What makes Dubai unique

So what makes Dubai unique? Why can’t other cities do the same? Some would say money. Dubai could afford to build itself from scratch with oil dollars. Others would say location. Dubai has a unique spot that connects East and West.

However, there are more answers: Dubai is an Arab and Gulf state that is open and ultra-modern, attracting talents from all over the globe, and it has a stable and small environment and population to govern.

All the above are valid answers. Still, I remember Dubai's dusty airport in the 1960s in contrast to Aden's modern airport in the same period. Then, Aden was the Dubai of the day. It had a great port, airport, civic infrastructure and sophisticated lifestyle. East and West, Asia and Africa, were connected in that British colony.

What happened in the decades that followed? Aden fell hostage to a communist regime that suffocated its markets. Ideology ruled, oppressing and frightening off capitalists, both local and foreign.

Beirut took over and Lebanon became the Switzerland of the Middle East. With its Arab-French flavor, the sophisticated country and people opened up to oil dollars, intellectuals and talents. The world found a safe, efficient and modern base to interact with Arabs. 

Then, came the Civil War, in 1975. For over 20 years the warring parties managed to destroy their own homeland and make it lose its unique place as a West-East commerce base.

Other cities tried to fill the space and play the role—Cairo, Bahrain and Jeddah. The problem with Cairo was its overwhelming bureaucracy, outdated infrastructure and socialist monetary system. Bahrain faired better, especially in the banking sector, but still couldn’t invest and expand enough to accommodate the Gulf's skyrocketing business needs. Jeddah couldn't go far enough in terms of infrastructure, system and planning.

Then, came Dubai. It had no better resources, talents or location than other contenders, but it had the vision, strategy and determination to succeed. System, order and civility are the three pillars that investments need and require. Modern infrastructure is built more easily on empty land. Sea and land were plentiful. Security, support and guarantees were offered to large and small investors.

Here is an example. When the Mideast Broadcast Company, MBC, decided 15 years ago to move from its  expensive location in London, they thought first of Beirut, where talent is plentiful.

After choosing a location, they had to go through a long and tough process of getting licenses from demanding government agencies. In a moment of desperation, they sent a fax to the head of the newly established Media City in Dubai asking for the conditions and rules. A fax came back at once welcoming the channel and declaring: We have no conditions, what are yours? Within months, MBC moved to Dubai, and never looked back.