When the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research first sought my approval for the idea of publishing a biography of the founding father of the United Arab Emirates, the late H.H. Shaikh Zayid Bin Sultan Al Nahyan (May Allah have mercy on him) during his lifetime, I immediately accepted the proposal with great enthusiasm. Certainly, there existed a number of good reasons for such a decision. In the first instance, the Center's intention was to produce a serious academic study, an approach that would distinguish this book from other more popular styles of biography. Standards of objective scholarship would be applied and scientific methodology employed in order to prepare an authoritative account of the life and achievements of the nation's leader, whose own life history blended so harmoniously with that of his country. Indeed, it is to him that the credit should be given for having transformed the essential character of our country into a new reality, which is cherished by all its citizens.

I also recognized that the proposed book offered a good opportunity to shed light on an important era in contemporary history, which requires deeper insight and warrants serious analysis. Although the history of the UAE is still very new, it is important to place events in their proper context and provide a framework in which the relevance of specific developments can be understood. The work presented here should be seen as a contribution to such an endeavor. Its focus upon the issue of unity, which undoubtedly was a constant concern of H.H. Shaikh Zayid, is especially significant.