Few leaders in modern times have come to power as reluctantly as Shaikh Zayid Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. A deep sense of duty, coupled with the absolute insistence of his family, impelled him to step into the position of Ruler. Nevertheless, Shaikh Zayid's accession undoubtedly reflected the wishes of the people of Abu Dhabi and marked a key transition in the history of the emirate. It also proved the culmination of a process that had been a decade or more in the making.

Even before Shaikh Shakhbut first intimated his intention to resign in 1954, it was clear, both from within the family and within the state, that Shaikh Zayid's leadership qualities had given him a special status. A visionary and a pragmatist, he was persuasive on critical issues and succeeded even under difficult circumstances. This was amply demonstrated when he convinced all the prominent families in al Ain to curtail their all-important water rights for the common good. The British authorities, for their part, liked and respected a man who was both effective and decisive. The other brothers of Shaikh Shakhbut recognized that Shaikh Zayid, although the youngest, excelled in diplomatic skills. He was, thus, an ideal interlocutor for Abu Dhabi with both the British government and the foreign companies which were beginning to play a role in the emirate.

Shaikh Zayid was in his thirties when his brother Shaikh Shakhbut first suggested that he might abdicate the rulership in his favor.