Cultural Awareness And History Of The United Arab Emirates

It started back in 1980 when President Carter determined UAE to be a viable asset by stating this in the “Carter Doctrine”, “…an attempt by any outside force to gain control of the ...[Arabian] Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.” (uae-embassy.org, n.d.). In mid-1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, not only did UAE help fund the war for America, they also sent approximately 2,000 of their own troops to help fight the Iraqis in Operation Desert Storm. In Abu Dhabi, the first used United States Air Force base was opened to mainly provide refuel missions for US aircraft during the war, and is still utilized by US forces today. Also, a couple years later the US and UAE signs the defense pact, which allowed US forces to utilize UAE’s ports. One specifically in Dubai, Ali Port, is crucial to the US Navy due to the fact that it is the only port on the Gulf that is deep enough to be used for an aircraft carrier. Since 1992, UAE has been the largest manufacturer of US military equipment, investing over $360 million in defense gear for the American troops. As we move forward in time, lets take a look at the acts that hit closer to home. When we were attacked by arguably the most malicious terrorist attacks on American soil on September 11, 2001, UAE immediately froze all bank accounts to anyone suspected of funding terrorism, and instantaneously confronted Al Qaeda and the Taliban Regime. Only four short years later, the American people were hit by another catastrophic event, Hurricane Katrina. When the US was trying to regroup, UAE invested $215 million into the aid of people impacted by the event. The most important fact to date, is when UAE requested and the US approved to sell $15 billion in defense equipment to include the

Most countries affected by the civil wars have been cut off from any regional connections therefore they weren’t able to attract many of their regular customers. The UAE has taken that to their advantage by reeling in the customers who would normally shop in Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen and give them the opportunity to shop in places in the UAE instead of in a dangerous country. This has led to a 10% rise in spending by shoppers affected by the Arab Spring. The United Arab Emirates is known as a modern country with a stable government system that the public seems to respect. Governments from different countries such as Syria have shut down Internet and power connections to avoid the world to see the troublesome county. Because of these barricades, countries such as the United States and England have been keeping a close eye, especially since they cannot export and import products between countries. Perhaps the Middle East would’ve been better off without the Arab Spring.

The Middle East “which happens to possess over 66% of the world’s [oil] reserves,” has been catapulted into the geopolitical limelight thus bringing in tens of trillions of dollars in revenues to the nations that possess it. In about the time span of only two decades, the United Arab Emirates, which before had little but sand and tiny merchant communities, became a sprawling and prosperous country all because of the oil that they had.

Arab is not a race, but is a group of individuals that are united by their culture and history (ADC, 2014). There are many different variations commonly based on a particular individual’s country of origin such as Arab Americans. Other variations are based on their social class, the level of their education, if they live urbanely or rurally, or the time they have spent in the United States (Lipson & Dubble, 2007). Most Arabs also practice Islamic religion and are Muslim. When working with an Arab or Muslim client, nurses should ask what the client wishes to be referred to so as not to offend them in any way (Lipson & Dubble, 2007).

The industry varies from construction, mining and metals, power, tourism, oil and gas which make up a large portion or the economy. We will take a look on what few of the Emirates contributes to the economy.

UAE has for a long time enjoyed global economic success since the discovery of oil and gas deposits. Before the oil and

1. How would you describe the prevailing culture in your country to a stranger from another land, in terms of the nine GLOBE project dimensions? (I stay in UAE) The culture of majority of the native dwellers of UAE is quite intricate and wide such that summarizing it in simple few pages would be a fallacy; however there are some outstanding tenets that are fundamental in defining the culture here as stipulated by the GLOBE project. The nine measures that are used to measure or a as dimensions of culture are Assertiveness, Future orientation, Gender differentiation, Power distance, Societal collectivism, Individual collectivism, Performance orientation and Humane orientation.

The United Arab Emirates is one of the most important tourist destinations in the region. The Arab spring had a very minor effect on the country’s tourism as it did not have a revolution but tourists in countries such as the Americas and Eastern Asia and some European countries were still slightly worried to visit any Arab country as it could be hit by the domino effect of the Arab Spring. UAE is not a neighboring country of any of the countries that had revolutions but it is in the same region.

UAE are attention to the use of natural gas resources, the development of cement, aluminum, plastics, building materials, clothing, and food processing industry, emphasis on the development of agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery.

“For the foreign currency control, the UAE has no restrictions or regulations on foreign exchange” (United Arab Emirates - Currency and Banking - IPR Country, n.d). This is good news for the foreign investor as there are no restrictions on the foreign exchange rate. As the result, UAE will attract more foreigners to invest within the country or have more foreigners to move to the UAE for work. Mubarak Rashid Khamis Al Mansouri, UAE’s Central Bank Governor, made a statement mentioning that “fixing and safeguarding the official exchange rate of the Dirham falls by law within the purview of the central bank’s board of directors, and that the policy of the fixed peg of the Dirham against the US Dollar will remain in place” (Nagrai, 2016). The UAE currency exchange rate had been fixed around 3.6725 per 1 US Dollar since 2000’s and will remain the same, as it has been stable in the economy for multiple years. Economic indicators highly recommend the government to keep the currency exchange rate at a fixed peg of the Dirham against the US Dollar since it is doing well. Furthermore, with the community not being democratic, the government will not change their decision on this system unless there is a boom in the economy. UAE is experiencing growth in the economy by having both imports and exports to rely on resources such as oil and gas. “UAE has seventh

The UAE is one of the riches nations in the world as measure by per capita GNP. The economy is primarily based on the oil

The Central bank of the UAE draws up Balance of trade for the United Arab Emirates. A trade surplus in The United Arab Emirates was 93111.98 EUR Million (470939 AED million) in 2012. Balance of Trade averaged 34991.78 EUR million (176980.38 AED million) from 2000 to 2012. Overall, United Arab Emirates is facing with trade surpluses due to the fact that the country exporting 40% of its oil and gas resources. Concerning imports, the main fields are: luxury metals and stones, such as pearls; machinery, transportation parts and vehicles as well as sound recorders. The key trading partners of United Arab Emirates are India (17 % -imports; 14 %- exports), Japan, South Korea, China, US and Iran. As

|   Strong competitors: within the region: Abu Dhabi, Qatar; outside of region: Singapore, Hong Kong

The UAE, however, is in a better position than some other countries in the region due to its economic diversification and stable political environment. It’s sound banking sector, safe-haven status and a business-friendly economy has resulted in a fiscal position among the healthiest in the region.

Information on UAE and its Strategic Priorities xan be found at the following websites: http://www.uaeinteract.com/; http://www.ameinfo.com/; http://www.uae-embassy.org/business-trade/trade-export; information on logistics: read Basit, A. (2010), “UAE Top Logistics Hub in the Gulf”, Khaleej Times, dated 16 January, Available: