The badass crown prince

The UAE's MBZ has NBA dreams, Apollo equity, and infinite ambition

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (“MBZ”), leads a nation that has been called a “haven” for money laundering, yet enjoys warm relationships with most of the most powerful leaders on the planet. IVAN SEKRETAREV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Sheikh Zayed’s son Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (“MBZ”) was born in 1961, and leads the United Arab Emirates today. As we described earlier, his father founded the nation, reportedly at the suggestion of the the mastermind of BCCI. Father and son are both:

• Worldly and wealthy enough to make the UAE an easy U.S. ally. The UAE is more open and welcoming than its neighbors to different religions, nationalities, and even—in limited cases—women in power. The UAE has long been one of the USA’s staunchest allies in regional military conflicts, since the 1991 Gulf War.

• Ardent in keeping his family in control of a country where MBZ admits they would not fare well in an election. The Zayeds openly oppose democracy—with special urgency after the Ar…