In the United Arab Emirates in particular, several Americans tell CNN that they have more confidence in Abu Dhabi’s leadership than Washington’s, News.Az reports, citing CNN.
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Kiran Ali, the creator of a WhatsApp group chat with 800 American women living in Dubai, says the overwhelming sentiment from members is trust in the UAE, “coupled with a bit of (a) disturbed feeling towards the US for not fronting money for evacuation, for not doing more to make sure US citizens are safe.”
She said that the US State Department’s call to immediately evacuate the region, despite airspaces being broadly closed, conflicts with the guidance it continues to give on the phone to shelter in place.
Other Americans living in the UAE tell CNN they prefer the uncertainty of missile interceptions to the risk of their kids experiencing a mass school shooting in the US.
“The cynic in me knows that my daughter has more of a chance of being hit by a bullet in the US than a drone in Dubai, so we feel very comfortable about seeing this through,” one man said.
An American man living in Dubai, says he managed to leave the UAE via its land border with Oman, and was able to book a seat on a flight to Sri Lanka after searching for hours for a flight abroad. He said the State Department’s evacuation order “felt late.”
An American woman living in Saudi Arabia says today’s attack on the US embassy in Riyad motivated her to try to fly back to the US via Africa and Europe.
They both said they wanted to return back to the Gulf as soon as possible.
