Trojen Horses

Through its sovereign wealth engines, the UAE has steadily transformed from an oil-rich monarchy into a global power broker with deep stakes in Western markets. Abu Dhabi’s ruling elite own Manchester City through the City Football Group, while Mubadala has poured nearly $30 billion into global assets in just one year, including a C$12.1 billion acquisition of Canada’s CI Financial. Meanwhile, ADIA continues to channel billions into private credit, infrastructure, and digital assets, embedding Emirati money into the very backbone of Western economies. For conservatives, the concern is clear: Western nations are auctioning off cultural symbols, financial institutions, and strategic industries to unelected Gulf monarchs. While these investments provide cash and prestige in the short term, the long-term price is ceding influence over markets, sports, and culture to an authoritarian regime another case of the West putting its sovereignty up for sale.