On 12 June, the UAE was elected to the UN Security Council (UNSC) as a non-permanent member, after reportedly pushing for several months to be selected to the UNSC.Despite a shared vision amongst Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Zayed al-Nahyan’s (MBZ) inner circle, the UAE’s decision making on foreign affairs has been characterised as reactionary and lacking an overall strategic ‘master plan’. However, the arrival of the Biden administration in the United States and regional shifts - such as the emergence of Egypt as a potential preferential regional dealmaker for the US in the UAE's stead (and notable tensions developing between the UAE and Cairo) – appear to be encouraging MBZ and his inner circle to reconsider their current approach. This may be moving to a change from ‘power projection to power protection’ that will see a move to push its soft power while reinforcing its hard power capabilities.The UAE's seat at the table of the UNSC ensures it has the ability to directly influence UN actions towards Libya – including the all-important ratification of the constitutional basis and roadmap to elections in the coming weeks. Over the course of the last week there have been claims that the UAE is looking to move away from a decade of internationalist foreign policy, and its push to be a part of the UNSC would indicate that it is seeking such leverage for a ‘soft power’ approach. However, the UAE may change its approach to the Libyan crisis, but not necessarily its goal of reshaping the country in its image.
UAE gains seat at UN Security Council