Michel Toubi's book "The Hidden Face of the United Arab Emirates" is published in France on Thursday, a compendium of research by the author to understand the Gulf state, described by French magazine "Politics" as "one of the most influential countries in France, Europe and Africa, especially in the Maghreb." .
The author of the book said in an interview with Al-Siyassa magazine that the reason for his authoring the book was the European Union's decision in March 2019 to include the UAE in the blacklist of tax havens, which surprised the author and prompted him to author the book to introduce the reader to this unknown country, which has influence inside his country. And within Europe in general.
Toby said in an interview with the French magazine that his research on the UAE led him to detect problems "hiding behind the glittering façades of the UAE" and pointed out that these problems related to the hidden face of the way the distribution of power within the country, and its disturbing influence in regions around the world.
UAE and Saudi Arabia
The author focused on the relationship between the UAE strongman Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was linked to the recent assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
According to Michel Toby, any condemnation of the practices of the Saudi authorities should also affect its neighbor, the UAE, as Mohammed bin Zayed and Mohammed bin Salman constitute a "hellish duo" and affect the affairs of the Middle East, as well as Europe.
The author concluded that the policies of the Saudi crown prince are inseparable from the influence of the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, which Toby described as "desert Machiavelli."
The French author points out that the UAE is at the forefront of the counter-forces facing the so-called second wave of the Arab Spring in Arab countries such as Algeria, Libya and Sudan. In his 269-page book, the author talks about the UAE fighting this wave of protests in order to keep On the existing dictatorships, which were rejected by the protesters in those countries.
In order to counter the wave of protests, the UAE is pursuing policies to influence the internal affairs of many Arab countries such as Algeria to support military institutions and to stop the popular movement for change, freedom and political pluralism, contrary to the logic of history, according to the author.
Relations with France
As for the French-Emirati relations, Michel Toubi said that since the beginning of this century, Paris, under the leadership of the late President Jacques Chirac, has concluded major agreements with Abu Dhabi in the fields of defense, intelligence, technology transfer and culture.
The writer says that the Abu Dhabi authorities are exercising a policy of pressure and influence on the political, parliamentary, intellectual and opinion leaders in France in order to make a good reputation about them contrary to their actual reality, while many of the problems experienced by France, says the writer - the source of a pattern of radical Islam coming from the region The Middle East, including the UAE.