Opinion: The UAE, like the US and Israel, is normalising a permanent state of war in the Middle East

It took the Russian President Vladimir Putin 10 full months after his invasion of Ukraine to call what his country was engaged in a war. Even then, the word could only be used by him. Anyone else could get up to 15 years in prison for "disseminating false information". Six months after his second attack on Iran, US President Donald Trump is still in la-la land about the war from which he cannot extricate himself, nor 50,000 troops, 19 warships and two aircraft carriers. Whatever these forces are engaged in, it's not a war. Read more: The UAE, like the US and Israel, is normalising a permanent state of war in the Middle East Opinion by David Hearst UAE's President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the airport in Abu Dhabi on 12 August 2026 (AFP)