Dubai is undoubtedly one of the cities of
the Muslim world, the most heavily involved in globalization.
A city of foreigners:
The Emirate has 1.2 million inhabitants for
only 195,000 dubaiotes. How do you explain that there are so many foreigners in
Dubai? The history of this emirate gives some answers. In the 19th century, the
port of Dubai develops the pearl trade. The too scarce population uses the
slave trade to meet the high demand. The slave trade in a way establishes a
tradition. During the 1960s, the discovery of oil wells allowed the country to
develop a mono-industrial industry that quickly disturbed the authorities when
they discovered that oil reserves were not as large as in neighbouring states.
The city-state decides to firmly adhere to
the global system by becoming both a financial platform, an international port
and a destination for luxury tourism.
In order to build this new city, the
country uses a foreign labour force: already 36% of the working population in
1968, it is now approaching 90%. This is undoubtedly a very singular situation
.... The Dubaiotes are therefore very minority.
Among foreigners (single men), a large
majority of Muslim Indians (the Keralais), the Pakistanis, the Sudanese. This
group, mostly Muslim, is very isolated and does not have the vocation of
integrating into the national community: on the contrary, they constitute
inhabitants of second zone, whose length of stay is limited and subject at all
times to the threat of expulsion.
There are also more and more Europeans,
Americans and South Africans in positions of responsibility. They benefit from
a certain flexibility of Islam which derogates a little from the strict rules
practiced in the States of the Gulf, one authorizes by example the consumption
of alcohol for example in the hotels.
A center for world trade:
The city has equipment’s and
infrastructures that make it the 3rd center of re-export of goods after Hong
Kong and Singapore.
In its strategy of opening up to
globalization, the city has long ago launched a vast infrastructure program
designed to accommodate super tankers but especially container ships thanks to
its deep-water port located 40 km to the south from the city.
In the city, another port called Jebel Ali,
which is completed by an industrial complex (aluminium, desalination of water,
fertilizers, petrochemicals, etc.) and an immense free zone for storage and redirection.
The air infrastructures are just as
effective: at the moment, the city has an international airport that hosts 29
million passengers a year and will be able to accommodate the big A380.
Moreover, the Dubai Airline is currently the largest buyer (43) of these
aircraft.
A second airport near the port is under
construction since 2005, a multimodal platform is planned to link the port and
the free zone.
Numerous and specialized free zones have
been set up to attract foreign investors. To date, all these areas exceed 120
km² and are home to more than 5000 companies.
Pharaonic projects:
The second part of the opening strategy of
the city of Dubai is the development of a rather upscale tourism. Its potential
customers are Europeans, Asiatic and Americans as well as rich businessmen from
neighbouring countries. The "Dubai" destination has been built in
recent years in the Tours operators on the following themes: sea, sun, desert,
shopping and luxurious and modern hotel.
It worked if we look at the figures:
600,000 tourists in 1990, 5.3 million in 2004, 6 million in 2006 and the stated
objective is to exceed 15 million by 2010 (exceeding the Arab leader, Egypt with
8 million tourists).
In order to attract new customers, Dubai
must become a city of excess: already 383 hotels have been built, and within
two years there will be double.
Architectural disproportion is finally the
best product of appeal: 70 billion dollars are currently invested for these
real estate projects: Artificial islands under construction, 3 in the form of
palm, one has the shape of a plan sphere, a tower (Burj Dubai) Of 800 m must be
shortly completed, a formula 1 circuit and hundreds of other skyscrapers ...