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The United Arab Emirates

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The United Arab Emirates, more commonly referred to as the UAE, gained independence from England in 1971. The late President, Sheikh Zayid bin Sultan al Nahyan, ruled the UAE from the start of its sovereignty all the way until his death in 2004 (Rugh, 1997, p. 18). Zayid implemented a federal monarchy across the state. Unlike many other monarchies, the UAE has sustained great rule while maintaing peace with its people. Many factors influence this trend and without them the regime of the UAE would most likely fail. The UAE has flourished for nearly 40 years with a ruling governmental regime where the majority of power is put into the hands of only a select few by disallowing political parties and restricting political participation (Rugh, …show more content…

The federal government oversees major state issues such as immigration, foreign policy, public health, wealth, transportation, and communications (Heard-Bey, 2005, p. 361). But the individual emirates still have great amounts of power over the residents. The emirates each regulate the economy specific to its land and the money is given back to the citizens (Rugh, 1997, p.17). Although the federal government holds the most power, the emirates are still allowed to function with a degree of independence. The familial and traditional roles held by the leaders of the UAE establish a long lasting legitimacy throughout the state. The current President and ruler of Abu Dubai is Khalifa bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan, son of the prior ruler. The Prime Minister, Vice President, and Sheikh of Dubai is Muhammad Bin Rashid Al- Maktum (CIA, 2014). Khalifa bin Zayid was never formally elected to office, rather he was unanimously appointed to the seat on the same day of his father’s funeral. Because of the legacy and respect Sheikh Zayid created, his son entered office with the entire UAE’s support. The UAE functions tremendously through this charismatic and traditional legitimacy; Sheikh Zayid was looked up to as a god for his 43-year reign of power. In many states this long standing rule from one family would not be tolerated by the public, yet it works so well in the UAE because Sheikh Zayid created and guided the state to such high success immediately after gaining

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