In 2019, the Saudi Arabia – UAE alliance began to collapse as the UAE announced its withdrawal from the war in Yemen, leaving Saudi Arabia paying the war tax alone as it neither can withdraw nor can it stop the losses of the war.
The UAE’s withdrawal from the war increased international criticism of Saudi Arabia, as it was blamed for the increasing deaths and injuries, the deteriorating social life, the major famine that struck the country, the spread of diseases, and the exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis.
Popular pressures increased in Saudi Arabia after the withdrawal of the UAE, as intellectuals questioned the death of Saudi soldiers in a land they have no hostility with.
The UAE’s withdrawal from Yemen is not for humanitarian reasons, but rather due to the fact that the UAE did not find its full goals in Yemen, as it found it in Libya, so it supported the Haftar government, against the Government of National Accord supported by Turkey and Qatar, which gained UN recognition.
The reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar also affected the Emirati-Saudi relations, causing them to cool down, due to the fact that the UAE was the driving leader of the Qatar blockade.
Now, after years of alliance, the competition between the UAE and Saudi Arabia has intensified in the economic field as they both are trying to diversify the economy instead of total dependence on oil.
Saudi Arabia is certain that Bin Zayed has tricked them, entangling them in open war in Yemen thus tarnishing their history, therefore it has begun to pass laws that would hinder the Emirates from completing economically.
The UAE has worked over the years to involve major Arab countries in major problems so that they can expand and build their economic empire.
Its main victims was Saudi Arabia, which was involved in the Yemen war, the Khashoggi murder, conflicts within the ruling family, and the disruption of social peace by arresting and persecuting the elite of all currents in Saudi Arabia.
