The UAE’s new sheikh may jolt both succession and federation

get much easier. On May 13th the United Arab Emirates () announced the death of its president, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Though he had held the job since 2004, a stroke in 2014 pushed him largely out of the public eye. Running the country fell to his half-brother, Muhammad bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, one of the seven emirates that make up the and the one that provides its capital. On paper Muhammad was outranked by the ruler of Dubai, who is also the ’s prime minister. In practice he was already the most powerful man in the country.His rule is now official. One day after Khalifa’s death, the rulers of the seven emirates unanimously chose him as president. There will be no radical change in policy: the new boss is the same as the old.