Jeffrey Sachs warns: "Dubai could be blown up if UAE enters war"

New Delhi: Top US economist Jeffrey Sachs has sounded caution on the United Arab Emirates against joining the war, highlighting the immediate danger to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which are designed as tourist destinations rather than fortified military zones.

Speaking to ANI, Sachs argued that the UAE has gotten itself into an "absurd mess" and continues to "double down" on its mistakes with its alignment with the US and Israel.

"Basically, Dubai and Abu Dhabi could be blown up if the UAE gets into the war. These are resort areas. These are tourist destinations. These are not fortified missile defence areas. These are places where rich people are going to party and put their money. And to enter a war zone is to defeat the entire purpose of a place like Dubai. The Emirates got itself into an absurd mess with its eyes open. And it keeps doubling down, by the way," he said.


Sachs saw Gulf nations' decision to partner with the US through the Abraham Accords as an "invitation for disaster" as it made them more dependent on American protection, eventually forming what former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has termed as "fatal friendship".

"Entering the so-called Abraham accords, basically siding with Israel and the United States and such fraught political circumstances, was an invitation to disaster for the Emirates, but the point is these governments in the Gulf bet everything on American protection. That's their basic bet. They said, we have the US military facilities. They will protect us. Therefore, we can act as we see fit. We can make deals as we see fit. And we don't have to worry. This is a fundamental miscalculation," he said.

"Every day I repeat Kissinger's famous adage, and I'll repeat it at this point as well, that to be an enemy of the United States is dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal," he added.

Sachs advised the UAE not to "double down on a losing proposition" and to understand the situation to prioritise its security.

"I don't want to be misunderstood, but the naivete of this announcing yesterday that we're going to join this effort against the evil Iranians, and we're going to continue to honour our commitment to put trillions of dollars into the United States. Come on. Enough. Protect yourself. Understand the situation. You think that doubling down on a losing proposition is really the right way to proceed at this point, but that's exactly what they're doing," he said.

This assessment aligns with the intensifying rhetoric from Tehran. On March 20, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a formal warning to West Asian nations, demanding they prevent the U.S. from using local military bases for strikes against Iran.

Iran, on March 20, called on countries in West Asia to prevent the United States from using military bases in their own territories. These bases are the "root cause" of the current crisis and are being used for operations against Tehran, claimed Iran. The government has warned that such actions would amount to complicity in aggression.

"Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emphasises the Urgent Need for Regional Countries to Act to Prevent the Continued Use of Their Territory and Facilities by America and the Zionist Regime for Conducting Military Aggression Against Iran," Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran's X post read.

The spokesperson also warned that countries hosting US military bases could face consequences if those facilities were used in attacks on Iran.

Gulf states have condemned Iran's attacks against their energy infrastructure, signalling a stronger support for the US in this war.