The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations

by Daniel Yergin

Abu Dhabi is one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which was formed in 1971 when the British withdrew their military forces from the Gulf. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the two best-known of the emirates. Dubai is the region’s commercial hub and a global city for the globalized world economy. Abu Dhabi, which is the largest of the emirates, is also the richest, owing to oil. The UAE’s location on the sea, and historically being part of regional trading networks before oil, is often cited as explanation for its being more open and integrated with the world. The UAE may be one of the very few nations in the world, perhaps the only one, to have a minister for tolerance in the government’s cabinet.