As Abu Dhabi and Dubai embrace increasingly liberal domestic policies modeled on the West and pursue foreign agendas that break sharply with their historic Arab and Islamic identity, rumors of internal fractures within the UAE have surged across digital platforms.

Official statistics in Iraq show that the private sector imports around $8 billion worth of gold and precious stones from the UAE each year, raising questions about why such huge quantities are being brought in and who is behind these shipments.

Abu Dhabi’s newest sovereign wealth fund, L’IMAD Holding, is taking control of its peer ADQ, the government media office announced Friday, claiming a major consolidation that would create a new investment powerhouse in the emirate under the crown prince.

Riyadh is no longer willing to position itself within “Israel’s” camp or play a subordinate role in regional arrangements, instead seeking to act as an independent power able to maneuver and impose its own terms.

Yemen’s political landscape is shifting rapidly as local and regional power balances change and key actors reposition, reshaping the political and military map—most notably in the south.