Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

Spring 3-2026

Abstract

The normalization agreement signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 15th of September 2020, signals a breakthrough in state relations. It transitioned Emirati Israeli relations from clandestine business collaborations directly to people-to-people normalization without prior cold peace agreements (Lemay-Hebert & Visoka, 2022, p. 133). It is noteworthy that this abrupt change in the UAE’s stance towards Israel takes place as part of a broader change that occurred in the Emirati foreign policy following the Arab Spring in 2011. The state started adopting a more interventionist foreign policy and a more active regional role (Ragab, 2017, p. 37). In light of that, the paper aims to examine the factors that laid the ground for the UAE’s normalization decision. It addresses the research question: “To what extent has the UAE’s post 2011 role transformation influenced its decision to normalize relations with Israel in 2020?" The paper argues that the UAE's transition from an Arab nationalist foreign policy to a globalist outlook, its redefined regional role as an active, assertive participant rather than a passive observer, and its evolving perception of security threats, collectively paved the way for the state’s 2020 normalization. As the paper deals with the UAE’s role shifts, it adopts “Role Theory” as its theoretical framework. The paper is divided into three sections. The first studies the UAE’s post 2011 national role conception shift through analyzing Mohamed bin Zayed’s (MBZ) speeches, the second examines regional (Israel, Palestinian Authority, Iran, and Egypt) and international actors’ (the United States) evolving expectations of the UAE’s role, and the third addresses the UAE’s 2020 role performance. The three sections reflect the evolving role of the UAE as an active, globalist actor with redefined security perceptions until normalization with Israel was made possible.

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