As they conducted business in Abu Dhabi or took in Dubai’s glittering skyline, visitors to the UAE could be forgiven for forgetting that they were in the Middle East. This was not a happy accident: it was a key plank of the Emirates’ grand strategy to market itself as a haven of stability in a turbulent region.
That illusion of calm, however, was shaken when drone and missile attacks reached the country for the first time. Flights were momentarily disrupted, an industrial zone burned and there were several civilian casualties. Global markets stuttered and analysts wondered whether the impact would shake the global image of the UAE.
But this was 2022, not 2026. Then, as now, Iran and its allies attacked the UAE. The UAE did not, however, concede or weaken; its economy remained robust and its global brand did not collapse. The challenges are more profound in 2026, yet so are the Emirates’ opportunities. The UAE is structurally better placed than many in the region to rapidly recover and project power.
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