The Central Intelligence Agency - #CIA of the United States will not collect information on the United Arab Emirates, although the actions of the kingdom often go directly against American interests. The CIA policy, which some sources describe as "very unusual," does not see the growing distance between US interests and the UAE's foreign policies, according to Reuters. The news agency quoted "three former CIA officials familiar with the issue" who claimed that the CIA's policy is out of the world and could endanger US national security.
The CIA collects the #humint data on each nation whose actions or decisions affect American interests. These nations include close American allies such as Israel, Germany and Saudi Arabia. The countries that are excluded from the CIA target list are those that are part of the so-called "Five Eyes" partners, namely the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Strangely, however, this exclusive list includes the United Arab Emirates, according to a charge made by Reuters on Monday. The CIA is believed to have "a liaison" with the UAE intelligence community when it comes to gathering information on common opponents, such as Iran, or non-state threats like al-Qaeda and Hezbollah. But it does not collect information on the United Arab Emirates, despite the tiny but powerful oil kingdom "operating as a rogue state" in the Middle East and beyond, according to some former CIA officials.
The leadership of the United Arab Emirates was fundamental to support and eventually abandon the autocratic leader of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. The small oil kingdom is now heavily involved in political conflict in Sudan, while it also funds militias in Yemen, Libya and Somalia, Reuters said. Now it has military bases in different parts of Africa, such as Eritrea and Somaliland, and its leaders are tightening ever closer ties with China and Russia.
An unnamed CIA official told Reuters that the CIA's inability to adapt its intelligence-gathering policy to the UAE's growing military and political power is nothing short of "a waiver of duty." The news agency said it had contacted the CIA, the National Security Agency and the White House to ask questions about US intelligence activities in the UAE, but received no response.