We’ve previously written about a number of dictatorships you may not have heard of because they are our friends, but the most misunderstood and indeed overrated is the UAE and Dubai.
What does the UAE mean?
So you have like the USSR, which is the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and you got the USA, United States of America. The UAE is the United Arab Emirates, or as they were called during colonial times, the Crucial States.
What Is an Emirate?
An Emirate is an absolute monarchy ruled by an Emir. Not an uncommon form of government in the Middle-East, sometimes in places like Bahrain, they revolt, but we ignore that, that wasn’t part of the Arab Spring. How can a country with Formula One racing be part of the Arab Spring?
What Is the Government System of the United Arab Emirates?
The UAE consists of the 7 Emirates who are governed by a Federal Supreme Council made up of the ruling Sheikhs of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, Ras al-Khaimah and Umm al-Quwain.
Hilariously this leads them to proclaim they are a constitutional monarchy; they are not and are in effect ruled by the most important Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The government is formed as a kind of game of dress where the monarchs call themselves President and Foreign minister.
Why Is Dubai and Abu Dhabi So Popular for Tourism?
There is a lot of unique entertainment in Dubai, such as 7-star hotels, fancy upscale bars and posh “residences” built to resemble countries. It is for this that Dubai is often touted as the liberal heartland of the Middle-East.
Is the Unique Entertainment of Dubai Indicative of a Liberal Society?
Sadly it is not, women have been imprisoned for rape here, and there are numerous cases of domestic helpers from the Philippines and beyond being abused.
Also, there really is zero history here and literally no unique entertainment. Everything is designed to look and feel like a rich people’s playground where you are served by underpaid workers in slave-like conditions.
What Kind of People Like Dubai?
Middle-class people who like to look fancy and show off to their friends, or as we say in the UK wankers.
The next time you hear some government harp on about human rights, remember that these guys exist….
