If you only hear about Middle East influence when it comes wrapped in scandal, the UAE record is worth reading. The official filings show something more ordinary and more important. They show a long-running, registered effort to shape how policymakers and opinion leaders see a close U.S. partner.
Start with the strategic context
CRS’s May 21, 2025 report on the UAE says the country is a U.S.-designated major defense partner. It is also a major military customer and a roughly $34 billion trade partner as of 2024. That is why the lobbying question matters. Influence is most relevant where the policy stakes are already high.
Then read the filings
The FARA record is not stale. Akin Gump’s DOJ page shows UAE-related filings into January 2026. FGS Global’s page shows UAE-related filings into March 2026. A disclosed consultant chain tied to Akin Gump also filed UAE informational materials on March 3, 2026. This is an active Washington influence footprint.
What the paperwork actually says
Akin’s February 6, 2025 supplemental statement says the firm advised the embassy on the Abraham Accords, sanctions and export controls, military and security cooperation, cybersecurity, and congressional matters. FGS’s April 8, 2024 Exhibit AB describes a $5.3 million annual public-diplomacy and communications program for the embassy. It includes outreach to media, think tanks, trade groups, business leaders, and academics. FGS’s March 3, 2025 supplemental statement says the firm scheduled meetings and briefings for embassy staff with business people, academics, public-policy groups, and media.
That is not a conspiracy claim. It is a disclosure record.
Where discipline matters
The Barrack case is the part most people remember. DOJ charged Barrack and others in 2021 with acting as UAE agents without required registration. DOJ’s own recent-cases page also says Barrack was acquitted at trial in November 2022. The lesson is not to stop reading. It is to keep the categories straight. Registered activity, criminal allegations, and proven misconduct are not the same thing.
What OZJF is saying
If readers want a real conversation about Middle East influence in Washington, they should read the UAE filings with the same seriousness they bring to every other country. Start with the public record. Describe it precisely. Then argue in daylight.