Many observers describe recent relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Islah Party in Yemen as a “temporary marriage,” while others believe they are far from that, even temporarily. The UAE and the Islah Party quickly agree with that assessment, only to disagree again even more quickly. They share opportunistic relations marked by distrust on both sides.
The UAE and the Islah Party are united by a common enemy — the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen — but separated by their own interests. Islah is tightly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, but has had to deny its connections because the UAE considers the Brotherhood a terrorist group. The movement in the UAE was accused of trying to stage a coup, and many members, including Yemenis, were arrested a few years ago.