Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s 18 March visit to Dubai and Abu Dhabi marks the latest sign of Syria’s reintegration into the Arab world’s diplomatic fold. With the UAE becoming the first Arab state that Assad has visited since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, Abu Dhabi continues to lead efforts from within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to shore up the Damascus regime. US-UAE tensions US officialdom quickly expressed outrage. With Washington continuing to impose crippling sanctions on the Syrian regime while urging its Arab allies and partners not to renormalise diplomatic relations…