DUBAI'S POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: AN OASIS TN THE DESERT?

by CHRISTOPHER DeNICOLA

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Political Science

WILLIAMS COLLEGE Williamstown, Massachusetts

MAY 10,2005

Table of Contents

I

Persian Gulf Development Literature Oil Curse Literature Arab and Islamic Factors Regional Ovemiew and Historical Background Dubai's Development History

I1

PI1

Explaining Dubai9sDevelopment Outcome Why Not Other Gulf States? Dubai versus the Development Literature

IV

Dubai in a Cornparatbe Corntext Saudi Arabia Qatar Brunei

Conclusion

Appendix

Bibliography

Introduction
Dubai, a tiny, …show more content…

For images of the hotel see the Appendix. Jefkey Sampler and Saeb Eigner , Sand to Silicon (London: Profile Books, Ltd., 2003) 15-17. For an image of one of the Palms, see the Appendix. 9 Sampler and Eigner 20. 10 Jim Krane, "Latest Luxury Trend: Man-Made Persian Gulf Islands," The Associated Press (February 27, 2005). 11 Sampler and Eigner 1; Jim Krane, "Dubai Tower to Bring World's Tallest Structure to Middle East," The Associated Press (March 30,2005). 12 Tarek Atia, "Everybody's a winner," Yale Global Online (February 9,2005). l3 Ibid.
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and sales to attract over two million people per year since 2 ~ 2 . This aggressive ' ~ ~ celebration of international consumerism has come to define Dubai s c u l t ~ r e . 'Indeed, the festival's slogan, "One World, One Family, One Festival" suggests a ruling ethos that is enthusiastically willing to embrace the more materialistic aspects of globalization.'6 Although Dubai's gaudy development projects and commercial spirit may be a curiosity for visitors, this embrace of Western-style entertainment and lifestyles has irritated some citizens.17 VVhile Dubai's rulers have clearly demonstrated a willingness to introduce globalizing forces into