The United Arab Emirates' newly appointed crown prince will likely have an outsized impact on how the Arab Gulf nation navigates the next steps of its economic development and strategic diversification in an increasingly multipolar world. On March 29, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi, appointed his eldest son, 41-year-old Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to the previously vacated post of Abu Dhabi crown prince. Sheikh Khaled has served as Deputy Head of National Security since 2017 and currently sits on the board of the state-run energy giant Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. Since October 2019, he has also served as chairman of the powerful Abu Dhabi Executive Committee, an organization that assists in the general governance of the emirate. This background gives him direct governance experience during what has been a particularly challenging past...
