Dubai, Where Are You Going... and the Dreams of Mohammed bin Rashid?
In the recent war, Western media, and some Arab media, focused on Dubai for a simple reason: they wanted to strike at the Gulf development model. Since this city is currently the most famous Gulf destination globally, tarnishing its image meant tarnishing the entire Arab Gulf.
However, anyone who knows Dubai specifically, and the UAE in general, understands that while this emirate, and the country as a whole, may suffer from a fever, it does not die. It is the entity that captivated the world in recent years, having managed within three decades to transform from merely an oil-dependent emirate into a major developmental hub, driving regional economies, and serving as a landmark defined by the insistence on achievement regardless of circumstances.
In 2004, Mohammed bin Rashid told attendees at the "Arab Strategy Forum" conference that: "Oil revenues constitute only a small percentage of Dubai’s GDP (then around 7 percent), and the UAE is preparing early to diversify its income sources."
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This vision is not a product of the moment, but rather based on a long-term plan. Even if circumstances or crises are severe, this does not prevent strong nations from adapting to conditions.
Therefore, it is well known that people take precautions during wars, and those without important jobs may perhaps travel to their home countries. However, this does not mean the country is paralyzed. The negative Western propaganda claiming that "Dubai’s model has ended" was unrealistic; it was an attempt to tarnish the image of Arabs in general, and Gulf Arabs in particular. Yet, the campaign failed.
The numerous projects announced specifically in Dubai, the UAE, and indeed across the entire Arab Gulf, confirm that these countries are capable of overcoming crises with flexibility, even turning them into opportunities.
In this regard, I recall from past years when Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid was the Crown Prince of Dubai, during a meeting in Kuwait of foreign and defense ministers, the man was silent. Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, may God have mercy on him, approached him and asked: "What are you thinking about, Sheikh Mohammed?"
He replied: "I am thinking about how to transform Dubai into a major tourist and financial destination." Sheikh Sabah responded: "Does the weather and the regional climate support that?"
Today, Dubai is not just a tourist destination, but a quintessential developmental hub, attracting capital from all corners of the globe. Just as it overcame past crises and emerged stronger, it is now rising from this crisis. Anyone reviewing its current urban and investment plans knows where it is headed. Consequently, it has begun implementing 11 major projects, all aimed at reinforcing its leadership, ranging from the Blue Walk to Al Maktoum Airport, which has a capacity of approximately 260 million passengers annually, to the largest "mall" in the region and underground metro infrastructure.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid operates based on the saying of former US Secretary of Defense George Marshall: "When you hear the roar of cannons, begin planning for reconstruction; and when you hear the music of peace, begin investing."
On this basis, Dubai and the UAE in general build under all circumstances, raising towers high, while simultaneously investing in human capital. Today, many Emirati human resources are working to build knowledge alongside urban development.
These facts refute everything the Western media was working on to tarnish the image of Dubai as the Gulf model, because those who understood, whether Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum, may God have mercy on him, or Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, recognized 50 years ago that urban and intellectual construction solidifies the foundations of a state capable of evolving under all circumstances.
