00:00Susan Ostman is an American professor at New York University in Abu Dhabi.
00:04She joins me now live from there.
00:06Susan, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us.
00:09So what's the situation like there now?
00:11What is the feeling in Abu Dhabi at the moment?
00:15Well, everyone's very worried, stressed out.
00:20As I think your report was indicating, it's not like there are major problems with the electricity grid.
00:27We still have air conditioning, water.
00:29All of the amenities, but we are sheltering in place as much as possible.
00:34And we've gone to Zoom instructions, a little bit like what we had during COVID, but obviously with a different
00:43kind of danger coming from the sky.
00:46Most of the missiles have been, I mean, the vast majority of the hundreds of projectiles coming from the sky
00:52have been stopped.
00:54And we're hearing the booms, but obviously this is something that really stresses people out.
01:00When it comes in the middle of the night and you get indications on your phone that you have to
01:04seek shelter away from windows, going down into the basements.
01:07It's families with small children sleeping in their cars because they're afraid to be on the higher floors of buildings
01:14and such things.
01:16And in addition to the threat of drones or missiles, the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi is also warning
01:21there could be militant attacks in the UAE.
01:24What kind of reactions have you been hearing from friends and contacts?
01:27For many people, the UAE seemed almost intouchable for so many years.
01:31Does it feel very different now?
01:35Well, I mean, the strange thing, of course, in these situations, unless you are actually there where it's happening, it
01:42seems strangely normal.
01:44So, you know, you make your food, you wash your clothes, you go through your usual actions, but then at
01:53two in the morning, you're awoken each night.
01:55So each day that kind of builds up.
01:57So in one way, the normal things are continuing.
02:02In another, you're always aware of this potential danger and this potential disruption and thinking also, of course, you know,
02:10how long this will last.
02:11Nobody knows.
02:12So you go from the first day thinking, ah, but, you know, I was supposed to go and do this
02:17on Tuesday or Wednesday to the following day,
02:21just taking it more hour by hour and day by day and seeing how things evolve.
02:26What kind of reaction has there been from the government there?
02:29Are they doing things to help travelers, for example, who might be blocked there at the moment?
02:34I mean, you may have more information than I can.
02:38But yes, there's been a lot of help for everybody.
02:41I can't give you an update on that.
02:44There's news conferences going on right now.
02:48And but I can say that as far as our organization goes, we've been having a lot of support.
02:57And so, yes, it's if things are very orderly, things are very calm.
03:03It's just a bit of, you know, of course, we've been thinking that something might happen, but hoping that it
03:08wouldn't.
03:10And yeah, it's difficult to know where things are going next.
03:15And of course, most commercial air traffic across the region is still suspended.
03:19But there are some travelers who were stranded by the war who were able to leave the UAE Monday on
03:25a small number of evacuation flights.
03:27Do you know any travelers who were able to leave on those flights?
03:31No, I don't.
03:33No, I mean, I live here.
03:34Most of the people I know who are living here and working here, I can't really comment on that.
03:40I know that the people who were stranded were well taken care of.
03:45That's, you know, all I've read in the press.
03:47But I don't know any of them personally.
03:50I actually have a flight I'm supposed to take on Friday.
03:55It's a norm.
03:56And thus far, they haven't canceled it.
03:58So we'll see.
04:00We'll see what happens.
04:02Susan, as you mentioned, you do live there.
04:04It is your permanent home, but you're also American.
04:06Do you feel that people's attitudes toward you have shifted, perhaps, over the past few days or even since Trump
04:12came back into power?
04:17No.
04:17I mean, you have to think that this is a very international place.
04:20Ninety-one percent of the people here are—it's not like there is a general attitude one way or the other.
04:29And people get along.
04:31People don't necessarily bring up, you know, those kinds of differences.
04:34I think things tend to be fairly smooth in interactions.
04:40And, yeah, so, no, I don't have that impression.
04:45All right, Susan, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us.
04:47Susan Ostman, a professor at New York University in Abu Dhabi.
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