Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success - Softcover

Christopher M. Davidson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1850659869 ISBN 13: 9781850659860

Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, 2009

Synopsis

"Dubai" is a remarkable success story. From its origins as a small fishing and pearling community, the emirate has gone from strength to strength, having established itself as the premier trading entrepot of the Arabian Gulf and, in more recent years, having boomed into a massive metropolis of some two or more million people, most of whom are expatriates engaged in an increasingly diversified economy that has become synonymous with startling and innovative architecture. Following a detailed historical background, Davidson's in-depth study demonstrates how Dubai's pioneering post-oil development strategies were implemented against a carefully managed backdrop of near complete political stability, despite the lack of democratisation and genuine civil society.He then addresses the problems that may surface as the need for sustained foreign direct investment encourages far-reaching socio-economic reforms, many of which may affect the ideological, religious, and cultural legitimacy of the traditional monarchy. He also analyses Dubai's awkward relationship with its federal partners in the United Arab Emirates, before highlighting some of the hidden costs of being the region's most successful free port - namely its attractiveness to international criminal fraternities, the global black money economy and terrorist networks.

About this title

About the Author:

Christopher Davidson is a fellow of the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at Durham University. He is a former assistant professor of political science at Sheikh Zayed University in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and the author of Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond and The United Arab Emirates: A Study in Survival.

Review:

This is the best study of Dubai that I have read and an important contribution to the still meager literature on the extraordinary formation that is the United Arab Emirates. Especially interesting is the book's discussion of the emirates' founding under British rule and the continuing influence of this imperial history on its politics and society; the imported character of its 'Arab' identity; and the regional context that informs everything from security concerns to demography.

(Faisal Devji, St. Antony's College, University of Oxford, and author of Landscapes of the Jihad: Militancy, Morality, Modernity)

Davidson traces Dubai's rise from sleepy Gulf port to player on the world scene.

(Christopher Hawthorne Los Angeles Times)

Mr. Davidson nicely lays out this flashy emirate's astonishing ascent from tiny fishing and pearling village to global hub.

(Stephen Kotkin New York Times)

Davidson offers a detailed historical and topical study of the Dubai phenomenon.

(Foreign Affairs)

Davidson gives an excellent overview of Dubai, the UAE in general, and its path to economic development... Recommended.

(Choice)

Perhaps the best look at this desert mirage is this prescient book published in 2008. Well before the real estate debacle, Davidson raised questions about how long Dubai could remain immune from regional conflict, organized crime, and terrorism, all of which would swiftly affect its allure as a haven for investment and luxury travel.

(Foreign Policy)

It is no surprise a book that analyses Dubai's weaknesses, as well as its virtues, provoked nervousness in the emirate and was under threat of being banned.... Davidson's book should be seen in Dubai as an important contribution. The city-state has been running fast and wild for years. Taking a pause to consider the impact of its rapid growth is a healthy exercise.

(Financial Times)

A noteworthy reference for future studies on the country and related topics.

(Mei Zhang Journal of Regional Science 1900-01-00)

Comprehensive and detailed.

(Arang Keshavarzian Arab Studies Journal 1900-01-00)

This monograph is a first-rate piece of scholarship, and provides a wealth of information and analysis about Dubai.

(Erik Eliav Freas Historian)

About this edition

• Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1850659869
• ISBN 13: 9781850659860
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 392