In response to Arab think tanks, Jamal Al-Mulla, speaking on the 'ArabCast' podcast, stated:
Over a quarter of a century, there has been a movement akin to tectonic plate shifts in the Arab world, in which the center of regional power - political, economic, and media power - has moved. Power and influence have shifted from old Arab capitals to the Gulf capitals: from Cairo, Damascus, and Baghdad to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and Doha. The center of gravity and decision-making is now here in the Gulf, and the influence of Gulf states now surpasses that of other Arab nations across various fields.
If the top leaders of AI companies want to invest, they visit the Gulf states. If the Russians and Ukrainians want to talk, they come to the Gulf. If the American president considers visiting the region, he will undoubtedly think of the Gulf states first. This is the new reality that Professor Abdulkhaleq Abdulla called "The Gulf Moment."
This Gulf moment is different from all the moments the Arab world has lived through, from the Nasserist moment (in Egypt), the Baathist moment (in Iraq and Syria), to the Islamist moment. For the first time, we are living in a moment completely free from narcotic slogans, a moment that fully expresses the aspirations of peoples and the hopes of humanity, a moment entirely devoid of ideological work and filled with developmental visions and future ambitions. It is a moment in which the Gulf states are required to be a pillar and supporter of the security of Arab countries from Iraq to Mauritania, during times when these countries have suffered from revolutions, disintegration, and difficult economic conditions.
The “Gulf Model” has become the goal and the desired objective, not the Baathist, Nasserist, or Islamist model. The Gulf model is the model that any Arab president thinks of replicating, and it was present from the very first moment in the mind of Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa as he pondered the question: "How can we build the Syrian state?"
This talk, or this new Arab reality that Professor Abdulkhaleq spoke about, does not please many and provokes others, especially those who live in the past and make a living from it. Among those who did not like this new reality is the former Secretary-General of the Arab League, Dr. Amr Moussa. It seems that talking about a Gulf moment provokes him, and you know that provocation brings out the worst in you and sometimes brings out the stupidest in you. So, Dr. Amr Moussa came out with a question in a rare moment of manifestation unlike any before. He said, "What is the Gulf role in preserving Arab security apart from buying weapons?" Then he added, and I would that he hadn't: "I would like to remind you of the Damascus Declaration of 1991, and that the security of the Gulf must have an Arab element to support the Gulf states."
Oh, brother Amr! Your questions are difficult and reveal the shallowness of a kiddie pool! "What is the Gulf role in preserving Arab security apart from buying weapons?" A very difficult and embarrassing question, but it does not embarrass us in the Gulf. Rather, it embarrasses Amr Moussa himself. A seasoned Egyptian politician of Amr Moussa's stature, does he not know that there are Arab countries considered among the most important clients of the UAE defence industries group EDGE? Wake up, brother Amr! We do not just buy weapons; we manufacture weapons and export weapons. We export weapons to Egypt, Algeria, and other countries. The Emirati company EDGE, brother Amr, sells weapons, drones, boats, and armored vehicles, and this is just one group among many companies in the Gulf, such as SAMI in Saudi Arabia and others. You can request and choose from the weapons, and if you don't have the money to buy them, you are welcome in the UAE. We remain the depth of Arab security; we have never fallen short.
As for the "Damascus Declaration" and that we in the Gulf need an Arab element to protect our security, Dr. Amr: I want just one thing from you! I want you to tell me how many martyrs have died from our Arab brothers in the Gulf wars or in defence of the Gulf, compared to how many Gulf martyrs have died on the battlefronts against Israel in Syria, Jordan, and Egypt? If only you would enlighten us, Dr. Amr: how many Arab soldiers were martyred on our land, and how many Gulf soldiers were martyred on your land? Should I give you a hint? Who am I to give you a hint when you are a former Secretary-General of the Arab League! But rest assured, Dr. Amr, we appreciate your concern and your fear for us.
For example, as you see, over the past month, the Gulf armies shot down thousands of drones and missiles without any Arab element and without the Damascus Declaration, not even a YouTube declaration. And we say as the Egyptians say: "God will not give you a heavy burden unless you have shoulders to carry it," and we have shoulders that can carry it, Doctor. I think, and God knows best, Dr. Amr Moussa, that you first need a moment of awareness, and as the Greek sages said: "Awareness is more important than ranting."
If you want to see the Gulf moment with your own eyes, look at the Strait of Hormuz, which turns into a global crisis. Why is the Strait of Hormuz a global crisis? And why did the World Food Programme warn that a crisis in the Strait of Hormuz threatens to starve 400 million people? The answer, brother Amr, is simple and doesn't require cleverness or flamboyance. The answer is that the Gulf states have a global role, not just an Arab one, in food supply chains. The exports of Gulf states of fertilizer materials, petrochemicals, helium, and others are important to the world and its food supply, from India to Brazil, and their interruption threatens global food security. And food security, brother Amr, is part of national security, and its absence could lead to rebellion, hungry revolutions, and big stories. It was said long ago: "I am amazed at the one who cannot find his daily bread, how he does not go out to the people brandishing his sword," Dr. Amr!
The poet Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri said:
And the star, eyes consider its sight small,
but the fault lies with the eye, not with the star for being small.
The strength and security of nations depend on the strength of their economy, Dr. Amr. Protests erupted in Iran about two months ago, and it was on the verge of collapse. Why? Because its currency collapsed. And Turkey, was on the brink of the abyss in 2014. Why? Because its currency was also on the verge of collapse, and what saved it was a Gulf state. This is well known and even acknowledged by the Turks themselves. The rule you are supposed to know, Dr. Amr, is that your national security is linked to your economic security, and whoever supports your economy is the one who preserves your security. It's a simple equation. For example: Gulf support for the Egyptian economy during the decade between 2011 and 2022 alone exceeded $100 billion.
In difficult moments for the Egyptian economy, and in difficult years for the Arab world, while some nations ended up disintegrating and others collapsing, the Gulf states were depositing billions in the Central Bank of Egypt, sending free fuel shipments, investing in Egypt, and participating in preserving its economic strength, and thus preserving its national security. This is a Gulf moment, not an Egyptian one.
Allow me, Dr. Amr Moussa, and focus with me on the matter of Damascus - not the "Damascus Declaration," but Damascus itself - and you will see another Gulf moment waiting for you. The Gulf states supported Syria by paying off its debts, supporting it with energy and infrastructure, developing its ports, providing diplomatic and international cover, and lifting sanctions from it. Those sanctions that Iran tried to lift from itself and failed, and that Russia also tried and failed. But a Gulf state succeeded in lifting them from Syria. This is a duty and responsibility that the Gulf states have shouldered, for God will not give us a heavy burden unless we have shoulders to carry it. Whether you like this talk or not, the fault lies with the eye, not with the star for being small.
And God bless the Egyptian MP Diaa Daoud when he spoke about Egypt's economic security and said with his usual arrogance: "We have saved a lot from you!" No, by God, no, brother Diaa, it is we who have saved a lot for you, and we who have shoulders that can carry a lot. Regarding economic strength, even though I feel that Dr. Amr Moussa does not like the language of numbers and statistics, what can I do?! You can't force your brother to be a hero, perhaps Dr. Amr Moussa will come back to us and live the Gulf moment with us.
What does it mean, Dr. Amr, that the Gulf states represent two-thirds of the Arab economy? It means two-thirds of the power. In the world of numbers and statistics, if you raise your eyes and look to the skies, you will see that two Gulf airlines are among the top ten airlines in the world. And if you wish to turn your face towards the seas and oceans, you will see that a Gulf company is considered one of the largest port operators in the world.
Brother Amr! If you are in Cairo now, take the nearest bus and head east towards the Red Sea in the Ain Sokhna area to see the work of "DP World" so you can see with your own eyes a distinct Gulf moment close to you. And if you don't like to see the skies, nor the seas and oceans, then go to the universities, and you will see that the best Arab universities are in the Gulf. Of course, we mean academic universities, not the Arab League. And if you like banks, you will find that the banking sector in the Arab world, the dominant one, is the banks in the Gulf states in terms of market value.
Dr. Amr! No problem. Forget the skies, seas, oceans, banks, and universities, man. We in the Gulf have stolen the spotlight from the Pyramids of Khufu and Khafre. Imagine with me: the Gulf is the number one tourist destination in the Arab world. Francesca, Michael, Huanzu, Petrovich, Milovic, and even Abdo and Mustafa prefer to visit the Gulf for tourism. Can you imagine, Doctor, that this desert region has stolen the spotlight from Khufu and Khafre within a quarter of a century? I consider this specifically a Gulf miracle, not just a Gulf moment.
What I fear most is that Dr. Amr Moussa will come out after all we have mentioned and say to us: "No, actually you buy tourists, not just weapons"!
https://youtu.be/iC3wpp9LH-Y?si=kV7fCwto4zax6s-u
Indeed, this new Arab reality that Professor Abdulkhalek Abdulla speaks of does not please many; on the contrary, it provokes others. Among those who are not pleased with this new reality is Dr. Rabab Al-Mahdi, Professor of Political Science and International Relations from the Arab Republic of Egypt, and host of the podcast "What’s the Solution?"
During her episode with Dr. Abdulkhalek – took place before the Gulf War - to discuss issues related to the United Arab Emirates, under the title "What Does the UAE Want?", arrogance becomes clear throughout the dialogue.
Abdulkhalek (starting from 12:37):
"The most prominent success of the UAE in restoring stability began with Egypt. The UAE invested in Egypt and stood by it in hardship and ease from 2013 until today, for nearly 15 years. The UAE invested not only economically but also diplomatically and politically, and it has been deeply tied to Egypt and its stability. Egypt is the impregnable fortress of the Arab world."
Rabab:
"Egypt has been a stable state for thousands of years. Given Egypt’s long history, we cannot claim that the UAE is the reason for Egypt’s stability because of the last thirteen years. Egypt is stable because of its geographic location, its history, its size. Egypt is far too weighty for the UAE to be the one stabilizing it."
Abdulkhalek:
"I am not talking about 5,000 years, nor 1,000 years, nor 100 years. I am talking about 2013 onward. Egypt could have turned into Syria. There were enemies of stability in Egypt. That is my view. There was Libya and Tunisia, and there was that flood of those who came to power as part of the forces of chaos. Who stood with Egypt at that moment, that specific moment, not 5,000 years ago? In the last ten years, the UAE has been side by side with Egypt, affirming that Egypt’s stability is part of the Arab world’s stability."
Rabab:
"Beautiful! I don’t want to go on too long about Egypt, so the conversation doesn’t revolve only around it, because I have other points I wish to address. But let me tell you that the comparison with Syria is not apt. You are a political science professor, and you know that Egypt’s societal composition is not like Syria’s, nor is the totalitarian regime that ruled Syria similar to Egypt’s systems - even if they are not democratic - nor the demographics, nor the cultural dimension, nor the history of the central state. All of this is completely different from Syria. What helped Egypt’s cohesion and unity is that its position and history do not allow it to be drawn into the kind of infighting we saw in Syria."
Abdulkhalek:
"You know best, 'the people of Mecca know their mountain passes,' and the people of Egypt know theirs. That is your view. But I would like to cite what President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said, word for word, in television interviews: 'Were it not for the UAE’s stance with us, we would be in a different situation than we are now.'"
Rabab:
"Abdel Fattah El-Sisi! When I say to you, 'You have honoured us and brought us light today,' does that mean you came and turned on the light for us? The light was already on before you came. For me, when the Egyptian president speaks and uses exaggerated expressions - which I sometimes disagree with - in appreciation of brotherly countries, it does not literally mean - and you, as a professor of political science, know this - that Egypt was on the brink of an abyss and was saved by economic aid from brotherly countries, or even from the IMF, which we are paying the price for. Moreover, that aid turned into debts on us."
Abdulkhalek:
"Go back to the years 2011, 2012, and 2013, and what happened with the emergence of an Islamist current that achieved what it achieved, and the Rabaa incident. It was a very difficult moment of suffocation. Nations go through defining moments, and sometimes those moments are like being close to the edge of a cliff. It is true that Egypt is different from Syria, and Egypt is different from Tunisia, no doubt. But at a certain moment, there was a slight possibility - and perhaps a strong one, we don’t know - that Egypt could have gone down that path."
Rabab:
"What preserved it in the end - whatever form that preservation took, and I have my reservations about it - was purely internal factors. The UAE did not send its liberation army down on us."
Abdulkhalek:
"I do not claim that the UAE alone did that, but I only gave you one example. I could give you other examples of how the UAE played its role in restoring stability in more than one instance, including Egypt. It played its role, not necessarily the only role. And perhaps you are right that Egypt has this deep history and would not go the way of Syria, Tunisia, or any of the countries that fell during the 'Arab Spring.' That is also a matter for discussion, dialogue, and disagreement."
Rabab:
"True! Disagreement does not spoil the essence of friendship."
https://youtu.be/eiid5mom4QY?si=42wr-Unh8AY00gu0
I observed Dr. Rabab employs a coercive form of the fallacy known as "appeal to authority." Rather than fostering genuine reasoning, she invokes a presumed shared expertise (“you know, as a political scientist…”) to pressure her guest into agreement. She exploits his credentials to silence dissent, implying that disagreement would betray his own knowledge or professional identity. This tactic discourages critical examination and frames opposition as ignorance or bad faith, effectively blackmailing the guest intellectually by holding his credibility at stake. Professor Abdulkhalek handled this tactic professionally and calmly.
In the end, I do not know the reason for this belittling of the UAE and its denial, but what I know for certain is that the UAE model has prevailed. I wish everyone all the best and success.
