Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nayyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, recently took a trip to Qatar at the invitation of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the ruling emir of Qatar. The two were spotted together in various places, including a classy Bentley spotted being driven by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani himself. The invitation and visit seemed to have been a congratulations to Sheikh Tamim for his “success” in regards to the World Cup and Qatar’s affiliation with FIFA. Sheikh Tamim referred to Sheikh Mohammed as a brother, and even went as far to describe the importance of the visit online. “-visit allowed us to discuss ways to strengthen brotherly relations between our two countries, and to exchange views on regional and international issues of common concern, foremost of which are ways to support security and stability in the region.”
The significance of this article and its deeper meanings lie with the history between Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikh Tamim. Sheikh Mohammed is perceived as one of the driving factors in the Qatar protest that began in early 2017. The boycott against Qatar by the UAE, along with Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, was derived from Qatar’s alleged support and provocation of terrorism. They essentially took a stance in support of the Islamists who rose in Egypt as a critical power during the 2011 Arab Spring. The nations against Qatar viewed this positive support as a direct threat to the establishment of the autocratic and hereditary rule within the nations’ governments. The boycott only just recently ended, with the air and sea routes of trade reopening after January of 2021. The reopening of the routes previous to this meeting between the two rulers could have been primarily seen as a strictly profit and monetary gain incentive; however, with this meeting having appeared to be friendly and rather optimistic, at least in thoughts of relations in the future, the reopening of the borders might have only signified the beginning of a lasting relationship between the two countries.
This recent visit from Sheikh Mohammed truly supports the Liberal ideals of international relations. The thought that even with previous tensions and conflicts between countries can be settled, and the countries can work together in the future regardless helps support the basis’ of the philosophy. It shows a push for mutual understanding and benefit, as well as an advance in the rejection of absolute power in a certain government system. There have been plenty of changes since 2011, and perhaps the inner workings of the government in the UAE, as well as Qatar. Perhaps the idea of change is not as hot of a topic, or as negative as it was 11 years ago.