By Dr Nidal Shoukeir
On this day two years ago, the United Arab Emirates entered a new and bright era in its modern history, the era of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The rulers of the seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates elected Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed as the President of the Emirates on May 14, 2022, officially beginning the writing of the promising and ambitious era of Mohammed bin Zayed filled with confidence and hope.
All of the Emiratis celebrated Mohammed bin Zayed’s accession, fully confident that he is the guardian of the hopes and dreams of Emiratis and capable of continuing the journey of the forefathers and leading the country towards the future. It’s a daunting task and great responsibilities, but not for a great and exceptional leader like Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, armed firstly with absolute faith in his homeland, and secondly with a rich journey filled with achievements spanning over forty years. Most importantly, he represents a natural extension of the history and legacy of his late father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, the founder of the state, and his half-brother, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, who led the empowerment era.
As expected, Sheikh Mohammed has exceeded those hopes and more. Stability, prosperity, and progress were the defining features of the first two years of his era, despite the difficult circumstances the world and the region are going through. Anyone visiting the UAE today can see a modern, advanced, safe, and country filled with happiness, steadily progressing towards the future. What’s even more important is that you feel comfort, hope, and confidence in the UAE, feeling like you’re in an exceptional place unlike any other, as if you’re in a limitless dreamland where your dreams and aspirations have no bounds.
The road ahead for Mohammed bin Zayed was never as rosy and flower-strewn as some might imagine, but quite the opposite. It was filled with many difficulties and obstacles. Sheikh Mohammed took over the leadership of the country just weeks after the start of the war in Ukraine, a war that divided the world into two and placed it on the brink of a new world war at any moment. He began his era at a time when the world was entering a recovery phase after two years of a harsh coronavirus pandemic. In addition to all this, the region in May 2022 was boiling due to the erratic policies of the American President Joe Biden, especially after his turn towards Iran at the expense of the Gulf allies and the hint of a security withdrawal from the region. Not to mention, of course, the Gaza war and the tragedies of this war that overshadowed a large part of the second year of Mohammed bin Zayed’s reign and are still ongoing as these lines are written.
For those who know Sheikh Mohammed well, know that he embodies vast human and noble leadership qualities. Above all, he is a humble, sincere, and courteous human being; with a calm, generous nature, who loves goodness and helping people. He possesses a lot of courage, is cultured, persevering, and highly motivating; a person who loves success, is strict, believes in hard work, and is brave, tolerant, and possesses keen insight. Yet, wisdom remains the most important attribute that Sheikh Mohammed possesses, as he is “considered the best example of wise and conscious leadership, a model of modern inspiring leadership,” as Emirati thinker Dr. Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidi says in his latest book “His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan… Highlights in the Journey of Humanitarian Man.”
Mohammed bin Zayed’s wisdom has been clearly manifested in the past two years through many prudent, realistic, and decisive decisions he has taken with confidence, leading his country forward towards further development and prosperity, despite the setback of most countries in the region and the world due to ongoing wars and crises. Sheikh Mohammed has adopted a simple yet advanced philosophy of governance, and most importantly, it’s highly effective, based on five parallel lines: stability, security, prosperity, investment, and partnership.
Mohammed bin Zayed realized early on that in order to achieve the ultimate goal of prosperity and progress for his country towards the future, he had to balance security and stability on one side and investment and partnership on the other. Therefore, he worked diligently to secure the natural conditions for his country’s progress and prosperity, greatly reinforcing internal security and stability and trying to keep away as much as possible the sparks of chaos and regional and international crises from the UAE.
With great sagacity, he pursued a policy of outreach and tolerance, rising above many disagreements with everyone alike. This approach contributed to calming things down in the region and creating a strong umbrella for his country to safeguard its security and stability from the many flying sparks resulting from the numerous crises in this region. Sheikh Mohammed did not stop there; he also worked with great responsibility to contribute to the stability of neighboring and friendly countries. He supported Egypt sincerely and clearly, providing it with a lot of support repeatedly, the latest being injecting $35 billion into the Egyptian economy through the “Ras Al Khaimah” project. For him, Egypt is the natural extension of the security and stability of the UAE.
Mohammed bin Zayed’s wisdom led him to bravely adopt a neutral stance and distance himself from alignments in international crises. During the Ukrainian war, he maintained neutrality, refraining from taking sides. He also tried on numerous occasions to be a neutral mediator between Russia and Ukraine, and he remains to this day one of the foremost advocates for peace and calling for an end to the war in Ukraine. In the Gaza war, he used the peace agreement with Israel wisely and boldly to press as much as possible on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and to provide the maximum assistance to innocent Palestinians in Gaza.
In parallel with security and stability, Sheikh Mohammed utilized oil revenues in the best ways to inject money into domestic markets and increase investment in many vital projects in the country. He reinforced infrastructure, which is essential for progress and prosperity, and invested in modern strategic areas such as clean energy and artificial intelligence, essential for paving the way for the UAE towards the future.
As for partnership, it was built on an open philosophy. Mohammed bin Zayed inspired young people, women, and all segments of Emirati society to be partners in building the prosperity and progress of their country, in addition, of course, to residents and innovators who were real partners in the success story of the UAE. Externally, Sheikh Mohammed’s philosophy did not differ much; he reached out to everyone without exception and expanded the scope and types of partnerships, in addition to his partnership with neighboring and Western countries, headed by the United States, he strengthened his partnerships with China, India, Brazil, and many other countries.
Today, we must raise our hats high and extend our congratulations to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed for what he has provided in the past two years as an example of wisdom and courage. With his high wisdom, he managed to turn his country into an oasis of security, peace, and hope in a region plagued by chaos, wars, and dangers. Yes, with his wisdom, Sheikh Mohammed made his country a vibrant oasis, turning words into actions, living success after success in a region overshadowed by failure, filled with slogans, and threatened by death at every moment. What’s more important is that Mohammed bin Zayed, with his wisdom, managed to race ahead of time and lead his country years ahead, so that when you arrive in the UAE, you feel as if you’ve traveled through time from a bitter present to a future radiating happiness and hope.
Mohammed bin Zayed says, “The universe accommodates everyone, and diversity is a source of richness, not a cause for conflict or fighting. God created us diverse so that we complement each other, recognize each other, and cooperate for the good, peace, and prosperity of all of us.” Can you imagine with me how today would have been the shape and reality of this ancient and rich region if the majority of its rulers applied the spirit of this saying and possessed a fraction of the wisdom of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed?
The author is Professor of Strategic Communications and Governmental Relations.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of Financial Express Online. Reproducing this content without permission is prohibited.