Confounding oracles of doom

I read an interesting comment in The National today. The author asked the same question I and others have also occassionally asked themselves about Dubai: "Over the years, I have often wondered whether the pace of Dubai's development was sustainable."

The interesting thing is that, again and again, projects have proven the author that Dubai is capable of doing amazing things, despite his own doubts: "I have also become aware that there is something about Dubai that means an idea that might seem at first glance inconceivable, impracticable or simply impossible, could actually come to pass."

As he concludes: "The Dubai of tomorrow may be different from the one that appeared to be emerging a year ago, but there will be a tomorrow".

I have no doubts about this. Yes, there's a crisis - but what sparked and sustained the development of the past 20 years or so is here to remain. It's not just the geographic location or the long tradition of trade. It's in the people. There's just too much Obama spirit here to fail, especially among the decision-makers.

Maybe there will be a bit of a re-focus now. As I wrote earlier: many people I meet see their life here as something temporary. And it appears to me, as an outsider, that there's quite a gap between those who can afford to participate in what the growth produces, and a number of people who work hard 'at the bottom' to help enable it. So maybe there will be even more thought in the future on how to make people actually want to stay here after Dubai has attracted them from all corners of the world.

Personally, I think that could be a good idea.