State
media reported on Wednesday that Prince Khaled, the eldest son of United ArabEmirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has been proclaimed the
crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the Gulf state, along with
his siblings.
Prince
Mohammed named his brother Sheikh Mansour as vice president of the UAE,
alongside Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, last year after
leading the OPEC oil producer on behalf of the United States for years.
This
appeared to further consolidate authority in Abu Dhabi, the political capital
of the UAE federation of seven emirates due to its enormous oil resources. The
commercial and touristic center of the Gulf is Dubai.
Sheikh
Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's national security adviser who oversees a
vast economic empire, and Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan were named by Sheikh
Mohammed as deputy rulers of Abu Dhabi.
He
maintained "some power-sharing balance, but mainly inside (Abu Dhabi's) Al
Nahyan clan" by appointing important brothers to new positions, according
to Cinzia Bianco, research fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations,
on Twitter.
Sheikh
Khaled's selection as crown prince mirrors a trend in most Gulf Arab countries,
including Saudi Arabia, towards straight lineage - sons over brothers - for
succession.
Since
Sheikh Mohammed's father established the UAE federation in 1971, Abu Dhabi has
presided over it.
According
to observers, Sheikh Mohammed, also known as MbZ, has been preparing his son
for leadership roles in the business, government, and the security sector,
including intelligence.
Before
taking over after his brother's death last May, MbZ had been the de facto ruler
for years. This was at a period of poor relations between the UAE and the
United States over what was viewed as the latter's withdrawal from the region.
As
the UAE and Bahrain established connections with Israel in 2020 to form a new
anti-Iran axis in the region, he oversaw a realignment of the Middle East while
still interacting with Tehran to defuse tensions with an eye toward economic
interests.
Additionally,
the UAE has strengthened connections with China and Russia.
The
nation, which has less than 10 million citizens, takes pride in its economic
and political stability. Millions of expatriate workers live there, making up
the majority of the workforce, and it has one of the highest per-capita income
levels in the world.
Sheikh
Khaled was appointed as president of Abu Dhabi's executive council by MbZ in a
separate decree on Wednesday, marking the most recent restructuring at
significant organizations in the emirate, one of the richest state investors in
the world.
Sheikh
Tahnoun was appointed chair of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the
biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world, earlier this month. The
second-largest sovereign wealth fund in Abu Dhabi, Mubadala, appointed Sheikh
Mansour to the position of chairman.
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