Includes bibliographical references (p. [321]-344) and index.

Dubai stirs. The sands of time ; A free port grows in the desert ; Oil, slaves, and rebellion -- Dubai emerges. It's Sheikh Rashid's world, we just live in it ; The road to dominance ; Sprinting the marathon ; Almost famous ; Spreading out and going up ; Diamonds, Dubai, and Israel ; Sheikh Mohammed : born to rule -- Blowback : the downside. Labor pains ; Sex and slavery ; The air-conditioned nightmare ; The lawless roads -- Dubai's challenge. Danger ahead ; Democracy and terrorism ; Stuck between America and Iran ; The meaning of Dubai -- Epilogue. Dubai, February 2009.

Dubai is everything the Arab world isn't--a freewheeling capitalist oasis in the desert--and in this new book, Jim Krane brings us a boots-on-the ground look at this fascinating city, straight from the heart of Dubai itself. Dubai, just a dusty village in the 1960s, has been transformed into the quintessential metropolis of the future through the vision of clever sheiks, British entrepreneurs, American capitalists who longed for a free market Mecca, and a river of investor money that poured in from around the globe. What these people created is a tolerant and cosmopolitan city with luxurious resorts, architectural landmarks, and outposts of America's most prestigious companies and universities. It's at once a magnet for the Middle East's intelligentsia as well as one of the most eco-unfriendly places on the planet. In this compelling new book, Jim Krane charts the history of Dubai from its earliest days, considers the influence of the Maktoum family which has ruled since the early nineteenth century, and looks at the effect of the global economic downturn on a place that many doubt as a blueprint for a more stable Middle East.