_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
Four days before President Donald Trump's inauguration in January 2025, an Abu Dhabi royal known as the "spy sheikh" secretly purchased a 49 percent stake in the Trump family's cryptocurrency company, World Liberty Financial, for $500 million. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the brother of the UAE's president and the country's national security adviser, signed the deal through his investment firm Aryam Investment 1.
Two months later, the Trump administration reversed Biden-era restrictions and granted the UAE access to 500,000 advanced AI chips annually. While the deal to provide the Emirates with advanced chips was intended to strengthen ties with Middle Eastern allies, the decision raised alarm among national security officials who feared the technology could be diverted to China.
Geopolitics 101: Complete Access Only
Unlock this article and our uncensored, in-depth global politics briefings with a Complete Access membership.
Try free