The Arab nation of United Arab Emirates hired US officials to manipulate the US government, according to a Washington Post report. The United Arab Emirates has recruited former US intelligence officials to monitor US political leaders. The Arab nation has been taking advantage of vulnerabilities in the US political system for decades, according to a National Intelligence Council report, the Washington Post said.
These vulnerabilities include campaign contributions, the influence of powerful US lobbying firms, and “weak implementation of disclosure laws designed to guard against interference by foreign governments.”
The report claims that while national security professionals are aware of some of these efforts, they are unaware of all of these efforts because some resemble espionage operations. The UAE has hired former US intelligence officials to monitor American businesses, politicians, journalists and dissidents. UAE Ambassador to Washington Yousef Al Otaiba apparently told The Washington Post that the UAE is proud of “the influence and good reputation of the UAE in the United States”.
The UAE imports a significant amount of US military equipment
“It is hard-earned and well-deserved. It is the product of decades of close cooperation between the UAE and the United States and effective diplomacy. It reflects common interests and shared values,” added Ambassador. The United Arab Emirates and the United States are not rival nations but allied nations. Over the years, the United States has provided the United Arab Emirates with high-level military equipment, such as F-35 fighter jets and MQ-9 aerial drones.
The purpose of the UAE-led interference operation was to manipulate U.S. policies so that they aligned more closely with UAE interests. The US National Intelligence Council runs the 19 different US intelligence agencies and digests information from all of these agencies. The United Arab Emirates is the third largest importer of American military equipment.
US intelligence generally focuses on activities carried out by rival nations, focusing on the activities of a so-called allied nation reveals a change in mentality.
According to the report, the UAE is not the only country carrying out influence operations inside the United States. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Taiwan, Israel and other governments conduct influence operations inside the United States to manipulate American policy in favor of their country. Recently, the head of the Brookings Institution, a leading think tank in Washington DC, was investigated for being on the payroll of the Qatari government without disclosing it to the US government. In October there was also a report UAE hire former US servicemen to work for the UAE military.
