Globalization:
The Example of Dubai
• What is Globalization?
• Globalization: is the trend toward greater
interconnectedness of the world’s financial,
economic, technological, political, cultural,
sociological, ecological, and geographical
systems.
• In English it means. . .
• A movement toward creating a more global
community, one where every region of the
earth is connected to the others in numerous
ways.
• In the last 40 years, Dubai has transformed
itself from a sleepy port city to a major global
tourism and business center.
• Originally built with oil money, Dubai
understood that it had to diversify and offer
the world something different in order to
thrive.
• So What Has Dubai Done?
Tourism: (infrastructure and
attractions)
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Championship golf courses, hosts PGA events
World class water parks
Indoor skiing and snowboarding
Hosts shopping festivals and in the process of
building the world’s largest shopping mall
Hosts the world’s richest horse race with a 6 million
dollar purse
Has the world’s only 7 star hotel
Hundreds of restaurants and shops
World’s tallest building
Man made palm islands
Air Travel
• Dubai has become the main hub for travel
between many destinations in Europe, Africa
and Asia.
• A second airport is being built that will be the
largest in the world.
• Emirate Airlines, based out of Dubai, now
flies to 59 countries around the world and is
growing very quickly.
Finance and Business
• Dubai is investing billions to become the
business center of the Arab world and a
major player in world commerce.
• Dubai has created a “knowledge village” with
several universities and colleges.
• Also, there is a stock exchange in Dubai and
many head offices of major banks and
corporations call this city home.
So How Is Dubai Doing It?
• Dubai is tolerant of all other faiths and
religions.
• There is a more relaxed attitude toward
alcohol, although alcohol is still not served to
Muslims.
• Dress restrictions are not as severe for
women in Dubai as they are in neighboring
countries.
• Dubai has become a multilingual and
multicultural city.
• Dubai also has the ability to attract attention
to itself with the world’s largest airport, mall,
hotel and building.
• The Palm Islands are an example of
extravagant engineering and infrastructure
used to attract attention.
Negative Reactions to Globalization
• Not everyone is content with bringing the
morally relaxed attitude of the Western world to
Dubai. There has been some protest toward the
serving of alcohol and the skimpy bathing suits
found on the beaches.
• In the US there was a significant protest toward
the purchase of seaport space in American ports
by a large UAE company. The American public
was worried about the threat of terrorism.
The Nature of Globalization
• Financial Globalization: World stock markets
are constantly affecting one another. What
happens on one market will definitely affect
what happens on others as the day’s trading
goes on.
• Economic Globalization: Companies are no
longer associated with a particular country.
They move production and capital and seek
markets anywhere that will benefit their
company.
• Technological Globalization: The most
obvious area of globalization. The
technological revolution has fostered
globalization.
• Political Globalization: As we become more
economically and technologically
interdependent, we tend to adopt more
uniform policies with the countries we are
dealing with.
• Cultural Globalization: Distinct cultures are
becoming more homogeneous, and
unfortunately for some cultures, that means
more Americanized.
• Ecological Globalization: Finally we have begun
to look at our earth as one large ecosystem that
we all must protect.
• Geographical Globalization: Even geographers
have begun looking at the world without hard
political borders, but rather as larger global
community, connected by similar concerns and
issues within larger regions.
• Sociological Globalization: We have begun to
look at ourselves as members of a single world,
not distinct national societies. This can be seen in
our discussions on the role of women and the
morality of capital punishment.
• Urbanization in Developing Countries
Questions
1. Why did the leaders of Dubai decide they would use
globalization as a tool to build wealth in the
emirate?
2. What advantages did Dubai possess that allowed it
to pursue a global perspective in its development?
3. What risks were there for the emirate in choosing
this route?
4. In your own words, describe the meaning of each
type of globalization.
5. Using examples from at least three types of
globalization, identify ways in which countries or
regions are becoming interdependent.