Welcome

Welcome to The Other Middle East. The last semester of my undergraduate career has just begun, and I am off to a great start with my research and resources for my directed study. I will be conducting a directed study on the emerging markets of the Middle East, focusing specifically on the nations of the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. This blog will serve as a progressive journal that I will post to several times a week. I will report my research, post new and exciting developments in the booming economic zones of the prosperous Middle East and simply keep my readers informed of new contacts I will be developing. I will be working closely with my professor Nik Dholakia, who, as of today, is the only other member of my blog community. He will be evaluating my progress and my performance on a weekly basis, and will also connect me with valuable resources to utilize in my research.

The idea for this independent study came from a presentation that I made in Professor Dholakia's Global Marketing class last semester. I presented the rise of one of the premier cities in the Middle East; the key business hub for the region. The city, or emirate, of Dubai is one of the most incredible achievements in human history, boasting the most profitable service oriented businesses in the world, the tallest, longest, largest and most expensive buildings in the world, thousands of kilometers of man made coastline, and the most innovative and exciting plans any city in the world has ever witnessed. Through this blog and my Wiki page that I will be developing simultaneously, I will not only strive to make my readers believe that the Middle East is the globe's newest center of commerce, but convince everyone to invest heavily in any and every aspect of this booming region!

Just imagine, meeting with the investors of your business, sitting on the 67th floor of the world's only 7 star hotel, the Burj al Arab, sipping a martini and watching the sunset overlooking the elegant Palm Islands on the horizon...