|
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was born in 1912 on the impoverished, isolated and largely ignored Trucial Coast. As a member of the ruling class, his childhood could be considered to be relatively privileged, but it was also one scarred by the difficulties of the era. The tragic death of his father, regional economic collapse and difficult political conditions meant that it was a hard, uncertain life.
Sheikh Zayed emerged through this with a reputation as a leader of note. While his brother, Sheikh Shakhbout, was Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed served as wali of Al Ain, a period in which he revived the economy of the area and became famous for refusing a bribe that equated to around a billion dollars in today’s money.
In 1966 the Ruling family brought him to power in Abu Dhabi. The people were clamouring for schools and hospitals, eager to be wrenched from the choking poverty of the past.
There was also a huge political concern. A dangerous political vaccum, caused by the British withdrawal, was set to leave the Trucial States dangerously vulnerable. It was up to Sheikh Zayed to lead the fractious process toward statehood. Failure was not an option.
On December 2, 1971, the United Arab Emirates was created, with Sheikh Zayed elected as President. Sheikh Zayed was now called upon to create a coherent, progressive nation.
Zayed: Man Who Built A Nation tells the story of what the UAE President did next. A man with little formal education, he was now required to develop the UAE in economic, social and infrastructure terms.
Drawn from bedouin stock, Sheikh Zayed now also faced the prospect of representing his nation on the world stage. It was a task that he not only succeeded in, but a role that saw Sheikh Zayed evolve into a statesman of note. Zayed: Man Who Built A Nation portrays a leader who used his principals and personal moral compass to straddle the world stage, representing his nation and going on to prove an effective force for peace. Numerous wars and diplomatic crises were averted through his instinctual diplomacy.
Zayed: Man Who Built A Nation also draws back much of the veil of secrecy that surrounded the UAE President’s extraordinary philanthropy. From ports in Morocco, to clean water projects in Pakistan, the book illustrates a man who did not forget the poverty he had experienced in his own past. With the means at his disposal, he set out to help the lives of millions around the globe.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan passed away in 2004 at the age of 82. Zayed: Man Who Built A Nation is one of the first major biographies on the life of a leader whose influence on world events, and in shaping lives across the world, is only now being fully understood.
|
