A look at the major discussions during the last few biennial Dubai Airshows offers a convenient proxy for understanding the evolving diplomatic relationship between the United Arab Emirates and U.S. governments over the last four years. In 2017, U.S. diplomats and defense officials, empowered by the newly sworn-in Trump administration, publicly promoted the idea of selling Lockheed Martin F-35s and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. MQ-9Bs to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force. Two years later, as Democrats regained control of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a backlash against the UAE's military involvement in Yemen and Libya put a firm lid on those discussions by administration officials attending the Dubai Airshow. And what a difference an additional two years can make in diplomatic relations. Although the Biden administration is set to adopt a new Conventional Arms Transfer Policy that elevates human rights in the approval process for future arms sales, a diplomatic breakthrough secured last year changed the dynamic of arms sales discussions between Washington and Abu Dhabi, albeit tentatively.
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