United Arab Emirates
Located in the Arabian Gulf, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has an area of 82,880 square kilometers (31,877 square miles) and, as of 2004, a population of 2,513,915. Abu Dhabi is its capital. The country is bordered by Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the Arabian Gulf. The UAE is mainly desert, and its hot and dry climate reflects this terrain. It was formed in 1971 after the merger of six states: Abu Dhabi, Aajman, Al Furayjah, Al Shariqah, Dubai, and Umm el Quiwan. In 1972 Rass el Khaymah joined these member states. From 1971, the year Great Britain granted the UAE its independence, to 2004, Sheikh Zayid bin Sultan al-Nahyan (1918–2004), the ruler of Abu Dhabi, served as president of the federation, along with Maktum bin Rashid al-Maktum (b. 1946), ruler of Dubai, as vice president. At Sheikh Zayid bin Sultan al-Nahyan's death in 2004, his eldest son, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan (b. 1948), was chosen as president of the UAE.
(MAP BY MARYLAND CARTOGRAPHICS/THE GALE GROUP)The UAE is considered a wealthy country, with a per capita income of $22,100. Life expectancy is seventy-five years, reflecting good health-care services and a high standard of living.
Governmental powers in the UAE are divided between the states and a central federal government. The government is based upon an agreement among the seven member states. The actual authority of the federal regime is limited, given the enormous power possessed by the individual heads of state. Each sheikh (or head of state) is the supreme ruler in his state. The seven state rulers constitute a Federal Supreme Council. The council, the nation's highest authority, elects the president of the federation for a five-year term.
The UAE has a unicameral consultative legislative branch, the Majlis el Ittihad el Watani, or Federal National Council. It is composed of forty members appointed by the head of the seven states for a term of two years. This council, in fact, has no real power; its main functions are to review legislation and to advise rulers on the substance and details of this legislation. The bureaucracy merely reflects the will of the state's ruler; it does not play an important role in the political life of the country. Citizens' participation is nonexistent in terms of elections because none of the members of government institutions are elected. Citizens elect neither their president nor their sheikhs. Instead, citizens must use direct contact, in Majlis (or councils), to voice their concerns to their sheiks and the president.
The judiciary mainly addresses issues related to the day-to-day life of citizens. Although it does not affect the political life of the UAE, political intervention may influence courts' decisions.
The citizens of the UAE enjoy basic liberties, good security, and freedom from torture, unlawful imprisonment, or forced disappearance. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, the country's human rights record has improved, although concerns remained about the treatment of women and allegations of human trafficking. The government's prohibition of political parties prevents the citizens from expressing their political points of view or ideologies. Religious freedom does exist, however, and tolerance for different forms of religion is safeguarded.
Federalism.
Bibliography
The Economist. Pocket World in Figures. London: Profile Books, 2003.
Omran Taryam, Abdullah. The Establishment of the United Arab Emirates. New York: Croom Helm, 1987.
"United Arab Emirates." CIA World Factbook. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2005. <http://http://www.cia.gov/cia/p ublications/factbook/geos/ae.html E;.
U.S. Department of State. Human Rights Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of State, 2004. <http://www.state.gov>.
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