Tenacity: The UAE's Finest Hour

On February 28, 2026, missiles began falling on the United Arab Emirates. In the first 31 days, Iran launched nearly 2,500 missiles and drones at the UAE. The world wondered if the UAE would crack.

The UAE did not crack.

The malls stayed open. The airlines kept flying. The Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, walked the paddock at the races on day one of the attacks as five interceptors launched on the horizon.

It is a case study in how the UAE — under the leadership of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum — executed under pressure.

An eyewitness from Dubai Having just left Kyiv as missiles were falling, Augie K Fabela II arrived in Dubai as regional tensions with Iran were escalating. What he witnessed was not improvisation, but precision: a country operating with clarity, confidence, and unwavering purpose.

Drawing on more than three decades leading businesses through crisis — from Moscow in the 1990s to Kyiv during the war with Russia — Fabela offers a rare insider's view of what real resilience looks like at scale: Tenacity.

D.E.C.I.D.E., a crisis decision-making framework Fabela forged this framework through his experience working across global business, frontier markets, and law enforcement special operations. The book examines the UAE's response under the lens of these six principles in real time.

D efine the objective E valuate the facts C ommunicate the plan I nspire confidence D on't second-guess E xecute Early praise Augie Fabela writes not as a distant commentator, but as a firsthand participant. His perspective as an eyewitness to a defining moment captures our nation's strength, vision, and tenacity.
— H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan , Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, UAE

An exceptional book about tenacity, courage, and resilience. A perfect match between Augie and the UAE: inspiration, vision, commitment, and disciplined execution.
— Sergei Guriev , Dean, London Business School; former Chief Economist, EBRD

Inside the book The forty-eight hours between Kyiv and Dubai — and the moment the war followed Augie home Super Saturday at the races, the five interceptors on the horizon, and the leader who never left the paddock How the UAE kept its airspace open while Ukraine's stayed closed for four years Two nations, one spirit: lessons from Ukraine and the UAE on their unwavering resolve The communication and accelerated decision-making that held the UAE steady About the author Augie K Fabela II is Founder and Chairman of VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator reaching 520 million people across high-growth frontier markets. VEON is the largest U.S. NASDAQ-listed company headquartered in the UAE. A bestselling author and serial entrepreneur, he has spent more than three decades building businesses in complex and high-risk environments.

Tenacity: The UAE's Finest Hour — a firsthand account.