Double or nothing: The UAE is waking up to a new world order

In this episode, Dave and Gav look at how the UAE has drifted away from the consensus politics of institutions like Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the Gulf Cooperation Council in favor of a more transactional worldview that treats regional politics less like alliances and more like market positioning. We’ll be unpacking how Abu Dhabi’s approach to trade, ports, normalization, proxy conflicts and investment strategy increasingly reflects a zero-sum mindset where influence is something to be accumulated before anyone else can.We contrast this with Saudi Arabia, which has struggled to pull off the same pivot not because its leadership lacks ambition, but because the kingdom is burdened with a much larger population, heavier subsidy expectations, religious obligations, and geographic exposure that make it far harder to reinvent itself into the kind of nimble commercial state the UAE has spent years trying to become.If you enjoyed the episode, do us a MASSIVE favor and share it, leave a comment, and tell your friends. Thank you for helping us grow the show. We wouldn’t be here without you.All the best from both of us On the Fringe,Dave and Gav This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit onthefringepodcast.substack.com/subscribe