Detained in Dubai founder and CEO, Radha Stirling, leading international expert on Human Rights and legal abuses in the UAE, will be speaking in Washington D.C. at the Frontiers of Freedom conference entitled, “Saudi Arabia & UAE: Regional Adventures & US Interests”. Other speakers at the event include Senator Rand Paul, Congressman Gerry Connolly, and the foundation’s president, George Landrith.
“I have noted that the trajectory of the United Arab Emirates has observably veered in a more radical direction as the Saudi-Emirati relationship has deepened during their common dispute with Qatar and their joint military campaign in Yemen,” says Stirling, “Over the past ten years we have seen innumerable instances of corruption and unfair legal practices in the UAE; but in the more recent period, the UAE has engaged in actions far beyond what we had come to expect. Their behaviour has caused many in the West to question the UAE’s respect for the rule of law and their obligations to their allies; and rightly so.”
Frontiers for Freedom is a public policy foundation concerned with security issues and American foreign relations. In a statement about the upcoming conference, organisers explained, “Both Saudi and the UAE are commonly referred to as US allies, but an honest and candid review of their actions reveals that while they may be nominal allies, they have a troubling history of regional adventures that harm both regional stability and US interests.
George Landrith, the President & CEO of Frontiers of Freedom, said: “Given recent events, this conference is both timely and necessary. American political leaders as well as opinion leaders need to understand the complexities and nuisances of the US’s relationship with Saudi and the UAE. For far too long, the United States has failed to factually and candidly hold the UAE and Saudi Arabia accountable for their activities. It is not enough to simply wave off the harm they do to American interests and regional stability by assuring ourselves that they are our allies. Reality demands we understand the facts and deal with them honestly. This conference is an important step in this direction.”
Stirling seconded Landrith’s remarks, “The UAE has enjoyed a generous degree of good faith from the United States, the UK and Europe; but we can see increasing belligerence on the part of the Emirates, intensified religious extremism, and disregard for vital Western interests in the region and our vision for stability. This conference represents an urgently needed, crucial step towards a reevaluation of the American relationship with the UAE.”
The conference will be held on Friday, November 30, 2018.