Yousef Al Otaiba

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Yousef Al Otaiba
Otaiba in 2020
UAE Ambassador to the United States
Assumed office
28 July 2008
PresidentKhalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Preceded bySaqr Ghobash
Personal details
Born (1974-01-19) 19 January 1974 (age 50)
Abu Dhabi, UAE
SpouseAbeer Al Otaiba
RelationsMoza Saeed Al Otaiba (aunt), Hend Al Otaiba (sister)
ChildrenSamia
Omar
ParentMana Al Otaiba

Yousef Al Otaiba (

Minister of state. Previously Al Otaiba served as non-resident ambassador to Mexico. His father is Petroleum magnate Mana Al Otaiba, who served as the president of OPEC
a record six times.

Early life

Otaiba was born on 19 January 1974 in Abu Dhabi. His father was the UAE's first Minister of Petroleum, Mana Saeed Al Otaiba, one of the country's key non-royal founding members as well as a close confidant to the late UAE founder and President Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918–2004). His father had at least 12 children with 4 wives, including Otaiba's Egyptian mother. Otaiba was raised in Cairo by his mother, from whom he is the only child. He went to Cairo American College, a pre-K–12 international American school, and, while there, introduced himself to Frank G. Wisner, then the US ambassador to Egypt.[1]

After completing high school in 1991, Al Otaiba studied international relations at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.[2]

After attending Georgetown, Otaiba spent the next three years working for the automotive division of his family's firm, the Al Otaiba Group. His father's firm lost the

CENTCOM Commander, General Anthony Zinni was another of Otaiba's mentors.[1]

Otaiba and his wife, Abeer, founder of a luxury fashion company, have one son, Omar, and one daughter, Samia.[4]

Government career

Otaiba in 2013

Advisor and liaison to Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan

At age 26, Otaiba became senior adviser to

UAE's defense minister for eight years.[5]

In 2006 and 2007 Otaiba's role was described by Kristofer Harrison, a Defense and State Department advisor during the

Anbar Awakening), and helping 'translate' the general strategy into something they would support".[1]

Ambassador to the United States

On 22 June 2008 Otaiba was elevated to UAE ambassador to the United States.

House Foreign Affairs Committee, on an agreement that would allow the UAE to obtain nuclear materials from the US for a civilian program.[1]

In July 2010, remarks made by Otaiba were interpreted as supporting a

nuclear reactors in Iran.[8] Otaiba's remarks were reported to have been the standard position of many Arab states.[9]

Yemeni Civil War

From 2015 onwards Otaiba was a leading voice in Washington for the

Yemeni Civil War.[13]

Links with Jared Kushner

In the run-up to President

Thomas Barrack
, a billionaire investor and Trump backer.

Assessments of ambassadorship

Otaiba is generally seen as being a successful ambassador for the UAE, as the country asserts itself more aggressively in the sphere of foreign policy.[15] In November 2017 it was announced that he had been promoted to the rank of Minister, while remaining the ambassador to the United States.[16]

Otaiba (left) speaks to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in 2022

Abraham Accords

On 12 June 2020, Otaiba authored an op-ed in an effort to halt Israel's planned annexation of

Israel–United Arab Emirates peace agreement as "a win for diplomacy and for the region",[26] adding how it "lowers tensions and creates new energy for positive change".[27]

Personal affiliations

He is a member of the Cosmos Club of Washington DC.

Philanthropy

Ambassador Al Otaiba is associated with philanthropic causes in the United States and around the world, including

Children's National Hospital in Washington D.C, Tornado Relief in Joplin Missouri, the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund, The Community Soccer Program, and global polio eradication efforts.[28][29][30][31][32][33]

In 2014, Al Otaiba and his wife, Abeer, co-chaired the Children's Ball, which raised a record $10.9 million for Children's National, making it the most successful nonprofit fundraiser in Washington's history.[34][35] In 2015, the Ambassador and Mrs. Al Otaiba were the recipients of the second annual Joseph E. Robert Jr. Prize in Philanthropy created to honor families who have given back to the hospital, after having a personal experience with the institution.[34] The prize is named for philanthropist and business leader Joseph E. Robert Jr.

GlobaLeaks

In early June 2017, an anonymous hacker group named

The Huffington Post suggested that, regardless of intent, the revelations were capable of dramatically undermining U.S. goals in the Middle East and that the leaked emails were being used to embarrass “Washington's Most Powerful Ambassador”.[36]

The emails received by The Intercept also revealed an impressive covert cooperation between the UAE and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Otaiba frequently exchanged friendly emails with the FDD Senior Counselor John Hannah. The emails also listed a proposed agenda, including an extensive discussion on Qatar, of meeting between the UAE and FDD for June 11-14.[47] The email leaks also revealed close contacts between the UAE and US-based think tanks, including the United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and the Counter Extremism Project (CEP). Apart from Otaiba and the staff of both the groups, the network involved the UAE lobbyists and a Saudi lobbyist. The emails led to questions about funding of these groups by the UAE, which has funded other American think tanks.[48]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Ahmed, Ryan Grim and Akbar Shahid. "The Most Charming Man In Washington". The Huffington Post.
  2. ^ After Jan, 2021, the UAE embassy just notes that Al Otaiba "studied international relations from Georgetown University in Washington, DC"
  3. ^ "Yousef Al Otaiba". Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  4. ^ "Abeer Al Otaiba". Harper's BAZAAR Arabia.
  5. ^ a b Naylor, Hugh (July 30, 2008). "Bush welcomes new Ambassador to US". The National. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  6. ^ "New Envoy to US Yousuf Manei Al Otaiba sworn in". Gulf News. June 22, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  7. ^ "Former Executive Director of Charity". The United States Attorney's Office. United States Department of Justice. February 22, 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  8. ^ Black, Ian (7 July 2010). "UAE ambassador backs strike on Iran's nuclear sites". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  9. ^ Goldberg, Jeffrey (6 July 2010). "Why the UAE's Position on Iran Is Not Particularly New". Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  10. ^ "In Yemen's secret prisons, UAE tortures and US interrogates". Associated Press. 13 August 2021.
  11. ^ In Aden, Yemeni activists still live in fear
  12. ^ Ryan Grim: Diplomatic Underground: The Sordid Double Life of Washington's Most Powerful Ambassador, The Intercept, 30 August 2017
  13. ^ Grim, Ryan. "Gulf Ambassador Yelled at Member of Congress Pushing to End Yemen War". The Intercept. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  14. ^ Karni, Annie. "Inside Jared Kushner's circle of trust". POLITICO.
  15. ^ Overdahl, Stian. "The UAE's Man in Washington". Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  16. ^ "Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba promoted to Minister". WAM. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  17. ^ a b Al Otaiba, Yousef (12 June 2020). "Annexation will be a serious setback for better relations with the Arab world". ynetnews. YNetNews. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  18. ^ a b c d Ahren, Raphael (June 12, 2020). "In first-ever op-ed for Israeli paper, UAE diplomat warns against annexation". www.timesofisrael.com. Times of Israel. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g Zieve Cohen, Sam (30 September 2020). "UAE's Al Otaiba goes behind the scenes of the Abraham Accords". Jewish Insider. The Jewish Insider. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  20. ^ Federico-O'Murchú, Seán (August 13, 2020). "Read: Full US-Israel-UAE statement on normalizing relations". CNN. CNN. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  21. ^ a b c PTI (16 September 2020). "Israel, UAE and Bahrain sign Abraham Accord; Trump says "dawn of new Middle East"". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  22. ^ a b Bariyo, Felicia Schwartz and Nicholas (23 October 2020). "Israel, Sudan Agree to Normalize Ties in U.S.-Brokered Deal". Wall Street Journal. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  23. ^ Nissenbaum, Dion (19 October 2020). "A Secret U.S. Rescue in Yemen Played a Role in Mideast Peace Deal". Wall Street Journal. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  24. ^ Suliman, Adela (October 23, 2020). "Sudan formally recognizes Israel in U.S.-brokered deal". NBC News. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  25. ^ Schwartz, Felicia (18 August 2020). "Sudan in Talks to Formalize Ties With Israel". Wall Street Journal. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  26. ^ "Israel and UAE strike historic deal to normalise relations". BBC News. 13 August 2020.
  27. ^ "Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba Statement Regarding Announcement Between Israel and United Arab Emirates" (Press release). Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Washington, D.C.
  28. ^ "Childrens National Honors Al Otaibas for Commitment to Children | Children's National". childrensnational.org. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  29. ^ Chandrasekaran, Rajiv (February 17, 2013). "United Arab Emirates helps Joplin "think big" in rebuilding tornado-scarred schools". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  30. ^ "UAE donates $4.5 million to N.J. for Superstorm Sandy recovery". UPI. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  31. ^ "UAE and City pitch in together for LA". The National. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  32. ^ "Abu Dhabi Crown Prince donates $30m to support polio eradication efforts". Arabian Business. June 13, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  33. ^ Cleveland Metropolitan School District (2018-06-27), United Arab Emirates ambassador dedicates field, plays soccer with Cleveland students, retrieved 2019-05-02
  34. ^ a b "Childrens National Honors Al Otaibas for Commitment to Children | Children's National". childrensnational.org. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  35. ^ Ahmed, Ryan Grim and Akbar Shahid. "The Most Charming Man In Washington". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  36. ^ a b c Ahmed, Akbar Shahid (3 June 2017). "Someone Is Using These Leaked Emails To Embarrass Washington's Most Powerful Ambassador". HuffPost. Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  37. ^ a b c Kirkpatrick, David D. (1 July 2017). "Journalist Joins His Jailer's Side in a Bizarre Persian Gulf Feud (Published 2017)". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  38. ^ Kirkpatrick, David D. (31 July 2017). "Persian Gulf Rivals Competed to Host Taliban, Leaked Emails Show (Published 2017)". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  39. ^ Grim, Ryan; Walsh, Ben (9 November 2017). "Leaked Documents Expose Stunning Plan to Wage Financial War on Qatar — and Steal the World Cup". The Intercept. The Intercept. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  40. ^ "Ambassador from United Arab Emirates to the U.S.: Who Is Yousef Al Otaiba?". AllGov. AllGov. July 18, 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  41. ^ Wright, Bradley Hope and Tom (30 June 2017). "U.A.E.'s Ambassador to U.S. Linked to 1MDB Scandal". Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  42. ^ Jilani, Zaid; Emmons, Alex (30 July 2017). "Hacked Emails Show UAE Building Close Relationship With D.C. Think Tanks That Push Its Agenda". The Intercept. The Intercept. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  43. ^ "'F***in' coo coo': UAE envoy mocks Saudi leadership in leaked email". Middle East Eye. Middle East Eye. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  44. ^ Grim, Ryan (30 August 2017). "Otaiba Nightlife - Interview with Roman Paschal". The Intercept. The Intercept. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  45. ^ Poulsen, Kevin (2 June 2017). "Daily Beast - Ambassador Emails Forthcoming". The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  46. ^ "Man On The Run". Netflix. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
  47. ^ Jilani, Zaid; Grim, Ryan (3 June 2017). "Hacked Emails Show Top UAE Diplomat Coordinating With Pro-Israel Think Tank Against Iran". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 3 June 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  48. ^ "Hacked Emails Reveal Close Ties Between UAE and Anti-Iran/Qatar Advocacy Groups". Lobe Log. Lobe Log. Retrieved 18 November 2023.

External links

Videos
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