Risk Management Report: UAE - Emirates

At the top of each emirate are the courts of the rulers, and of the crown princes. In practice, only the rulers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai make unilateral decisions and put out emiri decrees, with most of the smaller emirates using legislation crafted at federal level. Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah all have executive councils, although Dubai’s is relatively informal. Abu Dhabi and Sharjah also have national consultative councils. ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi’s ruling Al-Nahyan dominated the federal government until early 2006, when Dubai’s charismatic ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum (MBR), was named federal vicepresident and prime minister. Current ruler Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al- Nahyan had a stroke in January and has not been seen publicly since; his brother, Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, is the de facto ruler of the UAE, controlling the military and many aspects of foreign policy.