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United Arab Emirates: 21st Century City State?

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  • 16-10-2014 3:48am
    #1
    Black Swan
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 47,226 CMod ✭✭✭✭


    What message is the UAE attempting to send to the world with their artistic building architecture? The country was founded in 1971 with the merging of 7 emirates, so it's relatively new as a nation, emerging from an historic tribal background that had been subject to prior UK influence and oversight of defense and foreign affairs based upon 19th century treaties.

    The oil and gas rich UAE had been adversely impacted by the Great Recession in 2008-2009, and exhibited some ghost occupancy of their newly constructed buildings. They avoided "Arab Spring," but has been subject to both internal and external pressures and criticism regarding civil rights, pay, and benefits for foreign workers constructing these buildings and related national infrastructure.

    dubai_16.jpg


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    #2
    Peregrinus
    Registered Users Posts: 26,133 ✭✭✭✭Peregrinus


    Not quite sure what the question for discussion here is. Is the UAE a 21st century city-state? Well, close enough; it's probably more a federation of several city-states. What are they trying to say with their architecture? They're trying to say "Look! We have lots of money!"


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    #3
    jacksie66
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,988 ✭✭✭jacksie66


    This post has been deleted.


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    #4
    Black Swan
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 47,226 CMod ✭✭✭✭Black Swan


    Methinks that they are attempting to rush from traditional (tribal) to rational-legal (UAE 2030 Plan) in a greatly expedited Weberian sense, to become a world capital (Dubai) overnight, rapidly bypassing regional Middle Eastern capital status, but at what human cost?

    uae2_copy.jpg

    This above population pyramid is greatly distorted and imbalanced in terms of (working age) males in proportion to females. This demographic anomaly is something that deviates from normal, and has been in existence for a few years during the massive construction phase. Such a distortion from the normal distribution overtime should have consequences, especially when foreign workers greatly outnumber the UAE citizens, and citizens have significantly better pay, benefits, and voice in their county's affairs in comparison to foreign workers.


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    #5
    Peregrinus
    Registered Users Posts: 26,133 ✭✭✭✭Peregrinus


    Oh, yes, it'll produce huge social challenges. But I query whether they are "attempting to rush" from traditional to rational-legal. Rather, I think their going through the transition so rapidly is a function of their sudden and colossal wealth. Is there any way they could avoid this transition, so as not to have to deal with the social challenges that it brings?


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