The normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates seen in the Abraham Accords, brokered by the US, potentially presents a new strategic alignment that the three countries could employ to manage regional conflicts.
The three states share a vision that secular and economically liberal governments can provide a strong counterweight against terrorism, radicalisation, and non-state actors.
US allies in the region, specifically Israel and the UAE, have found themselves frustrated by the shifts and unpredictability of US policy. The Abraham Accords could present a solution for the United States and its regional allies who share common security interests directed towards countering terror threats and promoting regional stability.
Bonded by shared and overlapping concerns - regarding Iran, Islamist extremism and mounting uncertainties about the future of US strategy - this alliance could enable the UAE and Israel to collectively assert their interests more effectively both in the region and in Washington.
The potential ambition could be to curtail the destabilizing capacity of non-state actors, political Islamist groups and their benefactors, in a way that supports US national security priorities. A clear understanding of this alliance’s capability, objectives, areas of convergence and implications, is needed.
This project examines the common political agendas and regional aims of Israel and the UAE, and how they intertwine with the United States’ Middle East strategy.
It will investigate whether and how the UAE and Israel can become regional power brokers in multiple conflicts and what implications this strategic reorientation will have for stability in the Middle East.
The project will provide an assessment of this model of regional security and its functionality for policymakers in Western countries and across the globe.
