الرئيسية
FACTBOX-Key political risks to watch in the United Arab Emirates
DUBAI, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has
so far escaped the upheaval that has rocked the Arab world, but
the case of five activists convicted last month of insulting the
country's rulers suggests the oil producing state is not immune
to calls for reform.
UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan pardoned
the five last month, one day after a state security court
sentenced them to prison terms ranging from two to three years.
But the case had been seen as a gauge of how the
oil-producing Gulf Arab state, which allows no political
parties, responds to hints of political dissent after uprisings
toppled other Arab leaders.
The UAE is among the world's top five oil exporters and its
small local population has one of world's highest per capita
income, estimated at $66,625 in 2011, according to the IMF.
UAE security forces have moved swiftly to quell any attempt
at dissent. The five activists went through a five-month trial
before they were sentenced on Nov. 27, and a civil rights group
was disbanded.
The emirate of Dubai, which built itself into a finance and
trade hub only for its real estate bubble to burst in 2008-09,
faces possible debt refinance and investor flight risks.
There are lingering worries about Iran's nuclear programme,
a long-running territorial row with Tehran, and Islamist
radicalism.
DUBAI, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has
so far escaped the upheaval that has rocked the Arab world, but
the case of five activists convicted last month of insulting the
country's rulers suggests the oil producing state is not immune
to calls for reform.
UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan pardoned
the five last month, one day after a state security court
sentenced them to prison terms ranging from two to three years.
But the case had been seen as a gauge of how the
oil-producing Gulf Arab state, which allows no political
parties, responds to hints of political dissent after uprisings
toppled other Arab leaders.
The UAE is among the world's top five oil exporters and its
small local population has one of world's highest per capita
income, estimated at $66,625 in 2011, according to the IMF.
UAE security forces have moved swiftly to quell any attempt
at dissent. The five activists went through a five-month trial
before they were sentenced on Nov. 27, and a civil rights group
was disbanded.
The emirate of Dubai, which built itself into a finance and
trade hub only for its real estate bubble to burst in 2008-09,
faces possible debt refinance and investor flight risks.
There are lingering worries about Iran's nuclear programme,
a long-running territorial row with Tehran, and Islamist
radicalism.