UAE’s Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan: Mastermind Running Monarchy’s Politics

The revolutionary world of the United Arab Emirates politics has long had a hegemonic presence of commanding its enemies, while working hand-in hand with its allies. However, the current bafflement in its operations is seeing the nation and in particular Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE’s National Security advisor, getting cozy with Syria.

The Syria-UAE relationships have especially prospered in the last few months, but these ties have pushed its ally, the US, to raise waivers over this normalization. And it has, thus, passed the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which seeks to pressure the regime over violence against civilians.

Lately, the US announced that it was preparing new rounds of sanctions against Syria, and planning to expand its blacklist by focusing on financial-support networks outside the nation. The list that until now has already put sanctions on nearly three dozen individuals and business over the last two months.

The US Treasury and State Department has also heavily indicted UAE’s Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as the main man faltering the codes of conduct. And as per the records, transactions worth about $200,000 were recorded as the amount transferred by Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan in to the accounts of niece of Assad, Aniseh Shawkat.

However, last year, the UK authorities seized the bank accounts held by niece of Assad, stating the hundreds of thousands of dollars in deposits over a period of time overlooked European Union sanctions against the murderous Syrian regime.

UAE’s Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan has reportedly played important roles for the government of the UAE, and was previously the Deputy National Security Advisor until 2013. He is also the half-brother of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and full brother of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Therefore, such important designations and influence have paved his way into getting behind the scenes and even stab the US in its back. To UAE’s advantage, the US doesn’t even spy on the Gulf nation.

As known, Abu Dhabi crown prince controls the foreign policy of the UAE, with a relatively small amount of people, and UAE’s Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan in his network runs internal surveillance network. The position, thus, hands him the power and assertiveness to act as per the ruler’s will and easily sideline the international standards.

Now, with the Syria-UAE case, where the latter is hoping to maintain a political and economic foothold, it has surely forgotten its long-time commitment as a key partner to the US, whereby it must stand with the nation on sanctions against the Syrian regime. However, to Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, nothing remains more important than bypassing the rules and earning the all-important praise from the crown prince himself.