dubai

City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism
$27.99
This overview of Dubai is more provocative and much lighter in tone than Christopher Davidson's "Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success" (which I also recommend). In Krane's book, roughly a third is about the early history of Dubai, a third is a paean to the wisdom and vision of its ruling sheiks in turning a patch of desert into a world-class city, and a third is about the scandals that exist behind the facades. This is a good book to read backward: Start with the shocking exposes of scandal at the end of the book, and if your interest holds up, go back to the beginning to read about Dubai's history.

Dubai is an extraordinary phenomenon by any measure: An impoverished fishing village, without significant oil, has been developed into a forest of high-rises and grandiose mansions, in which citizens comprise less than 5% of the population. An absolute monarch bestows largesse on his citizens, while the typical resident is a non-citizen who worries about having his visa renewed. Behind the scenes, the manual labor is done by enormous numbers of Indian workers who are virtual prisoners in labor camps. These laborers are not permitted to leave the country, are paid less than what they were promised, and suffer from kidney disease because they're not even given sufficient water to drink. On the backs of such workers this grandiose city has been built, with such excesses as the world's tallest skyscraper, the world's most expensive hotel, indoor ski slopes, and other projects that make the city a cross between Disneyland and Las Vegas. In fifty years, will Dubai be a ghost town of abandoned skyscrapers or one of the world's major cities? In the 21st century, how long can an absolute monarchy survive?

This book does seem disjointed at times -- is the same author who heaps praise on the ruling sheik the same author who highlights the abuses in treating laborers and sex-trade slaves? But at least the reader hears both sides of the story.

Perhaps the book's most jarring inconsistency is what relationship, if any, exists between Dubai and Al-Qaida. Krane says there are reliable rumors that (unnamed) UAE emirs pay protection money to Al-Qaida, and that certain UAE emirs participated in a 1999 hunting trip with Osama bin-Laden. Yet when the Dubai government proposed to take over operations of US ports in 2006, the author eviscerates those Americans who opposed the deal due to terrorism fears. Krane labels this opposition a "lynching" that "made no sense on rational grounds." It's hard to believe the same author wrote both passages. No one is suggesting that the emir would condone terrorism, but it's not irrational to ponder the possibility of radicals infiltrating the ports agency. While it's nice to have both sides of the argument aired, the author's wide oscillations of opinion from chapter to chapter impart a split-personality tone to an otherwise excellent book.

ABC News 20/20 Dark Side of Dubai
$9.95
Welcome to Dubai, a city with a glittering skyline, world class shopping malls and luxury resorts. In fact, Dubai may be the world's biggest boomtown. But as ABC News reports, human rights groups say that Dubai's gleaming towers are being built on the backs of exploited foreign workers. In an exclusive report,ABC News went inside Dubai to learn how the emirate has grown so far so fast - Dubai's building boom has been made possible by some 500,000 migrant construction workers, most from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Many work 12 hours a day, six days a week, in extremely hot temperatures that have led to illness and, in some cases, death. The workers live in crowded camps, with eight or more men sharing one small room. Just days after ABC News began asking questions, the government of the U.A.E. announced a series of reforms to improve the conditions of workers. Correspondent: Brian Ross This "20/20" program also contains the following story:The Heart Attack Grill Airdate: 11/17/2006This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Time Out Dubai: Abu Dhabi and the UAE (Time Out Guides)
$19.95
This is my third visit to Dubai. Since my hotels and much of the dining is arranged ahead of time for me, I had not bought a travel book on Dubai. But, this time, I would be off on my own, booking hotels, rental cars, etc. I found the "time out Dubai" book totally worthless for this. I ended up in a hotel that had recently changed its name (don't you think the book would have noted this) so the taxi driver at the airport did not believe me and had no idea where it was. The book might have also noted that the hotel is in the red light district of Dubai and that much "flesh" trade takes place in its interior. For a traditional businesswoman, this was a highly uncomfortable setting.

But this is not my main complaint with the book. I hate ads that are now embedded in TV shows, but what about a travel book full of ads? Time Out Dubai is equivalent to the magazine put in your hotel room by the local tourist office. It is not about evaluating the possible choices and giving you some sense for how you might plan your visit but rather a pushy sell of the expensive things to do in Dubai.

Dubai Complete Residents' Guide
$24.95
Dubai Explorer is a great resource for not only the newly arrived in Dubai but also seasoned residents. Having lived in Dubai for the past 14 years, I've discovered things within this book that I didn't even know!

Useful and informative!

Simone Nowell, author of Now & Then Dubai Now & Then : Dubai (Our Earth)