Emiratisation Distorted

An article today casts a negative shadow on the process of Emiratisation here in the UAE. The slant of the article appears to be that Emiratis working for international banks in the UAE feel discriminated against, mostly because they don't reach more senior positions within the organization. Yet the journalist and many of those interviewed appear to be confusing "Emiratisation" with a mandate to structure working conditions in international banks to mirror those in national ones. The main complaints from those interviewed have to do with the longer working hours and less vacation time offered by international banks. This logic appears to imply that "Emiratisation" mandates that non-national organizations adhere to the hours and vacation schedules of national ones rather than simply setting quotas on the percentage of the workforce which is Emirati.

Billboard Translation

This is a billboard for the Burj Dubai. Not sure though what is meant by "old town" and "downtown" Dubai. Do those places exist?

Making Moves: Qatar

Living here you sense the underlying competition between different emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai compete over tourists and development projects. Bahrain and Dubai compete to be the financial capital of the Gulf. Qatar and Dubai compete over the creativity of their (sometime outlandish) development schemes. With Qatar, I usually end up feeling sort of sorry for them, as if somehow they just never beat Dubai to the punch. But this time they have. News of a 35km "cooled" biking path to be constructed in Qatar. And it will even be solar-powered. Bravo.

6AM

I woke up really early today to go watch the Australian Open tennis final on TV. Driving to Garhoud, the streets seemed different somehow. Then I realized: most of the traffic was shuttle buses filled with workers. I always wonder during the day why I don't see more of these buses on the highways considering the huge number of workers needing transport. It was really incredible watching the day start for Dubai's laborers; crowds of them were pouring into International City where I live. Finally, it gave a visual record of the huge operation these workers are part of as somehow in the daylight it isn't quite as visible to me.

Place Branding

The January 2007 issue of Travel & Leisure has a good article about place branding and the trend within countries to position themselves as "brands" to attract tourism and development capital. Malcolm Allan of Placebrands, a UK consultancy focused exclusively on place branding consulting, comments on their work in Ecuador.

Running the City

Sometimes one has to wonder if Indians do everything in this city. Today at the Indian Consulate in Dubai I was a bit confused by the large number of Indians in the Visa section with me. Soon I realized by looking at the photos on their application forms that in fact they were applying for visas for Emiratis and other expats. Someone has to keep things moving!

Guess the Skyline 2

Another round of guess the city skyline, or in this case, just guess the city. Clue: the gun visual is timely.

Land Dispute

This article in 7Days struck close to home because I play tennis at the Dubai Country Club. As I have written about before, the land use around the club has fascinated me since I arrived. The Country Club and Rugby stadium are surrounded by the most dramatic trucking village I have seen in Dubai. Rows and rows of trucks coupled with mini-villages established to provide accomodation and services to their drivers surround the clubs. While the article implies rumors of plans by the Dubai Municipality to demolish the clubs to build a polo club, what isn't speculated on is the fate of these trucking communities.

Traffic Laws

Call me delusional, but doesn't it seem that Dubai driving has gotten a little bit less scary in 2007? I used to see at least one huge accident per day and dodge speeding SUVs in the left lane but sense that the roads have calmed down a bit. Maybe this is all in my head, but could the publicity surrounding the recent traffic laws actually be influencing the way people drive?

Dubai Branding Part 2

I agree with the sentiment behind this piece in Gulf News about the next phase of Dubai branding. There is so much to communicate about this city beyond tourism, I wish that some of the new projects got more play time in the international press. Many of the comments are based upon a book called "The Revenge of Brand X" by Rob Frankel.

POMED

The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) is an organization dedicated to the growth of democracy in the Middle East and ways that US foreign policy can support that process. I wrote an article for their January newsletter about the FNC elections in the UAE last month. Click here to read the article. It is titled "FNC Elections in the UAE and the Strategy of Emiratization" by Jeremy Tamanini.

The Coming Year

One can't help but feel a bit unsettled right now living across the Gulf from Iran. After all, the beginning of the New Year has brought nothing but hints of an impending war with Iran. Like all conflicts, clues of a confrontation emerge slowly but consistently, partly to gauge public opinion around different war strategies and partly to get the public used to the reality of what is about to happen. The signs seem to be everywhere...from the appointment of Admiral Fallon, a sailor in the US navy, as CentCom's new commandor and the parallel dispatch of additional Navy battle carrier groups to the Gulf; an Iraq strategy which adds more troops to Baghdad and greater focus on alleged Iranian arming of Iraqi Shia militias; reports of Israeli flight tests and scary-sounding tactical nuclear "bunker-busting" weapons.
On an academic level, the prospect of a new conflict in the region must be considered as well. From my own vantage point, I wonder what effect, if any, military conflict in Iran would have on the pace of development in Dubai? Geographically, there are many issues to consider, most notably the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the tip of the Arabian peninsula, where much of the region's exported oil passes through. Socially, there exists the question of the large Iranian population in Dubai and their ability to travel freely between Iran and the UAE. Politically one wonders the extent to which Dubai would be drawn into the conflict on a diplomatic level, despite the emirate's inclination towards political neutrality, at least in the public sphere.
I surely don't have a crystal ball and have no real idea what will end up happening with this issue as the year progresses. That said, the prospect of some sort of confrontation begs the questions I have been thinking about this week as ultimately they impact greatly the destiny of research in the Gulf right now.

Carpetbagger

I liked this piece by David Carr from the New York Times. Carr is an entertainment journalist for the Times and has a blog.

Memories of Max

Most of my close friends have been subjected to at least one drunken conversation about Max, the one-eyed pony I rode as a child. My American grandmother raised New Forest ponies on her farm in Massachusetts and Max, due to an unfortunate episode with a crabapple becoming lodged in his right eye, had only one eye. Max was sweet and a perfect pony for me, but being at the Dubai Jumping Championships today at the Equestrian Club reminded me of the many things Max wasn't. These horses were absolutely beautiful. Totally muscular and agile, with perfect grooming and temperaments. Their riders, hailing from many of the UAE's most prominent families in addition to various princes and sheikhs from other Gulf countries, were equally impressive and really talented riders. The event runs through Friday, January 12th and you can buy tickets there.

Dubai Duty Free Tennis

News today that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadel have confirmed their participation in the Dubai Duty Free Men's Tournament next month. The women's tournament takes place from February 19th-24th and then men's tournament from February 26th through March 3rd. Click here for details on the tournament and ticket sales.

Louvre in Abu Dhabi

The French seem to be up in arms about a plan to export the Louvre museum brand to Abu Dhabi. In an article in Le Monde, three of France's leading art historians asked "If we care about preserving and displaying our heritage, by what principle should we be using works of art as currency of exchange?"

Dirty Car

I just returned for a few days out of the country and learned the hard way the social price one must pay for having a dirty, sandy car in Dubai. My unwashed car (covered in sand) was the victim of various taunts and criticisms, all written on the car with a finger in the dirt. "U need a wash" "No Dirty Car in Dubai" Needless to say, I went straight to the carwash!

Thoughts for 2007

I felt a lack of clear New Year's resolutions this year. But last night I started thinking more about them. My friend Kate and I were on an old 1970s Soviet-built train from Istanbul to Sofia, Bulgaria. It was a blast from the past, reminiscent of how the Orient Express may have felt. Despite the lackluster sleeping car and frequent bangs on the door to wake up and trek outside with our passports to get stamped, there was something refreshing about going backwards in time a bit. Experiencing travel from a more basic vantage point. And having the luxury of a little bit of extra time to get from one city to the next and take in what was in between, rather than simply fly from one major city to the next. Anyway, this groggy late-night thinking got me focused on igniting similar experiences this year, slowing down when one can to process travel or every day life through a slower, more authentic lens. Of course, Dubai living and its obsession with modernity isn't exactly conducive to this, but hey, the first weeks of the year are all about idealism.