The UAE is making a huge mistake by siding with the US and Israel amid the ongoing war with Iran, according to top US economist Jeffrey Sachs. He warned that if the UAE decides to enter the conflict, it could put its major cities, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, at risk of being bombed.
The American economist said that Dubai and Abu Dhabi are not military zones but major tourist destinations where wealthy visitors come to relax and enjoy themselves. Entering the war, he added, could make these cities targets of attacks.
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According to a report by the Financial Times, the UAE informed its allies, including the US, that it is willing to participate in a multinational maritime task force aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as it pushes to form a coalition to ensure the safe passage of ships through the crucial Gulf waterway.
“Basically, Dubai and Abu Dhabi could be blown up if the UAE gets into the war. These are resort areas. These are tourist destinations. These are not fortified missile defence areas. These are places where rich people are going to party and put their money. And to enter a war zone is to defeat the entire purpose of a place like Dubai. The Emirates got itself into an absurd mess with its eyes open. And it keeps doubling down, by the way,” Sachs said, while speaking to ANI.
Sachs also said that signing the Abraham Accords to become partner to US is also a big mistake by the Gulf countries including the UAE, terming it as a ‘fundamental miscalculation’. Sachs advised the UAE to put more focus on protecting themselves than be dependent on the US to provide security from foreign threat.
“I don’t want to be misunderstood, but the naivete of this announcing yesterday that we’re going to join this effort against the evil Iranians, and we’re going to continue to honour our commitment to put trillions of dollars into the United States. Come on. Enough. Protect yourself. Understand the situation. You think that doubling down on a losing proposition is really the right way to proceed at this point, but that’s exactly what they’re doing,” he said.
Iran has repeatedly warned West Asian countries against allowing the US to use military bases on their soil to launch attacks. It has said that any country hosting such bases could face consequences if those facilities are used against Iran.
