On May 1, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) slammed the door on OPEC. This is not a minor episode in the oil saga; it is a geopolitical earthquake. The Emirates understood that the age of the cartel was over. Spurred by the July 2021 dispute over OPEC quotas, Abu Dhabi began a silent revolution, ushering in a new geopolitics of energy in which those who produce hydrocarbons control the destiny of nations. The UAE is no longer a mere oil exporter. It is a global actor and the architect of a new regional alliance where energy, technology, and security are inseparable.

This emerging energy alliance highlights a truth that European ideologues refuse to accept. There is no energy transition; there is energy addition. Wind and solar together account for only three percent of global primary energy, while fossil fuels represent 87 percent of global demand. The Emirates is betting that demand will remain robust far longer than Brussels, Strasbourg, or Paris assumes. The UAE’s strategic exit from OPEC and its determination to maximize oil output confirm a world in which decarbonization is no longer a priority. Prosperity, security, and geopolitical influence have displaced climate governance from the international agenda. Now, the European Union’s Green Deal appears outdated and politically irrelevant.

The Emirates understood this shift long before others. By hosting COP28 in Dubai  –  and steering the summit toward a more........

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