Charles Pillsbury Allen High School
The earliest recorded mention of Dubai is in 1095, in the Book of Geography by the Spanish-Arab geographer Abu Abdullah al-Bakri (Dubai-Architecture, N.D.). In 1966 the discovery of oil greatly changed Dubai’s fortunes (Suddath, 2009) and was a turning point for the future. However, compared with its neighbours, Dubai had limited oil reserves, prompting its rulers to turn to other industries, such as tourism, to fuel their bold economic aspirations (Suddath, 2009). Starting in the 1980s, at the prompting of Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, then the crown prince, Dubai fashioned itself into a free-trade oasis (Suddath, 2009). As Dubai progressed and grew, it witnessed more and more globalisation from the influx of westerners and people from other cultures. While this can make a country more diverse and have a greater depth of culture, in the case of Dubai, globalisation has not been positive. Like many places on earth, globalisation has had a huge impact on Dubai, in both positive and negative ways. The economy in Dubai is good for the native Emirati people. There is, however, a large immigrant population living impoverished lifestyles, being slaves to large corporations.
The Emirati people, the people native to the United Arab Emirates, are treated very well in Dubai. They have everything handed to them in life. Barely any of them work, and none of them pay taxes. The government pays for their education up to PhD level. They are given a free house when they get married. They get free healthcare, and if it's not good enough in Dubai, the government pays for them to go abroad. They don't even have to pay for their phone calls. Almost everyone has a maid, a nanny, and a driver (Hari, 2009).
However, the Emirati only make up about 17% of the total population of Dubai (Dubai Dreams, N.D.). The other 83% of the population is made up mostly...