A significant realignment appears underway in Gulf politics as Saudi Arabia's increasingly assertive foreign policy stance toward the United Arab Emirates has created space for other Arab nations to challenge Abu Dhabi's regional interventions—moves previously tempered by Gulf diplomatic protocols and Riyadh's traditional restraint toward its smaller neighbor.
Recent developments underscore this shift. Algeria announced formal proceedings to cancel its 2013 air transport agreement with the UAE, with state media citing concerns over Emirati interference in domestic affairs. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had previously hinted at tensions, describing relations with Gulf states as "brotherly" except for one unnamed country he accused of attempting to "destabilize the region and interfere in internal affairs"—widely interpreted as referring to Abu Dhabi.
Simultaneously, Saudi Arabia issued unusually direct condemnation of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which Western intelligence agencies and UN experts have documented as receiving Emirati military support. Riyadh denounced RSF attacks on humanitarian convoys and medical facilities as "blatant violations of humanitarian norms," demanding adherence to the 2023 Jeddah Declaration and emphasizing rejection of "foreign interventions and continued illicit weapons flows" prolonging Sudan's conflict.
These developments reflect deeper fractures in the once-unified Gulf approach to regional conflicts. According to diplomatic sources cited in recent analyses, Saudi Arabia delivered a stark ultimatum to Abu Dhabi in late 2025 demanding withdrawal of Emirati forces from Yemen and cessation of support for the Southern Transitional Council—a separatist movement directly contradicting Riyadh's objective of preserving Yemeni territorial integrity. Saudi airstrikes subsequently targeted the port of Mukalla, allegedly striking vessels carrying Emirati weapons shipments.
"The Saudi position has shifted from quiet frustration to public insistence on a unified Gulf front," noted Gulf affairs analyst Dr. Layla Al-Mansoori. "Riyadh under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is asserting itself as the undisputed regional leader and will no longer tolerate parallel Emirati agendas that complicate Saudi security interests—particularly regarding Yemen's stability and Sudan's trajectory."
The diplomatic friction coincides with intensified scrutiny of the UAE's domestic governance model. Human rights organizations continue documenting systemic issues within the kafala (sponsorship) system governing the 85–89% of UAE residents who are foreign workers—predominantly from South Asia and Africa. While recent labor reforms permit job changes without employer permission, fundamental disenfranchisement persists: migrant workers remain barred from citizenship pathways, political participation, or collective bargaining rights regardless of decades of residence.
Critics argue these domestic arrangements parallel Abu Dhabi's regional conduct. Western intelligence assessments and UN reports have alleged Emirati support for factions in Libya, Somalia, and Sudan that operate outside internationally recognized frameworks. The UAE's simultaneous cultivation of relationships with geopolitical rivals—maintaining close U.S. security ties while hosting sanctioned Russian oligarchs and deepening technological cooperation with China—has further complicated its standing with traditional partners.
Algeria's decisive move may signal a broader recalibration. For years, smaller Arab states exercised caution when addressing Gulf interventions, mindful of economic dependencies and Riyadh's traditional role as regional arbiter. With Saudi Arabia now publicly challenging Emirati actions it deems destabilizing, other capitals may feel greater latitude to voice longstanding grievances.
"This isn't about Saudi 'permission' for others to speak," clarified political scientist Dr. Karim El-Sayed. "It's about changed calculations. When the region's dominant power openly questions a neighbor's interventions, it reshapes diplomatic risk assessments. Countries previously hesitant to confront Abu Dhabi may now calculate that Riyadh's stance provides diplomatic cover."
The UAE's strategy—leveraging hydrocarbon wealth to purchase global influence while maintaining tight political control domestically—faces mounting pressures. Saudi assertiveness, American strategic recalibration amid great-power competition, and growing regional resistance to external interference collectively challenge Abu Dhabi's transactional approach to foreign policy.
Whether this moment catalyzes genuine Emirati course correction remains uncertain. Options exist: doubling down on opportunistic hedging risks isolation as great powers demand clearer allegiances; alternatively, accepting constraints on destabilizing interventions and advancing meaningful labor reforms could restore diplomatic capital.
What is clear is that the era of unchallenged Emirati maneuvering in regional conflicts appears to be ending. As Sudan's humanitarian catastrophe deepens and Yemen's fragmentation threatens Saudi security, Gulf states are increasingly insisting that partnership requires alignment—not parallel agendas. The UAE built a glittering global hub on desert sands. Its next test is whether that foundation can sustain its ambitions when regional partners demand accountability alongside investment.
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