April 7, 2011, Dubai. Once again it is my turn to be the token red neck.
Dubai being the modern, multi-cultural aeropolis that it is needs representatives from all walks of life to truly be the cross roads of the world.
Two to four times a year while passing through on my way to work, I help fill the "redneck" quota. Or, more accurately, a redneck who tries to look like a Russian, which is a very hard quota to fill.
Every time I tell people I have been to Dubai they immediately bring up things like indoor ski slopes. But that is not Dubai.
Yes, Dubai is luxury vacation resorts, high-end shopping and essentially Las Vegas but with a little moral decency, but that is not what makes the city state what it is.
Dubai's core function is that it is city in the region that works the best. The ATMs don't rip you off. The water is mostly potable, the public restrooms are clean and business is predicticable rather than being based on bribes and patronage. The banks follow international standards, escrow works and arbitration is sound.
If you have to do a major transaction in the region, you have it governed under Dubai Law. Dubai then just takes its cut of the action from your air travel, hotel, food, banking, lawyering, etc, while working the deal.
The next question I get is, "Why isn't Dubai experiencing the protests like in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan or even Saudi Arabia?".
Short answer, the Emirates, the true citizen residents of Dubai are very few and they have a good deal. The majority of the people who live in Dubai are foreigners. They are service industry workers from Phillipines or Indonesia. Tradesmen from Eastern Europe or China. Technicians from Western Europe, Canada, USA, Australia.
The foreign workers, the only ones who have a lot ot complain about have no standing. They are all on guest worker visas. And as far as being a guest worker in the region goes, Dubai is not the worst place to be.
The Emirates themselves are employed by the government or as executives. They all have a pretty good deal for now.
Dubai is not a democracy by any means, but it functions. It is reliable. And that is what makes Dubai, not indoor ski slopes.
Next Update: The conversation was loud. Not a serious dispute, but an artifact of the language. I was in a room with an Afghan member of Parliament, a retired Russian Intelligence Officer, a former General of the Afghan Secret Police and a retired Lithuanian Colonel.
They were all speaking Russian, which by law of the universe requires that the volume go up by 15 decibels when they three or more get together.
