Seen and heard this week
Dr Nisha Mathew, Joint Research Fellow from the NUS Middle East Institute and the Asia Research Institute at NUS lent insights on international affairs. In view of speculations of a curtail on the power of Saudi Arabia Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, Dr Mathew analysed The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) vested interest in the Saudi Arabia Crown Prince in a commentary published in The Straits Times on 5 April. She opined that the UAE wants Crown Prince Muhammed to have an unfettered hold on power as his grand designs on regional hegemony are fortuitous to the UAE, allowing it to work towards securing a key role for itself in the international maritime trade in the shadows of Saudi Arabia. The UAE has also been quietly strengthening its military, making it more than capable of backing its country’s maritime push with force, she said, and that a cut back on Crown Prince Muhammad’s power, if true, may give him a clearer view of what the UAE is planning.