UAE-Saudi Rivalry Deepens Over Arab League Leadership Amid Power Struggles

Watan-In recent years, the UAE regime has shown open disdain for the Arab League, describing it privately as a “dead structure” — an outdated institution that serves no political purpose beyond ceremonial meetings and empty speeches.

Abu Dhabi made no effort to reform or reactivate the League’s role, dismissing it entirely as a relic of the past with no place in its regional strategy.

But that perception shifted—not due to a renewed appreciation for the League, but because Saudi Arabia, quietly and without fanfare, began exploring a leadership renewal for the institution. Specifically, Riyadh has floated the name of Adel Al-Jubeir for the position of Secretary-General.

Unjustified Panic in Abu Dhabi

As soon as signs of this Saudi initiative surfaced, alarm bells rang in Abu Dhabi. A confidential report was submitted to Tahnoun bin Zayed under the striking title: “Potential Saudi Takeover of the Arab League’s Top Symbolic Role.”

In the UAE’s view, this wasn’t merely an administrative shuffle within a defunct body — it was seen as a direct threat to the UAE’s symbolic dominance in Arab affairs.

Despite the League’s institutional weakness, it still holds symbolic weight. And Abu Dhabi’s political identity, rooted in projecting a leading image, couldn’t tolerate even a symbolic loss.

This reveals the UAE’s core political mindset: obsession with appearances over substance, and pursuit of surface-level supremacy rather than genuine achievement.

Performative Moves to Mask Political Insecurity

Rather than proposing reforms or engaging constructively, Abu Dhabi launched a loud public relations campaign under the slogan: “Show sudden interest in the League — but don’t appear greedy.”

They revived Anwar Gargash, pulled from PR archives, and activated media arms that hadn’t mentioned the Arab League in years.
Commentators who previously confused the GCC with the Arab League now presented themselves as experts, defending the League’s “historic role” and demanding consensus on leadership changes.

Despite the facade of neutrality, the campaign’s real aim was clear: derail any Saudi attempt to reclaim Arab symbolic leadership, even at the cost of discrediting the institution.

UAE’s Fear of Independent Arab Influence

This episode isn’t about the Arab League per se — it’s about Abu Dhabi’s political psychology. Since Mohammed bin Zayed became the UAE’s de facto ruler, his regime has systematically rejected any form of Arab leadership that isn’t orchestrated through the UAE.

We saw this during the Arab Spring, when the UAE financed counter-revolutions.
We saw it again in Tunisia, where Abu Dhabi backed Kais Saied’s power grab to curb democratic independence.

And now we’re seeing it again in the Arab League — not because of any real threat, but because Saudi Arabia is attempting to reclaim a modest, symbolic leadership role in line with its historical status.

The UAE’s message is chillingly simple: “Either we lead the Arab world — or we sabotage any attempt at leadership.”

A mindset disturbingly similar to Israel’s doctrine of control through disruption.

Fragile Alliance, Growing Competition

Despite being marketed as strategic partners, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are locked in a quiet but fierce rivalry.

While their public relations portray strength, behind the scenes Abu Dhabi works to undercut Riyadh — in Yemen, the Horn of Africa, Libya, and the Eastern Mediterranean — often turning into the spoiler of Saudi-led initiatives.

Notable examples include:

• The dismantling of the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council

• Diverging positions in OPEC

• UAE’s refusal to back Saudi peace efforts in Sudan and Syria

• Indirect UAE media campaigns undermining Saudi Vision 2030 through alternative narratives

The Leadership Obsession

Former Arab diplomats say Mohammed bin Zayed wants to be a leader without a real base — no demographic weight, no religious legacy, no historical depth. His only tools: media engineering, covert interference, and political bribery.

This explains the UAE’s panicked overreaction whenever another Arab country hints at taking initiative.

The problem isn’t the League, or Al-Jubeir, or even Saudi Arabia — it’s the deep structural fear within Abu Dhabi that another Arab capital might unite the region without its permission.

More Than Symbolism: A Pattern of Sabotage

This UAE maneuver should not be seen as a one-off. It’s part of a long-standing Emirati pattern of internal Arab sabotage, driven by what can only be described as “orchestrated chaos.”

Every attempt to build a united Arab bloc or create a cohesive regional order eventually gets emptied of substance, often by the same actor: the UAE, through its tactics of distortion, co-optation, and obstruction.

Ironically, all this is done in the name of “wisdom,” “stability,” and “regional leadership.”
But in truth, the UAE’s regional legacy so far includes:

• Fragmenting institutions

• Supporting coups

• Buying loyalties

• Promoting normalization

• Silencing grassroots or democratic momentum

Observers say what’s happening at the Arab League isn’t merely bureaucratic — it’s a microcosm of a cold war for Arab leadership between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.

The difference? Saudi Arabia acts with strategic patience and vision, while the UAE reacts out of chronic fear of losing control.

If Arab capitals don’t grasp this now, they may soon find themselves in a distorted regional landscape run by Abu Dhabi’s insecurities, fueled by money rather than legitimacy, and sustained by conspiracies rather than responsibility.