Why The Lavish Emirati Must Spying America
People in DC have said for years the city is awash in “Gulf Money”, “Oil Dessert Money”. They mean Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar paying for influence & lobbying. No, not Kuwait because, of course, U.S. helping Kuwait after “Iraq raid” August 2nd 1990. And some officials support espionage-style operations. Journalists have documented all this. Now the U.S. intelligence agencies are looking at UAE's role. The “very deep” investigation by CIA to U.S. ally in Middle East, is fascinating, this makes DC blob very awkward, uncomfortable. The town is awash in Gulf money.
U.S. intelligence officials have compiled a classified report detailing extensive efforts to manipulate the American political system by the United Arab Emirates, long considered a close and trusted partner. Until tonight, due to the extensive military cooperation between both countries, there is also around 5,000 American military personnel stationed at the Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi. The base, which is operated jointly, is one of the key US military bases in the region.
The document was compiled by the National Intelligence Council and briefed to top U.S. policymakers in recent weeks to guide their decision-making related to the Middle East. The NIC report is remarkable in that it focuses on the influence operations of a friendly nation rather than an adversarial power. It is also uncommon for a US intel product to closely examine interactions involving US officials given its mandate to focus on foreign threats.
The awkward, Yemen's Houthi movement, which is allied with Iran, repeatedly launched a missile attack on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) targeting a base housing the United States (US) military but (repeatedly, too) was thwarted by Patriot interceptors.
For example, in last January. The attack by Houthi, which saw US troops shelter in the bunker, was the second in a week in the UAE, a tourism and commercial hub in the Gulf region. On January 17, the Houthis attacked a fuel depot in Abu Dhabi, killing three people.
The Houthis, who are battling a Saudi-led military coalition that includes the UAE, say they aim to punish the Gulf state for supporting militias that hinder their efforts to seize oil-producing areas in Yemen. The Houthis have repeatedly carried out cross-border missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. But by targeting the UAE, they have increased the risk of a conflict that is largely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Tonight, according the U.S. intelligence, UAE spying America.
The U.S. intelligence community generally stays clear of anything that could be interpreted as studying American domestic politics. The activities in the report include illegal & legal attempts to steer US foreign policy by exploiting vulnerabilities in American governance, including its reliance on campaign contributions, susceptibility to powerful lobbying firms and lax enforcement of disclosure laws.