Home pagePress CenterIn the Media Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, was quoted by the Associated Press, "New French Base Shows Gulf States Want to Broaden Contacts Beyond U.S."
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Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, was quoted by the Associated Press, "New French Base Shows Gulf States Want to Broaden Contacts Beyond U.S."
The promise of a new French base in the United Arab Emirates is the latest sign that Arab Gulf countries are expanding their commercial and military contacts to bolster security without appearing too dependent on the United States.
President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that France next year will become the only Western country other than the U.S. to have a permanent defense facility in the Gulf.
"The UAE gets the advantage of playing the field a bit, not because it wants to walk away from the U.S. relationship but because this gives them leverage over both the French and Americans to get what they want," Mideast analyst Jon Alterman said. Read the article
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