The Evolution of UAE's Africa Foreign Policy: Motivations, Strategies and Challenges

Recent studies on the foreign policies of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries attribute their increasing involvement in Africa to security and economic considerations. However, only a few studies have investigated the foreign policies of the individual GCC countries in more detail for confirmation. Hence, using a neorealist perspective on small states, this article enriches this debate by examining the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) foreign policy in Africa. This task is accomplished via a qualitative case study design to analyze the UAE's transition from its limited humanitarian approach in Africa to a holistic involvement encompassing diplomatic, economic, and security engagement. The UAE's foreign policy in the Horn of Africa and West Africa is analyzed to show how the country has used its power to achieve influence despite its small state status. The findings suggest that the UAE's approach embodies neorealist principles of small‐state behavior with structural limitations in the international system.

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