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United Arab Emirates

April 19, 2025

Abu Dhabi 9:26 pm

27°C

Sharaa MBZ UAE

Analysis

With Sharaa's visit, UAE opens door to post-Assad Syria, but how far will it go?

Does renewed contact between the United Arab Emirates and Syria signal a deeper political alignment or a cautious attempt to manage regional dynamics without fully endorsing the new Syrian order?

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

The Ameca humanoid robot greets visitors at Dubai's Museum of the Future, UAE, Oct. 11, 2022.

Analysis

How Trump’s US chip crackdown could shake up Middle East tech ambitions

US tariffs on semiconductors and efforts to onshore production potentially threaten industries in Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE alongside investments and joint ventures with US companies.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Jakarta

GCC-Indonesia economic ties deepen with Saudi MoUs, joint Qatar fund

Trade between Indonesia and the Gulf is rising and negotiations are underway for a GCC-Indonesia free trade agreement.

Latest News

Analysis

UAE hedges against global economic volatility with EU trade agreement

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed was hosted in Paris by President Emmanuel Macron, where the sides signed a groundbreaking cooperation agreement in AI, on Feb. 6, 2025.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

David Petraeus, ex-CIA head, tapped to lead KKR's push into Mideast markets

Retired US army general, David Petraeus, speaks at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on May 15, 2024.

Where Middle East’s top investors stand as tariffs roil US bond market

People walk past the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street on April 11, 2025, in New York City.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Jennifer Gnana

Gulf Correspondent

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

Ruwais

Samsung E&A to build UAE's first methanol plant as country shifts to greener fuels

The methanol facility, based in Abu Dhabi’s Al Ruwais Industrial City, is expected to be completed in 2028.

United Arab Emirates

View of the buried village of Al Madam in the desert, a site of the Sharjah Biennial (SB 16). (Courtesy of the Sharjah Art Foundation)

AL-Monitor Dubai: Sharjah Biennial 16 featuring 190 artists

This week we highlight the upcoming Sharjah Biennial 16, a major new exhibition at the Louvre Abu Dhabi juxtaposing traditional and contemporary African art, a new restaurant in Dubai fusing African and Mediterranean cuisine and new exhibition openings featuring the work of collective Slavs and Tatars at The Third Line.

United Arab Emirates

French President Emmanuel Macron, followed by French Armies Minister Sebastien Lecornu (2nd R), walks past a Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft during his New Year address to the French Army at the Mont-de-Marsan air base, southwestern France, on January 20, 2023. (Photo by Bob Edme / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BOB EDME/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE receives first French Rafale fighter jets as F-35 deal remains in limbo

The United Arab Emirates has received its first Rafale fighter jet under a deal with France amid ongoing US-French competition for influence in the UAE’s arms industry.

United Arab Emirates

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Citing lack of security, UAE billionaire abandons Lebanon investments

Emirati businessman had previously said he received threats leading to the cancellation of a planned TV channel launch in Lebanon in 2024

A visitor views Hunter 2-S unmanned aerial systems (UAS) "swarming drones" by EDGE advanced technology group for defense on display at the UMEX Exhibition showcasing drones, robotics, and unmanned systems at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in the gulf emirate on Feb. 22, 2022.

UAE’s Edge Group acquires 30% stake in Israeli drone tech firm

The acquisition of a 30% stake in ThirdEye is the latest example of cooperation between Israel and the UAE.

United Arab Emirates

INTERNATIONAL WATERS RED SEA, YEMEN - NOVEMBER 20: This handout screen grab captured from a video shows Yemen's Houthi fighters' takeover of the Galaxy Leader Cargo in the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, on November 20, 2023 in the Red Sea, Yemen. On Monday, the Houthi movement in Yemen released footage and photos of the Houthi-run coastguard taking over the Israeli-linked Galaxy Leader Vessel in the Red Sea, which had 52 people onboard. Galaxy Leader is owned by Galaxy Maritime Ltd in the Isle of Man and is li

Analysis

How will Trump's terrorist designation of Houthis impact Red Sea attacks?

Oil trade via the Houthi-controlled Bab el-Mandeb strait decreased by 50% after the Yemeni rebels launched maritime attacks, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Lit Fest

AL-Monitor Dubai: Emirates Literature Festival returns

Syrian-American journalist Hala Gorani will join the festival next week to discuss her memoir, “But You Don’t Look Arab.”

United Arab Emirates

KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

Global renewables surge forward despite Trump’s climate reversals, says IRENA chief

Although Gulf countries are still heavily reliant on oil and gas, they are quickly moving toward a greener system, International Renewable Energy Agency head Francesco La Camera told Al-Monitor.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC, March 20, 2018.

In first Trump call, Saudi crown prince says trade with US could hit $600B

US President Donald Trump spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his first phone call to a foreign leader after his inauguration on Jan. 20.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

UAE Foreign Trade Minister Zeyoudi expects 14% trade increase in 2024: Interview

This rise has been propelled by the country's growing non-oil trade and trade deals, the UAE minister told Al-Monitor.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi visited Abu Dhabi and met with Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed on Jan 8.

Analysis

By hosting Taliban FM, UAE seeks to expand influence in Afghanistan

Abu Dhabi plans to invest up to $400 million in Afghanistan and upgrade the Central Asian country's consulate in Dubai.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

The destroyed grain silos and a sculpture made from salvaged steel following the explosion stand in the port of Beirut as the sun sets on Lebanon, Jan. 11, 2024.

Analysis

Eyeing reconstruction, port investment, UAE resets Lebanon ties

A weakened Hezbollah and a new government in Beirut give room for the Emirates to play a big role, politically and economically, in Lebanon.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics