Even before becoming president, Sheikh Mohammed was believed to have been the country's de facto leader since a 2014 stroke saw Sheikh Khalifa disappear from public view. Trained at England's Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and a fluent English speaker, Sheikh Mohammed's style also found favor with allied militaries. That also marked the hardening of Sheikh Mohammed's opinions toward pan-Arab Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood. Brotherhood members taught in Emirati schools in the 1980s, formative years for a young Sheikh Mohammed. For Sheikh Mohammed, the responsibility for all this now falls solely on him.

Source: Manila Times May 19, 2022 16:03 UTC