The United Arab Emirates seeks to increase its geopolitical positioning in the Middle East

The UAE federation, an exotic and exuberant expression of economic concentration and political conservatism on the shores of the Persian Gulf, seeks to expand its political and military influence in South Yemen (Aden).

The United Arab Emirates is a federation marked by a hybrid monarchy located in the southern Persian Gulf. Its territory is politically composed of seven emirates Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras al Khaima, Umm al-Qaywayn and Fujayra. It has 83,000 km2 and about 9,000,000 inhabitants, most of which, some 5,500,000, are foreign workers. Emirati citizens are approximately 32% (3,400,000).

From 1820 the emirates of the Gulf became part of a British protectorate that later acquired the name of “Truce States” guaranteeing the commercial monopoly and exploitation of resources to the United Kingdom. In 1968 they acquired independence (including Qatar and Bahrain, which later separated) under the name of United Arab Emirates.

The largest emirate is Abu Dhabi with 67,000 km2 and more than 3 million inhabitants concentrated in the capital of the same name.

 The second most populated emirate, despite being considerably smaller, is Dubai with 3,000,000 inhabitants and 4,100 km2.

The other emirates have much less territorial and demographic significance: Sharjah (234 km2 and 1,500,000 inhabitants), Ajman (258 km2 and 260,000 inhabitants), Ras al Khaima (1,680 km2 and 230,000 inhabitants), Umm al-Qaywayn (780 km2 and 72,000 inhabitants) and Fujayra (1,150 km2 and 230,000 inhabitants.

The United Arab Emirates has an important economic income due to its oil and gas fields. Gross income per capita is estimated at $ 70,000 that would increase more than double if only citizens of the country are considered.

Most of the UAE's oil fields are in the territory of Abu Dhabi offshore and continental). Abu Dhabi's oil production is 3,000,000 barrels per day, which makes it one of the world's largest producers of crude oil.

The main deposits are offshore in the waters of the Gulf, especially in the oil field called “Zakum Superior” located 50 km northwest of Abu Dhabi. The structural weave is relatively simple with softly folded and deformed layers inside which the main stratigraphic traps were formed and modeled. Geologically and structurally the field is constituted by a wide anticline (convex fold) whose axis extends in an East-West direction with a smooth dip (tilt). The hydrocarbons are contained in a Cretaceous limestone (approximate age: 100 million years).

Zakum Superior oil is contained in the Thanama Group (sedimentary) formed by carbonated rocks of lower Cretaceous age representing the most economically important reservoir in the emirate's productive zone.

Two oil systems are identified and predicted (requires confirmation) the existence of two mother rocks that could have been sources of hydrocarbons.

As always, the abundance and sustainability of the oil flow in this field suggests that in addition (or instead of) the existence of the supposed mother rocks there would be an upwelling coming from deeper levels of abiotic origin.

The Zakum Superior oil complex is one of the most productive sedimentary sequences in the world (the fourth global deposit and the second offshore) and has been in production for more than 40 years.

It is 50 km long in an East-West direction and 30 km wide. The estimated reserves are about 50,000 million barrels and the current production is about 750,000 barrels per day. It is considered that it will continue in production at least until 2026.

It was discovered in 1963 by British Petroleum and the Comagnie Francaise des Pétroles, after which it was operated by the National Company of Abu Dhabi

For its exploitation, the Zakum Development Company (ZADCO) was established to operate and develop the Site. The owners of the company are the Abu Dhabi National Company (60%), ExonMobil (28%) and the Japan Petroleum Development Company (JODCO) (12%).

The Zakum field has about 1,200 km2 of surface and is exploited by about 450 wells that enter the sedimentary basin up to 2,500 to 2,800 deep. These wells are connected with more than 90 platforms that in turn connect to the storage, processing and export site on Zirku Island.

The huge income of the Abu Dhabi oil industry has allowed it to multiply its investments worldwide and in particular in Dubai and in the city of Abu Dhabi itself, which has been transformed into an exotic window of urban architecture and luxurious social life of the Arab oligarchies of both the UAE and other Arab oil countries.

The great economic wealth of Abu Dhabi has allowed it to develop aggressive policies in the Middle East, and in particular with its neighbors Qatar (which is currently blocked by a Saudi-Emirati coalition), and Yemen. The latter country is being bombarded by the Saudi Arabian air forces for more than 3 years and at the same time it is considered that southern Yemen is becoming a separate satellite state of the UAE and in particular of Abu Dhabi increasing the role geopolitical of this government.

Lately, the southern separatist forces of the Southern Transitional Council supported by the UAE have clashed with their nominal allies, the forces of the president of Yemen who is still recognized by Saudi Arabia, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

These combats show the existence of divergences within the groups supported by the Arab oil monarchies.

These divisions favor the consolidation of the Houthi power in northern Yemen, which on the other hand, has shown its military power through various sabotage actions in both countries, including the destruction of the largest oil refinery in Saudi Arabia in Abqaiq.