Pattern Developments of the UAE Foreign Policy from 1971-2017

UAE foreign policy has been accompanied by pattern and behavioral changes since 1971. Despite the continuous crises throughout the Middle East and the Gulf, the federal nature of the United Arab Emirates has created a constructive foreign policy that has caused the survival of this vulnerable country. In other words, the United Arab Emirates is a country of multiple foreign policies. A study of the UAE's foreign policy since its establishment in 2007 shows that special issues and interests have remained constant throughout this period. At the same time, changes in the world arena and transformations in the structure of the international system, particularly the fall of the Soviet Union and the emergence of a unipolar system, have had a direct impact on the intervention of other major powers in the Persian Gulf. In response to these changes, the patterns by which the United Arab Emirates pursues its foreign policy interests in the region have changed; Nevertheless, these patterns are identifiable from the core points as important components of UAE foreign policy. This article seeks to answer the key question of what pattern developments UAE foreign policy has undergone from 1971 to 2017. Such pattern developments of foreign policy include Arab commitment and Islamic co-existence, peaceful and impartial treatment of regional issues, pro-Arab, pro-Western, moderation and commitment to security participation. Indeed, regional and global policy in the UAE is a function of the pattern developments of foreign policy. Using library resources and a descriptive-explanatory method, this paper attempts to identify a particular style in the way the UAE pursues its foreign policy goals by examining the foreign policy developments since its establishment.