An Archaeological and Multiscientific Analysis of the UAE's Influence on U.S. Foreign Policy: Strategies, Challenges, and Implications

Abstract

Archaeology, as an interdisciplinary field, offers unique insights into ancient civilizations and their modern impacts. This paper employs archaeological and multiscientific approaches to examine how the United Arab Emirates (UAE) influences U.S. foreign policy towards the UAE and the Middle East through direct and indirect lobbying strategies. Since the Middle East upheaval, the UAE has invested heavily to establish a sophisticated and systematic lobbying group, aiming to safeguard its interests, enhance its national image, contain Qatar's rise, and strengthen the U.S.-UAE relationship. However, the UAE's lobbying strategy faces limitations in issue selection and target audience. It neglects common concerns in the Arab world, hindering alliances with other Arab countries to form a stronger lobbying force. Although the UAE collaborates with media, think tanks, and the Israeli lobbying group, it has not formed a community of interest with Arab-American citizens nor fully utilized grassroots lobbying to exert pressure on U.S. political decision-making, impacting the longevity of its lobbying efforts. By integrating archaeological methodologies, this study analyzes the real-world challenges and dilemmas of the UAE's lobbying strategy, providing new perspectives on cultural heritage management in modern international relations.