WashPo: UAE meddling in US internal politics – Intel report

Although Abu Dhabi is a close ally of Washington, intelligence officials in Washington compiled a simultaneously categorized report showing the United Arab Emirates’ efforts to interfere in U.S. politics.

according to Washington postThese activities include legal and illegal bids to influence U.S. foreign policy in ways that serve its interests in various branches of the White House.

The UAE has sought to exploit various US weaknesses in its approach to governance, such as campaign contributions and susceptibility to lobbying attempts.

Three people familiar with the matter told post On condition of anonymity, they had several details on the issue, such as how the National Intelligence Council put together the document, which has briefed U.S. policymakers in recent weeks to guide Washington’s response to West Asia, the United Arab Emirates the future of policy.

A key aspect of the report is that it marks a rare occasion when the National Intelligence Council is investigating interactions between U.S. policymakers and U.S. internal politics, given the agency’s mission is a foreign threat rather than a domestic one.

Yet it is shocking—to say the least—that the threat comes from Washington’s allies, rather than known adversaries such as Russia and China.

Notably, the UAE ambassador to the US highlighted his pride in “the UAE’s influence and good reputation in the US”.

“This is hard-earned and well-deserved. It is the product of decades of close cooperation and effective diplomacy between the UAE and the US. It reflects shared interests and shared values,” he said in a statement.

The U.S. has agreed over the years to sell highly advanced weapons to the UAE, mainly advanced air defense systems, advanced lethal drones and F-35 fighter jets, after the U.S. refused to enter into such deals with any other Arab country out of concerns about ” Israel”.

Read next: Netanyahu says UAE’s bin Zayed invited him to visit

Another article written earlier Washington post exposes the United States, despite repeated and consistent records human rights violationsWill keep supplying weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

According to the video, three UAE squadrons participated in a joint exercise with the US military at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, in 2016 and 2019, Red Flag.

“Let America sell billions of dollars worth of weapons in successive administrations to governments that have carried out airstrikes on hospitals, markets, food production facilities and prisons over the years: [Those] The attacks have killed thousands of civilians, said Priyanka Motapassi, director of the Counterterrorism, Armed Conflict and Human Rights Program at the Human Rights Institute at Columbia University Law School. “It’s not good for them in public opinion or history. Historical.”

Although the person notified Washington post The matter could not be delved into too many details, but they acknowledged that national security professionals were aware of attempts to influence Washington. Such activity has been increasing, however, as the United States refuses to reform its foreign-influenced laws or provide more resources to its Justice Department.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi has spent more than $154 million on lobbyists since 2016, according to U.S. Department of Justice records alone. Needless to say, there may be many more unrecorded “contributions”.

The UAE also spends hundreds of millions of dollars in donations to US universities and think tanks, mainly those that happen to write reports dedicated to the UAE and whose findings favour Abu Dhabi.

Now, despite the UAE spending hundreds of millions of dollars to influence the US and its foreign policy, and despite all the crimes it has committed against Yemenis and Emiratis, a group of US lawmakers see nothing but UAE support OPEC+ decides to cut oil production As a bill, it called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the monarchy.

OPEC+ members voted to cut oil production by 2 million barrels a day in light of the growing global energy crisis.

America is worried According to a U.S. Treasury Department report, a possible decision by OPEC to cut production would cause serious problems for the country and could even be interpreted as a hostile act.

The press release said the bill would move U.S. military defense systems and equipment to the Middle East to protect U.S. troops elsewhere.

“Despite President Biden’s courtship of both countries in recent months, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have slashed production, which is a hostilities against the United States And a clear signal that they are choosing to side with Russia in the war against Ukraine,” wrote Representatives Tom Malinowski, Sean Karsten and Susan Wilder.

The release notes that the United States currently has approximately 3,000 U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia and 2,000 U.S. troops in the UAE.