Claudia Pugh-Thomas writes an op-ed about Dubai's floundering cultural identity, unable to establish a cohesive Islamic tradition amidst waves of expatriate diversity.  As the country feels the growing the pains of economic readjustment, she comments "how Dubai negotiates this rite of passage will determine whether it will ever be taken seriously." The fact the recent downturn is portrayed merely as negative publicity "is not a promising sign."Brian Whitaker explores how ...

Following an online petition circulated in early November, GroundReport.com has published a statement from Majid Zamani's family that announced the Iranian activist has been released from prison after the petition received thousands of signatures from academics and friends.  Additionally, Iran has released the five Britons detained after straying into Iranian waters. Illustrating the growing internal political divide, The NY Times reports that both President Ahmadinejad and former-President Rafsanjani failed to attend a ...

The New York Times reports on the increasing frequency of debtors serving jail time in the boom-gone-bust city of Dubai. In one admittedly unusual case, a diplomat forced a real estate agent to sign checks he obviously could not afford after an investment deal fell through. The diplomat then drove him directly to the police station. Later, the man was sentenced to three years imprisonment for the bounced check. The article emphasizes Dubai's failure to modernize its legal ...

The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) hosted a discussion Wednesday with David Gardner, Chief Leader Writer and former Middle East correspondent for the Financial Times.  Mr. Gardner has recently published the book Last Chance: The Middle East in the Balance, which attempts to address underlying currents of Middle Eastern dysfunction.  The discussion began with a brief introduction from Mr. Gardner and was followed by a question and ...

An article in the Economist highlights a recent "commission chaired by the crown prince, Sheikh Hamdan al-Maktoum, has proposed a code of public conduct to tighten strictures on dress, drinking, dancing and public displays of affection, such as kissing." The emirate is trying to carefully balance its traditional values with its 1 million plus foreign residents and scores of tourists. "Even if the proposed rules are enforced, confining dancers to ...

Amidst the collapse of the global economy, even wealthier Gulf nations are having trouble coping. Dubai in particular is witnessing thousands of foreigners inundated with debt flee the country. But what is particularly interesting as the piece points out - "No one knows how bad things have become, though it is clear that tens of thousands have left, real estate prices have crashed and scores of Dubai's major construction projects have ...

MESH has begun the inevitable task of assessing "The Bush Legacy." Michael Young, Raymond Tanter, and Philip Carl Salzman weigh in, and discuss the issue over the vast terrain of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Lebanon--not surprisingly, without consensus. Unmentioned was Bush's Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative (BMENA), but an editorial in UAE's The National highlighting the conclusion of the Forum of the Future event in Dubai fills the gap, ...

Michael Allen at Democracy's Digest has an excellent summary of sentiments expressed at Dubai's Forum for the Future, but the impressive skyline of the boom town has done nothing to stem growing pessimism at prospects for democratic reform in the region.Consider the following excerpts:“Have we really achieved any progress in the field of democratic reforms in the Arab world?” asked Tunisian writer Slaheddine Jourchi.“I have only bad news regarding democratic ...

The NYT has a very interesting report on the experience of young Arabs who have descended upon Dubai in search of the economic and social opportunity denied them in their home countries.  Dubai, 80% expats from 200 nationalities, is seen by many as a vision of what the Arab world could become.  The report chronicles the changing nature of religion and personal identity amid Dubai's economic vitality, social diversity, and ...

David Ignatius floats the idea of a presidential debate in Dubai, both as great political theater and as a way of changing the perception that we don't care what the world thinks.  Both campaigns obviously express some apprehension. In the New Yorker, George Packer addresses the brewing political problem facing the Obama campaign as Iraq continues to move toward some amount of sustained stability. In Sunday's Washington Post, Ivo Daalder and Philip Gordon make the argument that ...