The United Arab Emirates has an active, registered influence presence in Washington. Federal filings describe legal, policy, communications, and public-diplomacy work directed at policymakers, media, businesses, academics, and other opinion leaders.
Why the relationship matters
The Congressional Research Service’s May 2025 report describes the UAE as a U.S.-designated major defense partner, a major military customer, and a bilateral trade partner with roughly $34 billion in trade in 2024. Registered advocacy around that relationship concerns decisions with substantial security and economic consequences.
What is registered
The FARA records for Akin Gump and FGS Global show UAE-related filings in 2026. Informational materials filed on March 3, 2026 identify a consultant working through Akin Gump on behalf of the UAE embassy.
What the paperwork actually says
Akin Gump’s February 2025 supplemental statement describes advice to the embassy on the Abraham Accords, sanctions and export controls, military and security cooperation, cybersecurity, and congressional matters. FGS Global’s April 2024 filing describes a $5.3 million annual public-diplomacy and communications program, including outreach to media, think tanks, trade groups, business leaders, and academics. Its March 2025 supplemental statement reports meetings and briefings for embassy staff with several of those audiences.
These are disclosures of professional influence work. They do not, by themselves, establish unlawful conduct or prove that the work produced a particular policy outcome.
Where discipline matters
The Barrack case requires a separate category. The Justice Department charged Thomas Barrack and others in 2021 with acting as UAE agents without required registration. Its recent cases page records Barrack’s acquittal in November 2022. A charge is not a conviction, and this acquittal should not be presented as proof of covert influence.
What the record supports
The filings support a narrow conclusion: the UAE maintains a substantial, registered Washington operation that works across legal, policy, media, business, and academic channels. Claims about private communications, hidden activity, or policy effects require evidence beyond these filings.