Yousef Al Otaiba

Yousef Al Otaiba studied international relations at Georgetown and attended the National Defense University's Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Before Washington, he spent eight years directing international affairs for Mohamed bin Zayed, advising on external relations and acting as a security and defence liaison. He became ambassador on 28 July 2008 and received minister of state rank in 2017. ¹

One of his early priorities was the 2009 agreement permitting civilian nuclear cooperation with the United States. The UAE's undertakings to forgo uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing became central to the case for that agreement. His embassy also developed relationships with American hospitals, universities, and cultural institutions, including Children's National Hospital in Washington, while using philanthropy and community projects as part of public diplomacy. ^{1, 3}

In June 2020, Al Otaiba addressed Israeli readers directly in a Hebrew newspaper, warning that annexing Palestinian territory would jeopardise closer relations with Arab states. He set out the potential benefits of normalisation, from security cooperation to commerce and technology, while defending Palestinian self determination. The intervention preceded the UAE–Israel agreement later that year; his embassy biography identifies him as one of those who helped prepare the Abraham Accords. ^{2, 1}

His portfolio subsequently expanded into advanced technology and investment. In an October 2026 letter to the business community, he presented civilian nuclear cooperation as a precedent for agreements involving sensitive American technology. He argued for deeper cooperation in artificial intelligence while emphasising security restrictions, monitoring, and commitments to prevent diversion. ³