tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2693902872333225859.post7769736477662096081..comments2023-10-06T18:20:09.127+02:00Comments on 40° 24' N , 3° 42' E: International Obsession with Dubai Ignores Larger Trends in the GCCVictoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15567196006173884087noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2693902872333225859.post-37328862354403462792009-05-12T12:29:00.000+02:002009-05-12T12:29:00.000+02:00Spot on article! The myopic coverage of Dubai that...Spot on article! The myopic coverage of Dubai that you've described is something that has frustrated me as well. When times were good there was no objective or analytical reporting on politics or economy and I think I saw some of the worst financial journalism that I've ever seen during the 'boom years' in Dubai... and now there seems to be a bit of a 'bandwagon' sydrome going on now with this Hari article. Why do journos refuse to apply their usual reporting standards when they're in Dubai... anyhow, rant over. <br /><br />I think that to an extent Dubai is a prism through which we can view wider issues in the Gulf - oil dependence, rapid economic growth, adjusting to int. human rights norms... however, i agree with you that this overwhelming focus on Dubai is unhelpful because that way we miss a lot of subtleties. One country that is really interesting to look at in terms of social/economic/political trends in the Gulf is actually Bahrain, but it rarely gets discussed in the int. media. With their oil reserves running out their government is really looking hard at ways in which they can diversify their economy and pursue more sustainable growth... They also just passed a law abolishing the kafala system which could be good news for migrant workers.. Fascinating example of a nation trying to cope with the triumphs, struggles and dilemmas of rapid modernisationSophia Furberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06177157461069232672noreply@blogger.com