Fay -Dubai and the questions it raises to all the Gulf states

Posted by Fay Al-Romaihi at Friday, February 4, 2011 12:28:32 PM EST
"The very idea of progress must be re-examined in light of what we have seen. Our technical mastery has deluded us. Our assumptions are undone. The financial crisis, the Great Recession, the crisis of usury: they are at root mere evidences of the failure of the modern mind."

I found this very interesting article: http://www.whatswrongwiththeworld.net/2009/11/dubai_and_the_failure_of_the_m.html It talks about Dubai’s financial crisis but most importantly, it reaches the core of the problem with Dubai (and many of the Gulf Socities), which is tied to their notion of progress. No one can deny that most of the Gulf societies are pressured by modernity/capitalism/globalization; hence, what we need to do is examine as well as question the western ideology adopted by these societies. We need to look at what modernity and progress means; it does not necessarily entail technology, wealth, and enormous skyscrapers. Perhaps it is our rigid definition of modernity and success that is causing "failure" or "vulnerability" to Gulf cities like Dubai. One must admit that the "idea of Dubai" is a fantasy it is having the best of everything "great" and having it ALL - is that even possible or realistic?