Dr. Andreas Krieg Gulf Security Expert Institute of Middle Eastern Studies: Only 10% of the UAE population are locals. You can't build a military or staff a civil service with that. So Abu Dhabi's model is to delegate - buy mercenaries & use interlocutors to project power. The approach resembles England in the 1600s - building commercial networks & using locals to project influence. But this isn't just a commercial project. It's about strategic depth & making Abu Dhabi indispensable in the region's key crises & conflicts. UAE, a small state by all metrics, with the ambition of a middle power, generates influence through networks. The network model started in Libya in 2014. It worked in Yemen, Somaliland & Sudan. Militias are the tip of the iceberg. The underbelly is commodity traders, financiers, bankers, PR companies, information networks & bots pushing Emirati narratives. It's a sophisticated & resilient network - remove one node & it doesn't collapse. FULL INTERVIEW https://youtu.be/kHzzakkNuS8