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Re-branding Abu Dhabi: From oil giant to energy titan

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Abstract

This article presents a case study of Abu Dhabi's ‘energy re-branding’ since 2005 when it declared its intention to transform itself from an oil exporter to a total energy giant that also embraces alternative (renewable and nuclear) energy. The first part of the article identifies the benefits of this policy for Abu Dhabi's external diplomacy but argues that the real driver is the emirate's domestic gas shortage and its effects on economic diversification and political legitimacy. The second part of the article discusses the motivations and interactions of local and foreign agents by focusing on the implementation of alternative energy platforms. It therefore provides a rare glimpse of the policy-making process in Abu Dhabi. The final part of the article examines the extent to which energy re-branding may be linked to a process by the government to reiterate, reinterpret and repudiate Emirati identity in order to enhance regime legitimacy in the twenty-first century.

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Notes

  1. See, for example, Dinnie (2008) for a wide variety of case studies. For place branding on a supranational and regional levels, see van Ham (2005) on Europe; for place branding on a national level, see Jansen (2008) on post-Soviet Estonia and Ooi (2008) on Singapore; and for place branding on a sub-national level, see Vasudevan (2008) on Kerala and Balakrishnan (2008) on Dubai. The bibliography also contains many references to other excellent case studies.

  2. The Gulf Co-operation Council is a loose political and economic alliance formed in May 1981 comprising six Gulf monarchies - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.

  3. The term ‘intermittency’ refers to an energy source's vulnerability to supply interruptions that would reduce its reliability. For example, wind turbines may be affected by wind direction and wind speed whereas solar panels can be rendered less effective by dust particles.

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  1. P O Box 144534, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Li-Chen Sim

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Sim, LC. Re-branding Abu Dhabi: From oil giant to energy titan. Place Brand Public Dipl 8, 83–98 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1057/pb.2011.31

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