Khalid bin Saqr Al Qasimi
Encyclopedia
Sheikh Khalid bin Saqr Al Qasimi is the former Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah
. He is the eldest son of His Highness Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, who ruled Ras Al Khaimah, the northernmost Emirate
of the United Arab Emirates
, from 1948 until his death in 2010.
Khalid served as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah from 1958 until his removal from office by his father in June 2003. He currently resides in Sharjah, a neighboring Emirate. Khalid has repeatedly stated that his father, Sheikh Saqr, in 2004 reaffirmed in a royal decree that Sheikh Khalid – not his half-brother, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi
– was the true Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah.
The decree has not been officially recognized by the Government of Ras Al Khaimah or the United Arab Emirates.
of Ras Al Khaimah. Khalid undertook his elementary schooling in Ras Al Khaimah, his secondary education
in Cairo
and his higher education
at Loughborough University
, a public university located in the East Midlands
of England in the United Kingdom
.
He served as Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah, the Ras Al Khaimah National Oil Company, RAK Gas Commission and RAK Cement Company.
During his tenure as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler, Sheikh Khalid promoted economic development including the expansion of both the International Airport and Saqr Port, the promotion of clean energy and agricultural initiatives, cement manufacturing and investment in health care.
Khalid has been called a reformer for his efforts to promote changes that would lead to greater popular participation in society in both the Emirates and the region as a whole. As the Arabic news network Al Jazeera
noted, the “[r]eform minded Sheikh Khalid had asked for democratic changes in his Emirate and the Country as a whole which have later been fully accepted and integrated policies of the Federal Government of the United Arab Emirates.”
Khalid also built a reputation for hardline opposition to Iran
and its controversial occupation of the Tunb Islands, which had been under the long historical control of Ras Al Khaimah, but were forcibly seized by Iran on November 30, 1971.
.
The removal of Sheikh Khalid as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler caused unrest in Ras Al Khaimah and was met with street protests. Thousands of demonstrators shouted “with our souls and blood we defend you Khalid” and “no other crown prince” following his expulsion. Order was restored when Abu Dhabi
, the lead emirate of the UAE, sent armored vehicles to Ras Al Khaimah.
Media reports at the time speculated that Sheikh Khalid was removed, in part, due to his support for women’s rights and his opposition to Iran and its controversial occupation of the Tunb Islands. In addition, Sheikh Khalid's opposition to the war in Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath regime was seen as counter to UAE policy
Separate media reports attribute his removal from office to other factors, mainly that Sheikh Khalid was considered to be at odds with the political leadership of the UAE. Khalid's vocal hostility to the US intervention to depose Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath regime became a liability for the UAE. In 2003, he led a protest march of several hundred people through Ras-Al Khaimah that culminated with Khalid himself burning the American flag and allowed the local radio station to broadcast a consistently anti-US line. This occurred at a time when the federal government guided by Sheikh Zayed in Abu Dhabi was strengthening cooperation with the US.
Once Khalid was deposed, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported the appointment of Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al-Qasimi as crown prince without delay, which gave the impression that Abu Dhabi approved of the appointment. No reaction was forthcoming from Dubai. Those close to Shaikh Saqr al-Qasimi, the Ruler of Ras al-Khaimah, said that despite the fact that he was at the time approaching 85, he was still with full faculties. As such, the pressure that Sheikh Khalid's supporters put on him to reverse his decision was futile. He said to those attempting to mediate in the affair at the time: “These are my sons and I am free to make my own decisions.”
Despite Skeikh Khalid's repeated claims on his personal website (www.sheikhkhalidrak.com) that he has in his possession a decree re-instating him as crown prince, such a document has never been officially recognized by the Government or Ras Al Khaimah or the United Arab Emirates. The decree was never officially published in the UAE nor does it have an official document number, both of which are necessary for such a decree to take effect. For this reason, the official UAE informational website, www.uaeinteract.com lists HH Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ra's al-Khaimah.
Moreover the UAE embassy in Washington, DC stated officially that “Khalid bin Saqr Al-Qasimi currently holds no official role in the local government of the emirate or the Federal Government of the United Arab Emirates. As such, his words, views, or expressions do not represent the official position of any governmental agency in the UAE, either local or federal.” [Deposed sheik hires former reporter in lobbying effort, The Hill 11/03/09]
, "Khalid and his aides are trying to destabilize the current regime by creating international pressure. The strategy is to raise the stakes among the international community by suggesting aggressively that the existing leaders of Ras al-Khaimah – Khalid's brother and father – are in league with Iran and may be breaking international sanctions to support its nuclear ambitions."
The Guardian has revealed that Skeikh Khalid has spent in excess of $3.7m (£2.6m) for a team of U.S. and European security strategists, lawyers and lobbyists in order to wage a campaign to, in their own words, "undermine the current regime's standing" and to force the leadership of the UAE in Abu Dhabi, which has powerful influence over the emirate, to "make a change". In other words, to precipitate a coup in Ras Al Khaimah.
To this end, Sheikh Khalid has become vocal about the increasing influence of Iran in Ras Al Khaimah. In a 2009 letter U.S. lawmakers he noted:
"The supportive posture [RAK] takes toward the Islamic Republic of Iran is undermining the policies of the United States”…[RAK] has become “an increasingly important staging ground for Iranian efforts to circumvent international economic sanctions,”
According to published reports, now shown to have been funded by Khailid's lobbying team, Ras Al Khaimah has become a preferred port for Iranian smugglers to avoid customs and move nuclear materials – potentially for weapons – into Iran. George Webb, the head of the Canada Border Services Agency's Counter Proliferation Section, told Canada's National Post:
Sheikh Khalid's US communications team insists these claims are "well sourced", but they have been rejected by the UAE embassy in London and the US. The UAE also denied the Sheikh's claim that RAK has links to Iran's nuclear program and that a port in RAK has in effect become an Iranian base, allowing Tehran to avoid international sanctions. Instead the Embassy described the claims as attacks as "baseless and without foundation and should be seen in the context of his long-standing dispute with his family."
"These appear to be old, scurrilous rumors which Sheik Khalid has made on numerous occasions," a spokesman for the UAE said in a statement. "His claims are baseless and without foundation and should be seen in the context of his long-standing dispute with his family. We are surprised that these old allegations are now being rehashed once again."
The relationship between Ras Al Khaimah and Iran has garnered increased attention for two reasons.
First, a recent agreement that allows the United States to share peaceful nuclear technology with the seven United Arab Emirate states – including RAK – is causing concern that this peaceful agreement could unintentionally aid Iran’s nuclear program.
Second, in the fall of 2009, a plot was exposed to blow up the world’s tallest building in Dubai. An armed network believed to be associated with Iran and connected to the plot operated out of Ras Al Khaimah.
California Strategies, a US west coast PR firm, has been employed to use blogs, Twitter accounts and a multimillion pound PR and advertising budget to this end. And the plotters' allegations do not stop there. A private defense company, The Erinnyes Group Inc., run by a former member of the US air force special forces, Glenn Ignazio, has been hired to draw up a report into Ras al-Khaimah's security profile.
Sheik Khalid has been criticized by the current regime in Ras Al Khaimah for political activities in the United States that raise awareness and document RAK’s connection with Iran.
In addition, Sheikh Khalid hired Glenn Simpson, an ex-Wall Street Journal reporter with extensive experience in investigating how Islamic terrorism is financed.
A full overview of Khalid's lobbying efforts can be found here: http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/66195-deposed-sheik-hires-former-reporter-in-lobbying-effort and here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/06/peter-cathcart-base-coup
Sheikh Khalid attended the inauguration
of President Barack Obama
and purchased billboards congratulating Mr. Obama on his victory.
The Partnership is focused on the following initiatives:
On sovereignty and security matters, Al Qasimi is a strong supporter of the efforts of the United Arab Emirates and of the need for Ras Al Khaimah to work within the framework of the Federal Government. In this context, Khalid has long stood against Iran’s occupation of the Greater and Lesser Tonb Islands and Abu Musa
and strongly supports the United Arab Emirates efforts to bring the matter before the International Court of Justice
and the United Nations
. These islands are of particularly strategic value because of their location at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz
, the only sea passage to the open ocean for most of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf
, and through which 40 percent of the world’s oil supply travels every year.
Al Qasimi has announced "A Pledge For Progress". It calls for:
Ras al-Khaimah
Ras al-Khaimah is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates , in the east of the Persian Gulf. It is in the northern part of the UAE bordering Oman's exclave. The capital city and home of most residents is also called Ras al-Khaimah. The city has a population of 263,217 as of 2008. The city...
. He is the eldest son of His Highness Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, who ruled Ras Al Khaimah, the northernmost Emirate
Emirate
An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch styled emir.-Etymology:Etymologically emirate or amirate is the quality, dignity, office or territorial competence of any emir ....
of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, from 1948 until his death in 2010.
Khalid served as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah from 1958 until his removal from office by his father in June 2003. He currently resides in Sharjah, a neighboring Emirate. Khalid has repeatedly stated that his father, Sheikh Saqr, in 2004 reaffirmed in a royal decree that Sheikh Khalid – not his half-brother, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi
Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi
His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr al Qasimi was appointed Supreme Council member and new Ruler of Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates on October 27, 2010. Sheikh Saud is the fourth son of Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad al-Qassimi,his predecessor as UAE Supreme Council Member and previous Ruler of...
– was the true Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah.
The decree has not been officially recognized by the Government of Ras Al Khaimah or the United Arab Emirates.
Personal life & education
Khalid is one of eight brothers, most of whom hold official roles within the governmentGovernment
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
of Ras Al Khaimah. Khalid undertook his elementary schooling in Ras Al Khaimah, his secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and his higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
at Loughborough University
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
, a public university located in the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
of England in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Service and record as Crown Prince
Sheikh Khalid was named Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah in 1958. As Crown Prince, Sheikh Khalid oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Ras Al Khaimah Government and served as principal contact with all foreign governments. He led high-level diplomatic missions to the United States during the Nixon, Reagan and Clinton Administrations. In 1999, President Clinton personally received him in the White House.He served as Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah, the Ras Al Khaimah National Oil Company, RAK Gas Commission and RAK Cement Company.
During his tenure as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler, Sheikh Khalid promoted economic development including the expansion of both the International Airport and Saqr Port, the promotion of clean energy and agricultural initiatives, cement manufacturing and investment in health care.
Khalid has been called a reformer for his efforts to promote changes that would lead to greater popular participation in society in both the Emirates and the region as a whole. As the Arabic news network Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
noted, the “[r]eform minded Sheikh Khalid had asked for democratic changes in his Emirate and the Country as a whole which have later been fully accepted and integrated policies of the Federal Government of the United Arab Emirates.”
Khalid also built a reputation for hardline opposition to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and its controversial occupation of the Tunb Islands, which had been under the long historical control of Ras Al Khaimah, but were forcibly seized by Iran on November 30, 1971.
Controversy surrounding removal from office
After 37 years in office, Khalid was removed as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler on June 14, 2003 by his father and replaced by his younger half-brother Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al QasimiSaud bin Saqr al Qasimi
His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr al Qasimi was appointed Supreme Council member and new Ruler of Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates on October 27, 2010. Sheikh Saud is the fourth son of Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad al-Qassimi,his predecessor as UAE Supreme Council Member and previous Ruler of...
.
The removal of Sheikh Khalid as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler caused unrest in Ras Al Khaimah and was met with street protests. Thousands of demonstrators shouted “with our souls and blood we defend you Khalid” and “no other crown prince” following his expulsion. Order was restored when Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, the lead emirate of the UAE, sent armored vehicles to Ras Al Khaimah.
Media reports at the time speculated that Sheikh Khalid was removed, in part, due to his support for women’s rights and his opposition to Iran and its controversial occupation of the Tunb Islands. In addition, Sheikh Khalid's opposition to the war in Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath regime was seen as counter to UAE policy
Separate media reports attribute his removal from office to other factors, mainly that Sheikh Khalid was considered to be at odds with the political leadership of the UAE. Khalid's vocal hostility to the US intervention to depose Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath regime became a liability for the UAE. In 2003, he led a protest march of several hundred people through Ras-Al Khaimah that culminated with Khalid himself burning the American flag and allowed the local radio station to broadcast a consistently anti-US line. This occurred at a time when the federal government guided by Sheikh Zayed in Abu Dhabi was strengthening cooperation with the US.
Once Khalid was deposed, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported the appointment of Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al-Qasimi as crown prince without delay, which gave the impression that Abu Dhabi approved of the appointment. No reaction was forthcoming from Dubai. Those close to Shaikh Saqr al-Qasimi, the Ruler of Ras al-Khaimah, said that despite the fact that he was at the time approaching 85, he was still with full faculties. As such, the pressure that Sheikh Khalid's supporters put on him to reverse his decision was futile. He said to those attempting to mediate in the affair at the time: “These are my sons and I am free to make my own decisions.”
Despite Skeikh Khalid's repeated claims on his personal website (www.sheikhkhalidrak.com) that he has in his possession a decree re-instating him as crown prince, such a document has never been officially recognized by the Government or Ras Al Khaimah or the United Arab Emirates. The decree was never officially published in the UAE nor does it have an official document number, both of which are necessary for such a decree to take effect. For this reason, the official UAE informational website, www.uaeinteract.com lists HH Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi as Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ra's al-Khaimah.
Moreover the UAE embassy in Washington, DC stated officially that “Khalid bin Saqr Al-Qasimi currently holds no official role in the local government of the emirate or the Federal Government of the United Arab Emirates. As such, his words, views, or expressions do not represent the official position of any governmental agency in the UAE, either local or federal.” [Deposed sheik hires former reporter in lobbying effort, The Hill 11/03/09]
Attempting to regain power in Ras al-Khaimah
According to The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, "Khalid and his aides are trying to destabilize the current regime by creating international pressure. The strategy is to raise the stakes among the international community by suggesting aggressively that the existing leaders of Ras al-Khaimah – Khalid's brother and father – are in league with Iran and may be breaking international sanctions to support its nuclear ambitions."
The Guardian has revealed that Skeikh Khalid has spent in excess of $3.7m (£2.6m) for a team of U.S. and European security strategists, lawyers and lobbyists in order to wage a campaign to, in their own words, "undermine the current regime's standing" and to force the leadership of the UAE in Abu Dhabi, which has powerful influence over the emirate, to "make a change". In other words, to precipitate a coup in Ras Al Khaimah.
To this end, Sheikh Khalid has become vocal about the increasing influence of Iran in Ras Al Khaimah. In a 2009 letter U.S. lawmakers he noted:
"The supportive posture [RAK] takes toward the Islamic Republic of Iran is undermining the policies of the United States”…[RAK] has become “an increasingly important staging ground for Iranian efforts to circumvent international economic sanctions,”
According to published reports, now shown to have been funded by Khailid's lobbying team, Ras Al Khaimah has become a preferred port for Iranian smugglers to avoid customs and move nuclear materials – potentially for weapons – into Iran. George Webb, the head of the Canada Border Services Agency's Counter Proliferation Section, told Canada's National Post:
While nominally in the U.A.E., the port is controlled by Iran and is situated just across the Gulf from Bandar Abbas, an Iranian city with a naval base and an airport capable of landing large transport planes. "Ras al-Khaimah is actually leased by the Iranian government, staffed by Iranian customs," Mr. Webb said, as he examined a classified satellite photo of the port.
Sheikh Khalid's US communications team insists these claims are "well sourced", but they have been rejected by the UAE embassy in London and the US. The UAE also denied the Sheikh's claim that RAK has links to Iran's nuclear program and that a port in RAK has in effect become an Iranian base, allowing Tehran to avoid international sanctions. Instead the Embassy described the claims as attacks as "baseless and without foundation and should be seen in the context of his long-standing dispute with his family."
"These appear to be old, scurrilous rumors which Sheik Khalid has made on numerous occasions," a spokesman for the UAE said in a statement. "His claims are baseless and without foundation and should be seen in the context of his long-standing dispute with his family. We are surprised that these old allegations are now being rehashed once again."
The relationship between Ras Al Khaimah and Iran has garnered increased attention for two reasons.
First, a recent agreement that allows the United States to share peaceful nuclear technology with the seven United Arab Emirate states – including RAK – is causing concern that this peaceful agreement could unintentionally aid Iran’s nuclear program.
Second, in the fall of 2009, a plot was exposed to blow up the world’s tallest building in Dubai. An armed network believed to be associated with Iran and connected to the plot operated out of Ras Al Khaimah.
Global Lobbying Activities
Published reports reveal that Khalid and his aides are attempting to destabilize the regime of his brother, Sheikh Saud, by creating international pressure through extensive lobbying in the US and Europe. The strategy is to raise the stakes among the international community by suggesting aggressively that the existing leaders of Ras Al Khaimah – Khalid's brother and father – are in league with Iran and may be breaking international sanctions to support its nuclear ambitions.California Strategies, a US west coast PR firm, has been employed to use blogs, Twitter accounts and a multimillion pound PR and advertising budget to this end. And the plotters' allegations do not stop there. A private defense company, The Erinnyes Group Inc., run by a former member of the US air force special forces, Glenn Ignazio, has been hired to draw up a report into Ras al-Khaimah's security profile.
Sheik Khalid has been criticized by the current regime in Ras Al Khaimah for political activities in the United States that raise awareness and document RAK’s connection with Iran.
In addition, Sheikh Khalid hired Glenn Simpson, an ex-Wall Street Journal reporter with extensive experience in investigating how Islamic terrorism is financed.
A full overview of Khalid's lobbying efforts can be found here: http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/66195-deposed-sheik-hires-former-reporter-in-lobbying-effort and here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/06/peter-cathcart-base-coup
Sheikh Khalid attended the inauguration
Inauguration
An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
of President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and purchased billboards congratulating Mr. Obama on his victory.
Current policy positions
Sheikh Khalid has called for a clean, sustainable and independent energy future for Ras Al Khaimah and for increased educational opportunities, including a rapid expansion of international and cross-cultural student exchanges.The Partnership is focused on the following initiatives:
- Develop opportunities for sustainability between national and sub-national governments in the Middle East
- Bring together leading green technology innovators, environmental experts and renewable energy developers to guide leaders in the Middle East in developing a sustainable future
- Assist with identifying projects that will attract investment and provide economic growth
- Work with other international and regional groups to foster collaboration for sustainability
- Be a resource for learning more about how to invest, develop, and encourage sustainability in the Middle East.
On sovereignty and security matters, Al Qasimi is a strong supporter of the efforts of the United Arab Emirates and of the need for Ras Al Khaimah to work within the framework of the Federal Government. In this context, Khalid has long stood against Iran’s occupation of the Greater and Lesser Tonb Islands and Abu Musa
Abu Musa
Abu Musa is a 12-km² island in the eastern Persian Gulf, part of a six-island archipelago near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. The island is administered by Iran as part of the Iranian province of Hormozgan, but is also claimed by the United Arab Emirates .Abu Musa's inhabitants call it...
and strongly supports the United Arab Emirates efforts to bring the matter before the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. These islands are of particularly strategic value because of their location at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz
Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow, strategically important waterway between the Gulf of Oman in the southeast and the Persian Gulf. On the north coast is Iran and on the south coast is the United Arab Emirates and Musandam, an exclave of Oman....
, the only sea passage to the open ocean for most of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf
Arab states of the Persian Gulf
"Arab states of the Persian Gulf" or "Arab Persian Gulf states" or "Persian Gulf Arab states" or "Arabic Persian Gulf states" or "Arab States of The Gulf", are terms that refer to the six Arab states of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, bordering the Persian Gulf....
, and through which 40 percent of the world’s oil supply travels every year.
Al Qasimi has announced "A Pledge For Progress". It calls for:
- Building an economy to serve the people and not just the powerful.
- Pursuing energy independence.
- Preserving Sovereignty.
- Increasing educational opportunities for the next generation.
- Promoting the rule of lawRule of lawThe rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
, including respect for intellectual property. - Encouraging greater popular participation in government.
External links
- RAK For The People His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Saqr Al Qasimi's website