On December 2, 1971, patriotic statesmen sharing a unity
of purpose joined together under the leadership of His
Highness the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to
declare the establishment of the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) as a federation comprising seven emirates. These
statesmen had profound faith in the unity of the land
and its people. They realized the importance of working
together to build a respected, strong and stable nation;
to fulfill the aspirations of their fathers and grandfathers;
and to create a nucleus for greater Arab unity. The United
Arab Emirates was founded on three basic pillars: the
individual, Arab and Islamic affiliations, and global
interaction. From the outset, the UAE committed itself
to abide by certain principles that have since governed its
domestic and foreign policies.
The lecture shed light on the fundamentals of UAE
foreign policy, covering its goals, the country’s relations
with its regional and international counterparts, its ability
to cope with its environment, and the important role that
small countries can play in foreign policy. The speaker
raised important questions: Is the UAE committed in its
foreign policy to the principles of its constitution? Has the
UAE achieved its foreign policy goals? The presentation
also defined the concept of foreign policy and its goals,
reviewing the UAE’s past and present foreign policy and
the nature of political relations that govern the country’s
relations with the international community.