Government
The United Arab Emirates is governed by, well, emirs. However, they are usually called sheikhs. Their powers are similar to those of kings. Despite the lack of democracy in the Western sense, the rulers are in generally extremely popular and well-respected. Each emirate has its own sheikh. The president of the country is chosen from the seven emirs. The presidents, have so far come from Abu Dhabi. This is not surprising, since Abu Dhabi is much larger and wealthier than the other emirates. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan was the first president and ruled until his death until 2004. (The country was formed in 1971). He was extremely well-respected, both by his own people and across the Middle East.
Although he was personally enormously wealthy because of oil, he lived relatively modestly and used his wealth to develop his country and help his people. He built up institutions such as schools, universities, hospitals, and guided the country to rapid economic development. He was known for his tolerance to other religions and for his promotion of women’s participation in education and the workplace. He was pro-Western and generally considered a moderate and upright ruler.
The current president is Sheikh Zayed’s son, Sheihkh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who has continued his father’s tradition of investing in education and modernization. He is generally pro-Western and moderate. Although the people do not vote on policies, they do have formalized ways to make their views known (in an advisory capacity) and their views are taken seriously by the rulers. As far as I can tell, local people seem to be content with their rulers and with their form of government. One person said that they were starting to toy with the idea of democracy, but were frightened away by the example of Iraq.
The United Arab Emirates is governed by, well, emirs. However, they are usually called sheikhs. Their powers are similar to those of kings. Despite the lack of democracy in the Western sense, the rulers are in generally extremely popular and well-respected. Each emirate has its own sheikh. The president of the country is chosen from the seven emirs. The presidents, have so far come from Abu Dhabi. This is not surprising, since Abu Dhabi is much larger and wealthier than the other emirates. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan was the first president and ruled until his death until 2004. (The country was formed in 1971). He was extremely well-respected, both by his own people and across the Middle East.
Although he was personally enormously wealthy because of oil, he lived relatively modestly and used his wealth to develop his country and help his people. He built up institutions such as schools, universities, hospitals, and guided the country to rapid economic development. He was known for his tolerance to other religions and for his promotion of women’s participation in education and the workplace. He was pro-Western and generally considered a moderate and upright ruler.
The current president is Sheikh Zayed’s son, Sheihkh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who has continued his father’s tradition of investing in education and modernization. He is generally pro-Western and moderate. Although the people do not vote on policies, they do have formalized ways to make their views known (in an advisory capacity) and their views are taken seriously by the rulers. As far as I can tell, local people seem to be content with their rulers and with their form of government. One person said that they were starting to toy with the idea of democracy, but were frightened away by the example of Iraq.
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