have to ...
-
Three-day weekend for UAEs public and private sector workers for Isra Wal Meraj
The UAE government has confirmed that public and private sector workers will get a three day paid holiday with an Islamic celebration falling on June 6. Isra Wal Meraj takes place on a Thursday, meaning that workers will also get the following two days off before returning to work on June 9. The date was confirmed in a circular issued by Saqr Ghobash, the Minister of Labour, state news agency ...
-
Dhow catches fire with crew on board on Dubai Creek
DUBAI // A dhow which had just set sail for Iran lost most of its cargo in Dubai Creek after it caught fire. There were no injuries and no other vessels were affected by the blaze. The fire began near the Deira Old Souq Abra station at about 1.30pm. The ship was leaving Dubai loaded with clothing, shoes, workman's boots and gloves, food items, mobile phone covers, and a large load of ...
Abu Dhabi Featured
-
Abu Dhabi's changing role in UAE
The international financial crisis has caused much misery and despair world-wide, but in every recession there are opportunities, and because of Dubai, Abu Dhabi may have been presented with one.
When people around the world think of the United Arab Emirates, its capital, Abu Dhabi, is not the first emirate that comes to mind. Rather, Dubai is the most famous of the seven entities that united in the 1970’s. Read more
News from around our Network
