Five & One: May 20, 2026

Libya, UAE and Syria, oh my! Middle Eastern leaders continue to make headlines. As the US pushes for sanctions against Syria and military intervention in Libya, the UAE has begun to build an army of its own, from a source quite close to home.

5. Chinese military official to visit United States

This week, General Chen Bingde of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, arrived in the United States for a week long visit. Chen is the most senior officer in the Chinese military, equivalent to the American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and is the first Chinese officer of that rank to visit the U.S. in nearly seven years. While in the U.S., he is expected to tour several military facilities, meet with senior administration officials, and witness a live training exercise at the Army’s National Training Center at Fort Irwin, CA.

The visit is an effort to leaven the tensions between the U.S. and China that have grown in recent years. Since the early 2000s, there has been a decrease in contact between the two countries’ militaries: fewer high level meetings and fewer officer exchanges. The Obama administration hopes that a better relationship with the Chinese military will help to moderate the interaction between the two countries in the case of a future crisis. The likelihood that this visit signals a major change, however, is minimal; the Chinese military can rely on the U.S. military as a boogeyman to help drive defense spending, similar to the rhetoric surrounding military spending in the U.S.

4. NLRB stops development of new Boeing airplane

The National Labor Relations Board recently filed a complaint to halt Boeing’s launch of a new airplane production line. The move drew criticism this week from former NLRB head, Bill Gould, who claimed that, “the Boeing case is unprecedented”. Boeing is increasing its production capacity, including adding new jobs, at its current production facility in Washington State in order to meet expected demand for its new 787 Dreamliners. But it is also planning on opening a second thousand-plus-job facility in South Carolina. Boeing has experienced significant labor strife at its production facilities in Washington State, losing $1.8 billion during a 58-day strike in 2008. Its decision to locate new production facilities in South Carolina, a right-to-work, state has drawn the NRLB’s censure. South Carolina, like twenty-one other U.S. states, prohibits unions from requiring employees join unions when they begin work at a unionized workplace.

The NLRB is arguing that Boeing’s decision constitutes retaliation to worker strikes, which current labor law prohibits. In its complaint, the NLRB cites several statements in which Boeing executives attribute their decision to the problems created by union strikes in Washington. Corporate retaliation, or threats thereof, against striking unions has long been prohibited by U.S. labor law. Corporations are, however, allowed to use labor conditions as a factor in facility location decisions. The controversy arises in defining what, precisely, constitutes corporate retaliation. If its decision survives judicial scrutiny, the NLRB’s opinion will set a strong precedent concerning companies’ capacity to relocate. It would become far more difficult for corporations to move from labor-friendly states to right-to-work states.

3. Pakistan, NATO forces exchange fire

On Tuesday, Pakistani military forces exchanged fire with two NATO helicopters along the border region of Datta Khel, injuring two Pakistani soldiers. The Pakistani military has lodged a formal complaint and asked to meet with NATO officials over the confrontation. This is the second time in the past year that NATO and Pakistani forces have skirmished along the border, although when this last occurred the fighting was accidental; NATO helicopters mistook warning shots by Pakistani border guards as militant gunfire.

The exchange marks the first time that NATO and Pakistani forces have clashed since the U.S. carried out a daring raid deep into the heart of Pakistan that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden. Diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Pakistan have soured since the raid, but the recent clash escalates tensions even further. The incident reflects a toughening anti-U.S. stance by the Pakistani military and intelligence service (ISI), which feels along with most Pakistanis, that the the bin Laden raid violated Pakistan’s sovereignty. The growing difference between the positions of the Pakistani military and the Pakistani central government raise the important question of the extent of the central government’s control over the military and ISI.

2. US officials sanction Syria

The Obama administration recently announced that it would place sanctions on top leaders in Syria. The administration will freeze the U.S. based assets of the President, Bashar al-Assad, as well as those of other cabinet ministers. The Treasury Department, which is responsible for executing these orders, stated that the sanctions are in response to the violence that is taking place in Syria against protesters. The Obama administration hopes that their actions will send a message to the al-Assad regime that the U.S. holds them accountable for the violence inside Syria.

Compared to the intervention in Libya however, the Obama administration has been hesitant to respond. In Libya, the US initiated a no-fly zone and struck a variety of military targets inside the country. In the case of Syria, these sanctions on government leaders are the first sign of a response. One reason is the comparatively muted diplomatic environment. With Libya, a number of countries, ranging from Italy and France to members of the Arab League, advocated for intervention while with Syria, the international community has been more reticent with Russian President Medvedev even declaring his intention to block a UN resolution advocating action. Another reason is that the Syrian government is stronger and the state more geopolitically crucial, largely because of it’s proximity to Iran. Any action taken regarding Syria, would require consideration on the effect it will have on Middle East politics, especially concerning Israel.

1. UAE hires Blackwater head to develop mercenary army

The central government of the United Arab Emirates has hired Erik Prince, the former owner and founder of the controversial private military company Blackwater Worldwide, to help build an army of 800 foreign mercenaries. Prince’s new company, Reflex Responses, is just one of several third party security teams in on the project. Corporate documents reveal that the force is “intended to conduct special operations missions inside and outside the country, defend oil pipelines and skyscrapers from terrorist attacks and put down internal revolts.”

While private security contracts are common in countries throughout the world, the UAE’s move to develop a serious foreign force is largely unprecedented. The move, however, comes as little surprise; in the midst of several major popular uprisings in Middle Eastern countries, the UAE is fearful of experiencing a revolt like that of Egypt or Libya. A competent military force provides both reassurance for the regime and deterrence of a possible rebellion. The UAE government is also likely pleased with the fact that the army will be composed of entirely foreign fighters because this will help ensure the new army’s continued loyalty to the regime. The move to hire Prince, a past Navy SEAL who resettled in Dubai in the wake of mounting legal problems in the United States, may be the beginning of a worldwide security contracting boom. Private armies will deter popular uprisings–an increasingly serious concerns of autocratic countries, especially in the Middle East.

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0. Qadhafi Indicted for crimes against humanity

The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, formally indicted Libyan president Muammar Qadhafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi for crimes against humanity. Once approved by a panel of three ICC judges, arrest warrants will be issued for the accused.

The indictment has some symbolic importance: this is the second time an incumbent head of state has been charged for crimes against humanity by the ICC since Omar al-Bashir, president of Sudan, was indicted in 2009. However, much like al-Bashir, it is unlikely that Qadhafi will be arrested anytime soon since the warrant would require the Libyan government to voluntarily hand over its leader. This reveals one of the crucial weaknesses of the international court systems: judicial proceedings require extensive cooperation from parties involved in the case. With Libya outright rejecting the jurisdiction of the ICC, the warrant against Qadhafi is likely to remain little more than a symbolic gesture.