Tensions Beneath the Stability in the U.A.E.

Amid the upheavals that have roiled the Middle East this year the United Arab Emirates has remained an island of stability — an achievement that has paid dividends as business and tourism have fled neighboring unrest to refocus on the federation. 

The allegiance of emiratis — who make up an estimated 20 percent of the 8.26 million population — to their rulers is underpinned by a social pact in which they receive benefits including free health care, education and even housing, along with guaranteed monthly salaries and subsidized food and fuel, paid for from the federation’s vast oil revenues.

Link (submitted by Jordan)