1999-2000年，约旦、摩洛哥、巴林和叙利亚的领导人在短时间内相继去世，开始了一场世代的交替，而亚瑟·阿拉法特和阿联酋长期以来的领导人谢赫·宰德之死正是这场交替的延续。
The deaths of Yasir Arafat and of Sheikh Zayd, the long-standing ruler of the United Arab Emirates, continues the generational change that began in 1999-2000, when the leaders of Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain, and Syria died in quick succession.