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2014-04-01

ECSSR story of success but even better to come

‏by Staff Major/ Yousuf Haddad

‏Dr. Jamal Sanad Al Suwaidi, Emirates Center for Strategic Studies Director General, has shared his thoughts on subjects as diverse as national service in the UAE, the breathtaking progress of the nation, the pros and cons of the Arab Spring and the need for more scientific research and promotion of literature in the Arab world. The highly-regarded academic has lavished praise on the UAE leadership and also warned of some political religious groups in the Middle East wrongly linking themselves to Islam. The acclaimed author also says “the security of the Gulf is the responsibility of the rulers and the people in the Gulf states, not of the Pentagon, White House or Kremlin.”

‏We congratulate Your Excellency on the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies. We would like your thoughts on the key factors that helped achieve its success, how you sustained the excellence and what are the plans for ECSSR?

‏From my viewpoint, there are two reasons behind the success achieved by ECSSR. They are the limitless support by His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of ECSSR. The other reason is ECSSR staff. As for the future plans, I hope the number of publications will reach about 3,000 and conferences and symposia over 1,000, and to complete more than 1,000 opinion polls, as well as increase the number of studies, research and reports issued by ECSSR.

‏What are the most important factors that have contributed to the success of the UAE and how can the pace of development and progress be maintained?

‏I believe that many factors have contributed effectively the development, particularly the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Their Highnesses the Members of the Supreme Council of the Union, and HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

‏The UAE has achieved the essence of democracy. If a human being is availed of good health, education, marriage, happy life, and all services of highest quality, then the purpose of democracy is achieved. Democracy is not an end in itself. People in many countries practice the right to vote in the polls, but do not have the services provided by the United Arab Emirates for its people. The leadership in this country has provided all the citizens’ needs. Many countries possess money, but have not achieved for their people what has been achieved for the people of the UAE.

‏The UAE Armed Forces has developed a great deal. What are your thoughts on this development. Also, how do you see the national military service and its implications for the armed forces and country in general?

‏I have had the opportunity to see the changes since the beginning up to the present. Indeed, there are radical changes for two reasons: investment in the human element and investment in armaments.

‏This has led to the qualitative development in our armed forces and their attainment of the status of developed countries.

‏The National Military Service Act is of utmost importance at both local and global levels, and I think that the law passed by the Council of Ministers recently is very important to people in terms of discipline. This will be beneficial to our armed forces because it is a real investment in manpower in the country. I believe national service is an important investment.

‏What are the most important research and scientific areas NDC – of which you are a board member - plans to cover in the coming years?

‏NDC has achieved something very important. In the past, the armed forces personnel were looked at as if they were from another planet. NDC has been able to combine military and civilian human resources, which is very important and has thankfully been achieved through the first batch of graduates. Future batches will continue this and will also continue their graduate studies. The scientific aspect of the college is also highly important.

‏What is your assessment of the status of scientific research in the UAE at present? Has it progressed to your expectations? What is your assessment of scientific research at the Arab level?

‏The UAE is part of the Arab world which is where scientific research is limited compared to developed countries. There are many proposals in this regard, including the allocation of a percentage of the salaries of employees in the armed forces, the Ministry of Interior, the public sector and private sector for a council that may be called Scientific Research Council. It would pay for scientific research in various disciplines, medical, engineering, psychology , sociology and the like.

‏It can take advantage of experts inside and outside the UAE to assess any proposal, and can also engage in research, for example, into communicable diseases.

‏On the Arab level, I am very pessimistic. The Arab nation does not care enough about scientific research.

‏We are going to hold the first ‘Arabic Pen Forum’ in November. Many leading researchers, academics and specialists will come to Abu Dhabi to discuss and support Arabic culture. This event is the first of its kind - I was surprised as I expected it would be the twentieth or thirtieth.

‏The Arab world is currently facing a threat from groups using aspects of religion as cover to gain access to power. They are backed by some Arab countries and regional powers. How extensive is this threat? How can the UAE and other Arab countries confront and overcome it?

‏I think that the ‘political religion’ groups have a radical problem - that is, they think that they have ‘religious agency’. I can get an agency for any product, such as cars or construction materials, but no-one can get an agency for religion, especially the Islamic religion. All Arab countries should stand together against these movements.

‏What is your view of the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ in the light of recent developments?

‏The term ‘Arab Spring’ has been used for wrong purposes. For example, the various ‘human rights associations’ often work for illegal goals. The Arab Spring that has occurred in a number of countries is healthy, but the political religious groups who led it have deviated from the proper direction to serve their personal and partisan interests. Leadership should be for the people and not for political religious groups that exploited the anger of the people for their interests.

‏What is your assessment of the future of political Islamic groups in the region? Have the ambitions of such groups come to an end with the failure of the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt?

‏Since the fall of the Ottoman Empire in the 1920’s, groups of political religion have been trying to gain access to power, but they do not have clear political programs or vision. They only own the idea of the ‘caliphate’, but do not have any meaningful economic, social, or other programs that serve the common interest. I think that the confusion between Islam and political religious groups is very dangerous and that they must be distinguished from each other.

‏Arab academia has followed with keen interest your book ‘Prospects for the American Era: Sovereignty and Influence in the New World Order’. Considering your thoughts on a New World Order, how do you see the situation in the region in general, and what are the expected trends in the Arab-US context?

‏The US is a great power and its role in the region is clear. The book discusses this subject in detail. As for the future of the region, the security of the Gulf is the responsibility of the rulers and the people in the Gulf states, not of the Pentagon, White House or Kremlin .

‏How can the media – the traditional and new media - be tapped to make it a constructive force for rather than a tool of demolition and destruction?

‏Local, Arab and international governments should take care of the media. In the past, we used to talk about black and white TV, then came the color TV, also the normal phone has been turned into mobile phone. Now we have the social media, and every person can be an independent form of media.

‏The negative aspect in social media is rumors, so there must be a fixed standard to eliminate the rumors that spread through social media.

‏Those countries that have abolished the Ministry of Information have made a mistake. I think that a Ministry of Information is very important, especially with the advent of social media and new media.

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