United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has made key changes to the country’s leadership, appointing his eldest son Sheikh Khaled as the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the Gulf state.
The decision follows a broader trend among Gulf Arab monarchies of selecting direct lineage, such as sons over brothers, for succession, as seen in Saudi Arabia.
Sheikh Mohammed, who assumed the roles of president and ruler of Abu Dhabi last year after running the US-allied OPEC oil producer for years, appointed his brother Sheikh Mansour as UAE vice president. This position is shared with Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Due to its immense oil wealth, the development appears to centralize power in Abu Dhabi further, the political capital within the UAE federation of seven emirates. Dubai, on the other hand, is the Gulf’s business and tourism hub.
Sheikh Mohammed also appointed his other brothers, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser overseeing a vast business empire, and Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy rulers of Abu Dhabi.
According to Cinzia Bianco, a European Council on Foreign Relations research fellow, this move maintains “some power-sharing balance, but only within (Abu Dhabi’s) Al Nahyan clan.”
Sheikh Mohammed, known as MbZ, has been preparing his son for positions of authority in security, including intelligence, economy, and governance. MbZ officially took power after his brother’s death in May last year, during strained relations between the UAE and the United States due to perceived US disengagement from the region.
MbZ spearheaded a realignment of the Middle East when the UAE and Bahrain established ties with Israel in 2020. This created a new anti-Iran axis in the region while simultaneously engaging with Tehran to manage tensions and focus on economic priorities. The UAE has also deepened its ties with Russia and China.
In a separate decree, MbZ named Sheikh Khaled as the head of Abu Dhabi’s executive council. This is the latest in a series of reshuffles at key organizations in the emirate, one of the world’s wealthiest state investors. Earlier this month, Sheikh Tahnoun was appointed chair of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, among the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds. At the same time, Sheikh Mansour was named chairman of Mubadala, Abu Dhabi’s second-largest sovereign wealth fund.
