Does Syria’s Road Back to the Arab Family Go Through the UAE?

... decision of the UAE and Bahrain to reopen embassies in Damascus in 2018, their ongoing efforts to foster economic cooperation with Syria, and the GCC states’ decision in 2022 not to join anti-Russian sanctions. So far, such pragmatism gives hope that the UAE will not backtrack on its recent decisions. Rising role of regional powers Increasing autonomy of the Gulf states gives more ... ... policy change and more space to secure their own role in the MENA region. Besides, Sunni leaderships of the GCC states—namely, Saudi Arabia and the UAE—are attempting to confront what they call the “aggressive interventionism” of the Shia Iran in ...