Yousef Al Otaiba ( ar, يوسف العتيبة) is the current
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and
Minister of state
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...
. Previously Al Otaiba served as non-resident
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
to Mexico. His father is Petroleum magnate
Mana Al Otaiba
Mana Al Otaiba (مانع العتيبة المرر) (born 15 May 1946) to Saeed Al Otaiba in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Al Otaiba is the former Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of the United Arab Emirates under the presid ...
, who served as the president of
OPEC
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC, ) is a cartel of countries. Founded on 14 September 1960 in Baghdad by the first five members (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela), it has, since 1965, been headquart ...
a record six times.
Early life
Otaiba was born on 19 January 1974 in Abu Dhabi. His father was the UAE's first Minister of Petroleum,
Mana Saeed Al Otaiba, one of the country's key non-royal founding members as well as a close confidant to the late UAE founder and President
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar, زَايِد بِن سُلْطَان آل نَهْيَان, Zāyed bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati politician, statesman, and philanthropist who served as ...
(1918–2004). His father had at least 12 children with 4 wives, including Otaiba's Egyptian mother. Otaiba was raised in Cairo by his mother, from whom he is the only child. He went to
Cairo American College
Cairo American College (or CAC) is a Pre-K–12 International American School located in Maadi, Cairo, Egypt. It caters mainly to dependents of the local American embassy and other international students. Cairo American College is a not for-profit ...
, a pre-K–12 international American school, and, while there, introduced himself to
Frank G. Wisner
Frank George Wisner II (born July 2, 1938) is an American businessman and former diplomat who had served as acting United States Secretary of State for a few hours following the resignation of the previous acting United States Secretary of State ...
, then the US ambassador to Egypt.
[THE UAE'S YOUNG NEW AMBASSADOR -- MBZ'S RIGHT HAND MAN GETS READY TO TAKE ON WASHINGTON 2008 March 2](_blank)
Wikileaks
After completing high school in 1991, Al Otaiba studied international relations at
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
,
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Up until December, 2020, The UAE embassy claimed that Otaiba obtained a degree in international relations from Georgetown University. However, in 2017,
The Intercept
''The Intercept'' is an American left-wing news website founded by Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill, Laura Poitras and funded by billionaire eBay co-founder Pierre Omidyar. Its current editor is Betsy Reed. The publication initially reported ...
reported Georgetown University's office of the registrar claims he never graduated.
[Ryan Grim]
Diplomatic Underground: The Sordid Double Life of Washington's Most Powerful Ambassador
The Intercept
''The Intercept'' is an American left-wing news website founded by Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill, Laura Poitras and funded by billionaire eBay co-founder Pierre Omidyar. Its current editor is Betsy Reed. The publication initially reported ...
, 30 August 2017
After attending Georgetown, Otaiba spent the next three years working for the automotive division of his family's firm, the Al Otaiba Group. His father's firm lost the
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
/
Cadillac
The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...
agency in Abu Dhabi after a bitter 11-year dispute over non-performance.
Otaiba was then selected to attend the International Fellow at the
Industrial College of the Armed Forces
The Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (Eisenhower School), formerly known as the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), is a part of the National Defense University. It was renamed on September 6, 20 ...
(ICAF) at the
National Defense University
The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As ...
in Washington, in preparation for an assignment to join the immediate staff of then UAE Armed Forces Chief of Staff
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ( ar, مُحَمّد بِن زَايد آل نَهيَان, Moḥamed bin Zāyed Āl Nahyān; born 11 March 1961), colloquially known by his initials as MBZ, is the third president of the United Arab Emirates ...
, a position he assumed upon graduating from ICAF in 2000. The former
CENTCOM
The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Tas ...
Commander, General
Anthony Zinni
Anthony Charles Zinni (born September 17, 1943) is a former United States Marine Corps general and a former Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM). From 2001 to 2003, he served as a special envoy for the United States t ...
was another of Otaiba's mentors.
Otaiba and his wife, Abeer, founder of a luxury fashion company, have one son, Omar, and one daughter, Samia.
Government career
![Yousef Al Otaiba 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Yousef_Al_Otaiba_2013.jpg)
At age 26, Otaiba became senior adviser to
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ( ar, مُحَمّد بِن زَايد آل نَهيَان, Moḥamed bin Zāyed Āl Nahyān; born 11 March 1961), colloquially known by his initials as MBZ, is the third president of the United Arab Emirates ...
and, until his new posting, as director of international affairs for the court of the crown prince, he also served as the country's principal security, anti-terrorism and defence liaison with other governments. Bin Zayed was deputy supreme commander of the
UAE Armed Forces
The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces ( ar, القوات المسلحة لدولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة, Al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥa li-Dawlat al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabīyyah al-Muttaḥidah) are the armed forces of the Unit ...
, so in effect Otaiba worked for the
UAE's defense minister for eight years.
In 2006 and 2007 Otaiba's role was described by Kristofer Harrison, a Defense and State Department advisor during the
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
administration who worked closely with Otaiba, as "crucial helping to talk other countries in the region into backing President George W. Bush's troop surge in the Iraq War" - a role that was confirmed by
Senate Intelligence Committee
The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (sometimes referred to as the Intelligence Committee or SSCI) is dedicated to overseeing the United States Intelligence Community—the agencies and bureaus of the federal government of ...
Chairman
Richard Burr
Richard Mauze Burr (born November 30, 1955) is an American businessman and politician who is the senior United States senator from North Carolina, serving since 2005. A member of the Republican Party, Burr was previously a member of the United ...
.
Otaiba's most significant contribution was "persuading other Gulfies to support the political components of the surge (e.g. the ''
Anbar Awakening
The Sons of Iraq ( ar, أبناء العراق ''Abnāʼ al-ʻIrāq'') were coalitions between tribal sheikhs in the Al Anbar province in Iraq as well as former Saddam Hussein's Iraqi military officers that united in 2005 to maintain stability i ...
''), and helping 'translate' the general strategy into something they would support".
On 22 June 2008 Otaiba was elevated to UAE ambassador to the United States. He succeeded
Saqr Ghobash
Saqr Ghobash (born 1952) is an Emirati politician. He has been President of the Federal National Council since 2019. Previously he served as minister of labor and UAE ambassador to USA.
He graduated from the Police Academy in Sudan in 1973, and ...
, who had served as ambassador since March 2006.
Upon his arriving in the capital, Otaiba hired Amy Little-Thomas, a former State Department staffer in the Bush administration, who became the UAE embassy's chief of protocol and created the nonprofit Oasis Foundation, his private foundation in connection with his work as ambassador "to advance positive relations between the UAE, a significant American ally (particularly in the Middle East), and the United States.” In 2016, a court ordered one of Oasis Foundation's board members to pay restitution for funds taken from the charity for personal expenditures - funds originally deposited and subsequently replenished by Otaiba.
Otaiba worked closely with
Howard Berman
Howard Lawrence Berman (born April 15, 1941) is an American attorney and retired politician who served as a U.S. representative from California from 1983 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the state's 26th congressional ...
, then the Democratic chair of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee
The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affairs ...
, on an agreement that would allow the UAE to obtain
nuclear
Nuclear may refer to:
Physics
Relating to the nucleus of the atom:
* Nuclear engineering
*Nuclear physics
*Nuclear power
*Nuclear reactor
*Nuclear weapon
*Nuclear medicine
*Radiation therapy
*Nuclear warfare
Mathematics
*Nuclear space
*Nuclear ...
materials from the US for a civilian program.
In July 2010, remarks made by Otaiba were interpreted as supporting a
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
military strike on
nuclear reactors in Iran. Otaiba's remarks were reported to have been the standard position of many Arab states.
From 2015 onwards Otaiba was a leading voice in Washington for the
War in Yemen, where the UAE operated torture warehouses and funded death squads. The conflict has left more than 10,000 dead, millions starving (
Famine in Yemen
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accomp ...
) and a
cholera epidemic
Seven cholera pandemics have occurred in the past 200 years, with the first pandemic originating in India in 1817. The seventh cholera pandemic is officially a current pandemic and has been ongoing since 1961, according to a World Health Organizat ...
of historic proportions.
The UAE was the first nation to obtain the US military's
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude Area Defense, is an American anti-ballistic missile defense system designed to shoot down short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal ...
(THAAD) missile defense system - the first batch of UAE officers and airmen graduated from training on the system in December 2015.
In the run-up to President
Trump's Riyadh Summit with Islamic leaders on 20–21 May 2017 strong bonds reportedly formed between Otaiba and President Trump's advisor and son-in-law
Jared Kushner
Jared Corey Kushner (born January 10, 1981) is an American businessman and investor. He served as a senior advisor to 45th U.S. president Donald Trump, his father-in-law. Since leaving the White House, Kushner founded Affinity Partners, a pri ...
and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and minister of defense
Mohammed bin Salman
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud ( ar, محمد بن سلمان آل سعود, translit=Muḥammad bin Salmān Āl Su‘ūd; born 31 August 1985), colloquially known by his initials MBS or MbS, is Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. H ...
in Saudi Arabia. Otaiba and Kushner first met June 2017 at the behest of
Thomas Barrack
Thomas Joseph Barrack Jr. (born April 28, 1947) is an American private equity real estate investor and the founder and executive chairman of Colony Capital, a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT). Barrack has for decades been a clos ...
, a billionaire investor and Trump backer.
Otaiba is generally seen as being a successful ambassador for the UAE, as the country asserts itself more aggressively in the sphere of foreign policy. In November 2017 it was announced that he had been promoted to the rank of Minister, while remaining the ambassador to the United States.
On 12 June 2020, Otaiba authored an op-ed in an effort to halt Israel's planned annexation of
West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
territory.
Otaiba's op-ed was addressed to the Israeli public and published on the front page of the
Yedioth Ahronoth
''Yedioth Ahronoth'' ( he, יְדִיעוֹת אַחֲרוֹנוֹת, ; lit. ''Latest News'') is a national daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Founded in 1939 in British Mandatory Palestine, ''Yedioth Ahronoth'' is the largest paid n ...
.
It was the first ever written by a Gulf diplomat and published in an Israeli newspaper.
Prior to publication, Otaiba solicited the advice of Israeli-American Businessman,
Haim Saban
Haim Saban (; he, חיים סבן; born October 15, 1944) is an Israeli-American media proprietor, investor, and producer of records, film, and television. A businessman with interests in financial services, entertainment, and media, and an e ...
, on when and where to place the op-ed and was advised that the op-ed ought to be translated to
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
.
In the op-ed, Otaiba expressed enthusiasm for stronger ties between Israel and UAE, touting the benefits of accelerated economic growth and stability throughout the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
in addition to security but said that Israeli plans for annexation and talk of normalization were a contradiction.
He elaborated that annexation and seizure of
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
land would defy the “international consensus on the Palestinian right to self-determination”, warning that such a plan would “ignite violence and rouse extremists”.
On 2 July 2020, Otaiba met with
Avi Berkowitz
Avrahm "Avi" Berkowitz (born November 4, 1988) is an American attorney and political adviser who served as the Assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations from 2019 to 2021. He was an advisor to Jared Kushn ...
to further discuss a plan to prevent annexation.
Along with a mutual interest in creating a unified front against the opposing forces of Iran, the concerns detailed in Otaiba's op-ed and planning with Berkowitz helped bring vested parties to the negotiating table to identify a better solution,
ultimately resulting in a normalization agreement reached in August 2020
and officially committed to in September 2020 with the signing of the
Abraham Accords
The Abraham Accords are a series of joint normalization statements initially between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, effective since September 15, 2020. Mediated by the United States, the initial announcement of August 13, 2020, ...
on the
South Lawn
The South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C., is directly south of the house and is bordered on the east by East Executive Drive and the Treasury Building, on the west by West Executive Drive and the Old Executive Office Building, and ...
of the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
.
The deal was brokered by the United States.
Both Saban and Al Otaiba credited U.S. leadership for helping to manage the negotiation process and deliver on the agreements.
“I think the United States government came through every single time,” Al Otaiba said. “And that's the reason we had the signing ceremony two weeks ago at the White House.”
Otaiba also recognized Berkowitz,
Jared Kushner
Jared Corey Kushner (born January 10, 1981) is an American businessman and investor. He served as a senior advisor to 45th U.S. president Donald Trump, his father-in-law. Since leaving the White House, Kushner founded Affinity Partners, a pri ...
and Brig. Gen. Miguel Correa for their efforts,
whereas Correa became involved after playing a part in a 2017 U.S. coordinated rescue operation in
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
that brought UAE soldiers and a member of the royal family to safety after their helicopter crashed.
Otaiba said he spoke to them more than anyone else in the weeks leading up to the agreement and if it wasn't for them the deal probably wouldn't have been done - noting the amount of trust required.
The 2020 deal marked the first time anyone had normalized ties with Israel since Jordan in 1994,
opening the doors for others to follow suit.
In August 2020, Otaiba issued a statement extolling the
Israel–United Arab Emirates peace agreement as "a win for diplomacy and for the region", adding how it "lowers tensions and creates new energy for positive change".
Otaiba yelled at Representative
Ro Khanna
Rohit Khanna (; born September 13, 1976) is an American politician, lawyer, and academic serving as the U.S. representative from California's 17th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated eight-term incumbe ...
over his efforts to end US involvement in the
Yemeni Civil War Yemeni Civil War may refer to several historical events which have taken place in Yemen:
*Alwaziri coup, February – March 1948
*Yemeni–Adenese clan violence, 1956–60
*North Yemen Civil War, 1962–70
*Aden Emergency, 1963–67
*South Yemen#Di ...
.
He is a member of the
Cosmos Club
The Cosmos Club is a 501(c)(7) private social club in Washington, D.C. that was founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878 as a gentlemen's club for those interested in science. Among its stated goals is, "The advancement of its members in science, ...
of Washington DC.
Philanthropy
Ambassador Al Otaiba is closely associated with philanthropic causes in the United States and around the world, including
Children's National Hospital in Washington D.C,
Tornado Relief in Joplin Missouri, the
Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...
New Jersey Relief Fund, The Community Soccer Program, and global
polio eradication
Polio eradication, the permanent global cessation of circulation by the poliovirus and hence elimination of the poliomyelitis (polio) it causes, is the aim of a multinational public health effort begun in 1988, led by the World Health Organiz ...
efforts. Former
President Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again f ...
recognized the Ambassador for his philanthropic involvement at the 2017 Interaction Forum.
In 2014, Al Otaiba and his wife, Abeer, co-chaired the Children's Ball, which raised a record $10.9 million for Children's National, making it the most successful nonprofit fundraiser in Washington's history.
Both the ambassador and his wife have served as partners and advocates for children in the Washington area and around the world. In 2015, the Ambassador and Mrs. Al Otaiba were the recipients of the second annual Joseph E. Robert Jr. Prize in Philanthropy created to honor families who have given back to the hospital, after having a personal experience with the institution.
The prize is named for philanthropist and business leader Joseph E. Robert Jr.
GlobaLeaks
In early June 2017, an anonymous hacker group named
GlobaLeaks
GlobaLeaks is an open-source, free software intended to enable secure and anonymous whistleblowing initiatives.
History
The project started on 15 December 2010 and the first software prototype was announced on 6 September 2011.
Relevant figure ...
began distributing emails to multiple news outlets that they had hacked from the inbox of Al Otaiba.
According to
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
, the hacked emails appeared to benefit
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
and be the work of hackers working for Qatar, a common subject of the distributed emails.
One leaked email alleged that Otaiba loaned ex-Al Jazeera journalist and Otaiba's high school friend,
Mohamed Fahmy
Mohamed Fadel Fahmy ( ar, محمد فاضل فهمي ; born April 27, 1974) is an Egyptian-born Canadian journalist, war correspondent and author. He has worked extensively in the Middle East, North Africa, for CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera Engli ...
, $250,000 to cover his legal fees in his $100 million lawsuit against
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
and Qatar.
Another leaked email alleged that the UAE supported moving the US military base
Al Udeid Air Base
Al Udeid Air Base ( ar, قاعدة العديد الجوية) is one of two military bases southwest of Doha, Qatar, also known as Abu Nakhlah Airport ().
It houses the Qatar Emiri Air Force, United States Air Force, Royal Air Force, and othe ...
and the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
embassy out of Qatar.
A third leaked email alleged that Otaiba hired
Banque Havilland
Banque Havilland S.A. is a private bank headquartered in Luxembourg. It is owned by the Rowland family and provides services in private banking, wealth and asset management, fund services to private clients and institutions. Banque Havilland has ni ...
to draw up a plan on how to start a financial war against Qatar.
A selection of other emails were leaked relating to alleged UAE payments to U.S. lobbying firms,
Otaiba finances tied to
1Malaysia Development Berhad
1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB; ) is an insolvent Malaysian strategic development company, wholly owned by the Minister of Finance (Incorporated).
1MDB was established to drive strategic initiatives for long-term economic development ...
,
a $250,000 UAE invoice for information related to the exportation of military-grade drones,
Otaiba's criticism of Saudi decision making,
and an inside account of Otaiba's nightlife and relationship with women prior to becoming Ambassador, although Otaiba's friend confirmed no wrongdoing by Otaiba in an interview with
The Intercept
''The Intercept'' is an American left-wing news website founded by Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill, Laura Poitras and funded by billionaire eBay co-founder Pierre Omidyar. Its current editor is Betsy Reed. The publication initially reported ...
and the
Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
said the leaked emails fell short of the explosive revelations hinted at in GlobaLeaks's cover letter.
GlobaLeaks stated that their intent behind the emails was to expose the UAE's efforts to manipulate the U.S. government, but denied allegiance to Qatar, or any other government mentioned in the emails.
At the time,
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
suggested that, regardless of intent, the revelations were capable of dramatically undermining U.S. goals in the Middle East and that the leaked emails were being used to embarrass “Washington's Most Powerful Ambassador”.
Since then, in 2020, Al Otaiba successfully helped the U.S. navigate negotiations with multiple Middle Eastern entities, brokering an historic peace deal between Israel and UAE and prompting others to do the same.
See also
*
Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Washington, D.C.
The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United States. It is located at 3522 International Court, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the North Cleveland Park neighborhoo ...
*
United Arab Emirates–United States relations
The United Arab Emirates has quite a close and friendly relationship with the US, being described as the United States' best counter-terrorism ally in the Gulf by Richard A. Clarke, the U.S. national security advisor and counter-terrorism expert ...
References
External links
Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba official biographyAmbassador Yousef Al Otaiba official pictureU.A.E. Embassy in Washington, DC
;Videos
On The Same Page: America's Middle East Allies and Regional Threats-
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit think tank and registered lobbying organization based in Washington, D.C., United States.
The group's political leanings have been described as hawkish and neoconservative ...
— 1/15/2021
** UAE Minister of State Yousef Al Otaiba
** Bahrain Ambassador to U.S. Rashid al-Khalifa
** Israel Ambassador to US
Ron Dermer
Ron Dermer ( he, רון דרמר, born April 16, 1971) is an United States, American-born Israelis, Israeli political consultant and diplomat serving as the Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs. He previously served as the Israeli Ambassador to ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otaiba, Yousef Al
Living people
Ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates to the United States
Ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates to Mexico
Emirati people of Egyptian descent
1974 births