UAE–Israel Abraham Accords and Middle East Stability
This paper examines the Abraham Accords between the United Arab Emirates and Israel as a potential stabilizing force in the Middle East. It explores the pragmatic and idealistic pillars of the agreement, including anticipated benefits in tourism, trade, economic integration, and security cooperation. The paper surveys the broader trend of Arab states normalizing ties with Israel—including Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco, and potentially Saudi Arabia—while acknowledging opposition from Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and some Gulf states. It argues that policies of tolerance and moderation, rather than entrenched antagonism, offer the most viable path toward regional peace, and that the UAE's example may gradually reshape the Middle East's geopolitical landscape.
- Introduction: UAE pivots toward Israel via Abraham Accords
- Stability Through the Abraham Accords: Pragmatic and idealistic pillars of the Accords
- More Arab States Normalizing Relations with Israel: Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco, and others follow UAE
- No More Obstacles to Peace: Tolerance and moderation as path to stability
- Conclusion: Collaboration as foundation for regional peace
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What makes this paper effective
- It balances idealistic and pragmatic perspectives on the Abraham Accords, citing Abdulla (2021) to frame both pillars clearly rather than presenting a one-sided view.
- It surveys a wide range of state actors—UAE, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran—giving the argument geographic and political breadth appropriate for a geopolitics essay.
- It engages with counterarguments (opposition from Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and skeptical Arab communities) before systematically addressing them, demonstrating argumentative fairness.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper consistently grounds its normative claims in cited evidence, then uses that evidence to build toward a policy conclusion. For example, it cites Kushner's prediction of full Arab League normalization, Pompeo's statements on Israel's right to exist, and Hoffman's analysis of Iran-containment motives—each supporting a discrete analytical point before being synthesized in the conclusion. This source-to-argument technique keeps the analysis anchored and avoids unsupported assertion.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a framing introduction establishing the UAE's strategic pivot. The second section analyzes the dual pillars of the Accords—pragmatism and idealism—and their implications for regional stability. The third section broadens the lens to other Arab states normalizing ties with Israel, surveying individual country positions. The fourth section addresses potential obstacles to peace and argues they can be overcome through tolerance and moderation. A concise conclusion synthesizes the key findings and reaffirms the central thesis.
Introduction
The UAE is now looking to stabilize the future of the Middle East as it pivots toward a formal relationship with Israel through the Abraham Accords. The hope is that this new relationship will support growth through tourism, technology sharing, economic integration, and security cooperation. Stability in the Middle East has long been a pernicious problem, with some states and regional actors opposed to peace at virtually any cost. These groups have been growing in power and influence for years, but the UAE has also grown steadily, and its wealth from oil exports has made it an equally powerful and influential state. However, the rising risk of war, terror, attack, and subversion remains. The UAE has therefore viewed this moment as a prime opportunity to forge an alternative path that deviates from the historical norm.
Even though Israel has worked closely with some Gulf States on security matters for years, no relationships had been formally recognized. There has always been hesitancy for any Gulf State to appear too close to Israel, for fear of upsetting Arab populations. The UAE has now declared plainly that it is tired of Arab leaders leading their populations by the nose—taking money from other Arab states while doing nothing for the people they are supposed to be helping. This has been the UAE's major criticism of Palestinian leaders. Its hope, with the Accords in place, is that they will bring other communities out of the cold misery of in-fighting and terror to the table of peace and win-win solutions that benefit everyone.
References
Abdulla, A. (2021). The two pillars of the Abraham Accords. Retrieved from https://www.mei.edu/publications/two-pillars-abraham-accords
Al Jazeera. (2020). Explainer: Where do Arab states stand on normalising Israel ties? Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/22/explainer-where-do-arab-states-stand-on-normalising-israel-ties
Al-Ragawi, M., Amin, M., & Abujehesha, M. (2021). How US bribed Arab states to normalize ties with Israel. Retrieved from https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/how-us-bribed-arab-states-to-normalize-ties-with-israel/2108054
Arab News. (2020). Pompeo: Other Arab countries will normalize relations with Israel. Retrieved from https://www.arabnews.com/node/1766591/middle-east
Ephron, D. (2020). How Arab ties with Israel became the Middle East's new normal. Retrieved from https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/12/21/arab-ties-israel-diplomacy-normalization-middle-east/
Hoffman, J. (2020). Why Gulf nations are normalizing ties with Israel. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/09/24/why-gulf-nations-are-normalizing-ties-with-israel/
Jewish News Syndicate. (2020). Kushner: All 22 Arab League states may normalize relations with Israel. Retrieved from https://www.jns.org/kushner-tells-uae-outlet-that-a-fourth-country-could-normalize-relations-with-israel-in-months/
Rahman, O. (2019). What's behind the relationship between Israel and Arab Gulf states? Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2019/01/28/whats-behind-the-relationship-between-israel-and-arab-gulf-states/
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