UNITED ARAB EMIRATES CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS by Professor Anton Caragea PhD, MA, FINS
United Arab Emirates are celebrating the 40-th anniversary of independence and is having a lot of things to be proud of.
In only 40 years United Arab Emirates had registered an impressive economic growth, a huge development in infrastructure and is now among the most developed country in the world. But the impressive development is not only contained to economic development or standard of living but also is based on a concerted effort in building a civil society and a strong democracy.
Among news successes of UAE we must count: involvement of women’s in all political and governmental sectors, the equality of payment and treatment between men’s and woman’s and an inclusive political project that offers a strong voice to Federal National Council- the UAE Parliament in all country affairs. When 40 years ago Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan announced this visionary experiment uniting 7 emirates along a geopolitical destiny who would believe in such a glorious destiny. What was the secret of this astonishing experience?
The vision of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was an enduring one and based on the popular consensus and a geopolitical destiny appreciates prof.dr.Anton Caragea
A visionary leadership.
One of the secrets of United Arab Emirates astonishing development is a shared vision that unifies along time the leaders and the peoples. Never in these 40 years was this contact and shared vision between leaders and peoples severed. This bond, this mutual trust and cooperation that allows leaders of UAE to build in full confidence of the people approval is one of the secrets of this solid construction of United Arab Emirates.
The vision of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was an enduring one and based on this popular consensus and a geopolitical destiny. United Arab Emirates succeeded thanks to this vision to exploit in the benefit of the people the large reserves of gas and oil building a modern country and not spend it on military adventure as other states has done. Also the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan vision enabled UAE to build a modern education and health system , one of the best in the region from a country with virtually no hospital and school only 40 years ago. The importance of education in UAE construction must not be overlooked, if today we have a successful experience of democracy building and open society this is based on sustained educational investment that offered to UAE citizens a vision of the world.
Finally the vision of late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is brilliantly continued by the President of UAE H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan efforts in constructing Abu Dhabi and UAE as a success story. The new vision includes the solar energy exploitation, the green energy revolution, constructing the first ever green city: Masdar and building UAE as a society of XXI century. In Dubai H.H. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President of UAE also constructed a visionary project of attracting tourism and financial markets in an economic construction based on efficiency and rapid development. If one of the secrets of UAE success story is a continuous visionary and people connected leadership , we must also look at the history of this development and the geopolitical destiny of United Arab Emirates.
The vision of late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is brilliantly continued by the President of UAE H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan say`s prof.dr.Anton Caragea
UAE a country with a geopolitical destiny
In 1968 Great Britain announced his intention to evacuate the former Trucial states , as the Golf states area where known at that time. This decision spell problems for the region, in north the Iran of the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was looking forward for this moment to assert his authority on all the banks of the Golf , tacking under control the Golf and the vital energy supply line of this space.
No other formula was acceptable; any of the adjacent country that will have take under control the area will also enjoy a monopoly over the trade and energy route of the region. From the emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan understood this geopolitical game and acted bravely. In 1971 uniting 7 emirates he proclaimed the United Arab Emirates (the initial plan included also Bahrain and Qatar but the negotiation has failed and only 7 emirates join Sheikh Zayed plan) an alliance destined to keep free the trade and energy supply area of the Golf . How difficult will be this task was clear from the first moment when the Shah of Iran send his army and occupied 3 island of the coast of the UAE. Despite this tense moment UAE survived and oil exploitation boosted the area.
An economic model under pressure?