الامارات العربية المتحدة « ƆAL-ƆIMĀRĀT ƆAL-CARABĪAḦ ƆAL-MUT:AHIDAḦ »
Officially: دولة الامارات العربية المتحدة « Daŭlaḧ ɔal-Ɔimārāt ɔal-Carabīaḧ ɔal-Mut:ahidaḧ ».
English: United Arab Emirates.
Seat of government: أبو ظبي « Ɔabū Πabī ».
Status: Not democratic.
Structure: Federation of hereditary absolute monarchies.
Governing body: Federal Supreme Council.
Heads of government: محمد بن زايد آل نهيان « Muham:ad bin Zāīd bin Sultān Ɔāl Nuhajān », acting president (since 2014); خليفة بن زايد آل نهيان « Xalīfaḧ bin Zāīd Ɔāl Nuhajān », president (officially, since 2004; acting since the 1990s).
Assessment: Seven largely-independent monarchies: أبو ظبي « Ɔabū Πabī », دبي « Dubaj », الشارقة « ɔal-āriqaḧ », عجمان « Caĝmān », أم القيوين « Ɔum: ɔal-Qajŭajn », رأس الخيمة « Raảs ɔal-Xajmaḧ », and الفجيرة « ɔal-Fuĝajraḧ ». The Council comprises the امير « ɔamīr » of each member. The two most powerful are أبو ظبي « Ɔabū Πabī » and دبي « Dubaj », whose rulers are president and vice-president of the federation and have effective veto power. زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان « Zāīd bin Sultān Ɔāl Nuhajān » (1971-2004) of أبو ظبي « Ɔabū Πabī », who forged the federation, died in 2004, succeeded by his son خليفة بن زايد آل نهيان « Xalīfaḧ bin Zāīd Ɔāl Nuhajān »; the latter was largely incapacitated in 2014, replaced by his half-brother. The ruler of دبي « Dubaj », مكتوم بن رشيد آل مكتوم « Maktūm bin Raīd Ɔāl Maktūm » (1990-2006), died in 2006, succeeded by brother محمد بن رشيد آل مكتوم « Muham:ad bin Raīd Ɔāl Maktūm ». Power may be shifting towards the federation because of the disproportionate oil wealth of أبو ظبي « Ɔabū Πabī », which has been used to bail out the debts of دبي « Dubaj », including in 2009 (hence the name برج خليفة « Burĝ Xalīfaḧ »). The federation depends heavily on non-citizen labor (the great majority of the population), which is routinely abused. Laws are repressive and based on highly-conservative (mostly religious) standards.
FH: 6-6, not free. Econ: 2.58 (149), authoritarian.
Updated: 2018 January 10.
O.T. FORD