Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE ambassador to the United States, has rewritten the playbook on Middle East diplomacy in Washington.
United Arab Emirates
Rooted in history, the war of words that has erupted in the Gulf between Qatar and its neighbours is an intensely personal affair for the Gulf ruling families, writes Geoffrey Martin.
They thought they could break tiny Qatar with bluster and pressure. But now as the Gulf crisis stretches on, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates may be doing more damage to themselves than to Qatar.
The United Arab Emirates is hoping a well-educated population will drive its economic diversification following a recent overhaul of its school curriculum - but will over-work in the teaching profession get in the way?