Americans in the UAE

I was fortunate enough to be invited to an Iftar last night hosted by Michele Sison, the US Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. Among other things, the Iftar was a chance to learn more about the types of Americans who work at the Embassy and the types of Americans living in the UAE. The guest list was quite diverse, ranging from a group of doctors from Johns Hopkins, a hospital administrator and Christian missionary, a librarian, other students, and various staff from the Embassy. Curious about how few Americans I have seen here (or anywhere in the Middle East), I learned that the Embassy count for US citizens in the UAE is somewhere between 22,000 and 28,000.