The French military base that Nicolas Sarkozy inaugurated yesterday in Abu Dhabi is overshadowing other, softer dimensions of the French presence in the UAE.
The base, known as Camp Peace, stands out as the best evidence of the elevation of UAE-French relations to an enduring strategic partnership.
The three parts of the base - the navy facility at Mina Zayed Port, the air force base at Al Dhafra and the training camp for ground forces at a location yet to be disclosed - will house several hundred troops, mostly on a rotating basis, and host visiting ships and Rafale jet fighters, the technological jewel of the French air force.
The purpose of the three facilities is mainly logistical and administrative. Since French forces are deployed in the Indian Ocean and Afghanistan, a forward base in the UAE helps France - a country with a history of projecting force - support its operations in these theatres. But they will also promote better and more frequent interaction, including joint exercises, with the UAE armed forces and help build a special relationship between the two militaries.
In itself, the French base will not alter the existing balance of power in the Gulf. Iran still fields the largest military in the neighbourhood, and is making a substantial investment in its unconventional and missile capabilities. The Gulf states continue to acquire hi-tech weaponry and modernise their forces, spending together 7.5 times as much as Iran on defence. And with large bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE, the US remains the most powerful external actor in the region - certainly the only one able to defend its Arab allies on its own.
Mr Sarkozy was adamant that the decision to open the base was not motivated by a single set of threats but rather derived from the growing importance of the Gulf as a global security concern. His comments were meant to assuage Iranian anxieties that foreign military bases in the Gulf are aimed at Iran. But it is undeniable that Iranian sabre-rattling in recent years and the sense that the US security umbrella has lost credibility following the Iraq war have prompted the Gulf states to further internationalise their security and seek special ties with interested major powers.
Indeed, it is more useful to think of the French venture as adding a layer of international protection to the existing security architecture.
France and the UAE are linked by a defence commitment that requires France to help the Emirates, but these bilateral obligations complement rather than contradict a western and Arab consensus about maintaining the status quo in the Gulf.
According to French officials, the Abu Dhabi naval base will not have a primary role in fighting piracy, at least for the moment. The French base in Djibouti, which is closer to the Gulf of Aden and the Somali coast and better equipped, will continue to fulfil this task.
But maritime security is a major concern for the UAE. The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the global crude oil supply circulates, remains the economic lifeline of the Gulf states and would be vulnerable to hostile action in the case of a showdown with Iran.
The role of the French base will evolve and probably expand as the security environment in the Gulf changes.
For the moment, it is better to think of it as the cherry on the cake of an ambitious and multi-dimensional French effort in the UAE rather than a decisive moment for Gulf security.
ehokayem@thenational.ae
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
Company%20Profile
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
FIRST TEST SCORES
England 458
South Africa 361 & 119 (36.4 overs)
England won by 211 runs and lead series 1-0
Player of the match: Moeen Ali (England)
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
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- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
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- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
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Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
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Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
SUCCESSION%20SEASON%204%20EPISODE%201
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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