Today’s global security battle takes place primarily through narrative-based tactics instead of conventional military engagement. Public diplomacy serves as a prominent counterterrorism tool for the United Arab Emirates, through which they advance peaceful Islamic values while avoiding traditional military approaches.
The UAE’s counterterrorism policy has three key pillars: legislative and security measures, religious and cultural diplomacy, and media and digital diplomacy. This multi-faceted strategy of the UAE aligns its counterterrorism strategy with soft power projection. According to the Numbeo Safety Index 2024 report, the UAE is the second most secure nation in the world. The United Arab Emirates has established multiple parallel measures before potential terrorist threats to tackle the issue. Multiple security measures exist within the UAE framework to prevent possible terrorist attacks. The government published an official list containing 83 designated terrorist groups during November 2014.
These firm security measures have also shaped the UAE’s overall image in the region—especially among Arab youth. It has risen as a shining city on the hill among Arab youth. The Arab Youth Survey indicates the UAE has retained its position as the most desired Arab nation to reside in for youths since 2008, according to the Arab News Agency data. The United Arab Emirates not only stands as the most desirable contemporary nation for Arab youth, but they also wish to replicate its model in their countries of origin.
Beyond its local reputation, the UAE’s policy is based on stopping extremism ideologically instead of just responding to it. The strategy addresses extremist ideologies within their foundational beliefs. The UAE adopts proactive counterterrorism strategies that focus on preventing radicalization from occurring rather than dealing with threats through reactive measures that emerge afterward. The UAE’s strategic approach revolves around promoting an Islam that promotes tolerance together with peaceful coexistence and spiritual unity among religions.
Nonetheless, the UAE’s image at present as a youth magnet and safe country stands in stark contrast to how it was in the 1990s when the UAE maintained poor counterterrorism laws that led the US to condemn its financial system for terror financing as well as for providing support to the Taliban and Sudan’s regime. The UAE adopted a stricter counterterrorism strategy following the 9/11 attacks as the government aligned with international partners against terrorism. Religious groups in many Islamic countries maintain substantial power, such as Pakistan, but the UAE maintains strict control over religious activism to stop it from influencing government decisions. The UAE hosts some Islamist groups, including al-Islah, which is connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, but it uses co-opting and suppression tactics to prevent them from gaining significant influence. The UAE improved its counterterrorism operations by preventing religious groups from shaping national policy decisions, even though it alienated some citizens.
To underpin this political approach, the UAE has institutionalized its vision for moderate Islam in a number of high-profile programs. The country has established religious moderation as an official organizational principle. The Hedayah Center for global anti-extremist operations and the Sawab Center, which combats extremism online, place the UAE as a global leader against extremism and terrorism. It conducts public diplomacy initiatives that extend beyond Muslim communities by getting engaged in top-level interfaith discussions, such as hosting the historic visit of Pope Francis to the Arabian Peninsula in 2019. As a testament to its commitment to interfaith inclusiveness, the UAE has recently inaugurated the Abrahamic Family House, which features religious buildings representing Islam, Christianity, and the Jewish faith.
In the twenty-first century, radicalization occurs predominantly through online platforms because extremist organizations utilize social media platforms to attract new members and propagate their propaganda content. The UAE acknowledges this fact, and it uses digital diplomacy as a countermeasure against extremist narratives. Through targeted social media campaigns, the Sawab Center counters extremist narratives, such as those of ISIS, delivering messages about peace and coexistence.
Alongside social media efforts, mainstream and state-supported news media also play an important role in the UAE’s public diplomacy effort. Media outlets, including Sky News Arabia together with Al Arabiya, play a critical role in broadcasting moderate content while uncovering extremist operations. The UAE maintains control of digital and media platforms to establish its religious vision of Islam as the leading voice in public discourse instead of extremist interpretations.
The UAE’s strict regulation of religious institutions raises questions about whether its self-claimed “moderate Islam” arises organically or is the result of government policies for political reasons. The UAE encourages tolerance but does not allow political Islam and other movements that seek to challenge the government, which some consider a bid for domestic consolidation of power rather than for international security. Counterterrorism policies allow critics to argue that they facilitate the UAE’s ability to silence political opposition while holding onto its moderate Islamic image. The Muslim Brotherhood is viewed by the UAE as an entryway to extremism, resulting in it being officially banned within the country and causing conflict with Turkey and Qatar. The future test of the United Arab Emirates will be to continue its role as a moderate Islamic advocate while navigating sustained geopolitical tensions in the Middle East region. In successfully navigating these conflicts, the nation has the potential to be a central anchor that shapes global counterterrorism discussions. The critical question now is whether the United Arab Emirates will succeed in keeping its balance between security and openness. Currently the United Arab Emirates is one of the most prominent supporters of moderate Islamic stories in the Middle East. Although its long-term legacy is yet to be determined, the UAE model is a worthwhile model for countries looking to fight extremism with ideas—and not only guns.
However, the success of this approach cannot be measured by intentions alone; it has to be assessed by how well it tackles the ideological origins of extremism. Despite receiving criticism, the reality is that the UAE public diplomacy strategy gives valuable inputs to counterterrorism practice. Counterterrorism operations against terrorists can shatter their networks, but such measures cannot erase extremist ideologies from people’s minds. The UAE’s strategic mix of religious, cultural, and digital engagement offers a model to countries that are striving to tackle extremism at its roots.
