author | Insight Turkey https://www.insightturkey.com/ author EN authorBy analyzing the three works above, this article argues that the United Arab Emirates’ post-2011 transformation cannot be explained within the behavioral boundaries traditionally assigned to small states. Rather than conforming to the passivity, risk aversion, or alliance dependency that the small-state literature prescribes, the UAE has demonstrated a sustained pattern of strategic autonomy, assertive interventionism, and identity-driven statecraft.https://www.insightturkey.com/author/gokhan-ereli-1/defying-small-state-orthodoxy-the-uaes-outlier-trajectory-toward-middle-power-statushttps://www.insightturkey.com/author/gokhan-ereli-1/defying-small-state-orthodoxy-the-uaes-outlier-trajectory-toward-middle-power-statusWed, 31 Dec 2025 15:46:00 GMT