Last week I attended a talk by Sharjah writer, Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, about the rise of the Gulf Cities. It was held on Tuesday 19 April at New York University Campus, Abu Dhabi.
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi talked about the rise of cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and others across the Gulf area establishing themselves as “new city centres of the Arab world” and are now becoming “global powers in terms of diplomacy, energy, finance, culture, education and sport”. A few decades ago these cities were no more than fishing villages.
A key point he makes is that it is not just about having a focus on infrastructure but “it is a matter of softer things like education, like medical care, like art and culture”.
References:
Video of the speech "The Rise and Rise of Gulf Cities: Prospects and Challenges" (NYUAD Institute [2]):
The National, UAE:
http://www.thenational.ae/uae/a-shift-in-arab-influence-the-rise-and-rise-of-gulf-cities [3]