Art and Culture in UAE's Capital

As mentioned previously, Abu Dhabi will soon boast NYU's largest liberal arts campus outside of the United States. This will certainly attract many individuals with tremendous talent and vast interest in the arts. Talks with Yale University are currently underway, which is planning to open an arts institute on Saadiyat Island, the Cultural District of the city.

With all of the major economic and global business players migrating to Dubai, Abu Dhabi certainly needs an unrivaled area to focus on. The city is shaping out to be UAE's cultural hub. New York-based Guggenheim Foundation is set to establish a world-class museum devoted to modern and contemporary art. It will be called the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and the museum, designed by internationally-acclaimed architect Frank Gehry, will truly position the emirate as a leading international cultural destination. The museum will be approximately 30,000 square feet, and will be larger than any existing Guggenheim museum worldwide (New York, Venice, Bilbao, Berlin, Las Vegas, Guadalajara, Bucharest and Vilnius). The museum will form its own major collection of contemporary art and will also exhibit masterworks from the Guggenheim Foundation’s global collections.

The Cultural District will also be home to a national museum, classical art museum, maritime museum, performing arts centre and an expansive arts center park. HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and member of the Executive Council was quoted in a press release regarding the announcement of the museum. "Today’s signing represents the determination of the Abu Dhabi Government to create a world-class cultural destination for its residents and visitors." This is a major step forward in our plans for Saadiyat Island and its Cultural District which will become an international cultural hub for the Middle East on par with the best in the world. The signing also represents a significant development in the creation and nurturing of international cultural ties which will do much to forge greater understanding between all globalizing nations.

Saadiyat Island translates from Arabic literally into "The Island of Happiness." With six highly individual districts with 29 hotels, including an iconic 7-star property, three marinas for around 1,000 boats, museums and cultural centers, two golf courses, recreational and leisure facilities, sea-view apartments and elite villas, Saadiyat Island will seemingly be a cultural Dubai, only on the small scale.

International Opportunities

The Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV) is shaping out to be the essential crown jewel in the international educational arena. With globalization at its peak, yet with absolutely no sign of the trend waning, organizations, institutions, governments and people are looking overseas for profitable collaboration, key competency development and outsourcing opportunities. The DKV boasts a breathtaking one kilometer picturesque campus that provides a dynamic environment prepared for a variety of knowledge-based entities including training centers and learning support entities.

The Hult International Business School is just one example of the dozens of international organizations making move to Dubai. Hult currently operates three other branches in Boston, Shanghai and London. With four branches fully established by September 2008, students will be given the freedom of rotating to each location, gaining insight into the world's major economies in the process. This will also allow the Hult brand to gain international recognition.

One key idea that Hult has adopted and which is fundamental to the success of the educational free zone philosophy is, that regardless of which of the four locations students choose to study, they will receive a fully accredited education which is completely identical to that offered at the main site (Boston). They now offer a one-year MBA course which gives graduate students the valuable opportunity to study in all locations within one accelerated year. I know that I will personally be researching this opportunity, as I would like to study at all of these locations.

This path is not just being pursued by top international universities, but corporations as well. Corporations seeking international growth are beginning to look at Dubai as their first, if not largest investment abroad.

While Dubai is, of course, seeking expansion within practically every industry, local government is attempting to attract certain companies and institutions that target specific industries. The Dubai media industry and proposed Dubai Media City will bring dozens of corporations which will base their Middle East broadcasting in the booming city. CNN, Bloomberg, Reuters, BBC World, APTN, Middle East Broadcasting Center, Geo TV, CNBC, Showtime Arabia, Ten Sports among others will feature state of the art campuses within the next two years. Of course, visa and operational procedures are relaxed for firms operating within the Media City, as with every other tax-free industry-focused development area.

Of course, Abu Dhabi will not be overdone by its seemingly rival neighbor. The Abu Dhabi education council announced plans for a similar Knowledge Vilage in 2005. NYU will finish construction of the first American liberal arts branch campus abroad in 2010.

An Incentive for Foreign Institutions

To draw this amount of foreign universities and institutions certainly seems like an ambitious objective for the United Arab Emirates. For any other industrialized nation, this may seem like a close to impossible feat – especially in a nation with under 83,000 square kilometers of land area and a population of just under 5 million. The GDP of the minuscule United Arab Emirates is, however, over $175 billion. They have a significant amount of capital to "play around with." They look to everything as a major investment. Oil is certainly no longer an investment whatsoever, so the thriving industries of tourism, international business expansion and education have major priorities in the Arab state.

To attract foreign students as well as foreign universities themselves, Dubai has a series of incentives that are very difficult to compete with (sorry Australia) let alone pass up. The educational free zones offer many advantages which lure universities to set-up campus there, including 100% foreign ownership, 100% tax free status and effortless visa issuance procedures. In turn, these world-renowned colleges and universities present considerable benefits for both undergraduate and postgraduate students who wish to study in Dubai.

It is seemingly unreal to potential investors, interested students and desperate universities seeking rapid international expansion. Dubai's closest competitors in the educational field, namely the Australian Board of Higher Education and other European international universities, face no other options than to cut costs, offer similar incentives or simply stick to traditional campaigns and recruiting measures and suffer tremendous drops in application and attendance rates.

Job Opportunities in the Middle East

The projected increase in the estimated number of job opportunities in the region is making is imperative to focus on quality education. By the year 2010, it is estimated that there will be almost 100 million job opportunities in the Middle East. With the recent release of this statistic, the U.A.E. government has stepped up efforts to attract foreign educational institutions. They are focusing attention on the need for high quality education to supply a highly skilled work force to fill these positions.

With the establishment of Dubai Knowledge Village (which includes the renowned Academic City as have I previously mentioned) Dubai has certainly taken on the responsibility of nurturing the region’s talent pool and supporting its exponential growth. Dubai’s all-encompassing Knowledge Village is the world’s only economic free zone wholly focused on professional training in dozens of educational fields, specifically pharmaceuticals and other medicines as well as technology. The smaller International Academic City, which hosts 20 additional foreign organizations that are currently under construction or in the late planning process, is a unique cluster solely for graduate level institutions. The ultimate goal of the two free zones is to double the amount of universities currently in Dubai and serve at least 25,000 students by 2012.

Higher Education

This is the first posting of a mini series in which I will be analyzing higher education and opportunities for foreigners in the Middle East.

Australia/Dubai Competition

There is tremendous competition in the international arena that many might find shocking and intriguing. The competition exists in the form of a fierce battle to attract top scholars in higher education. The education “market” in Eastern Australia has historically drawn many individuals from every reach of the world seeking valuable graduate programs. This market has never truly experienced significant competition from other international markets. The United States always features thousands of graduate programs each year, but for some reason, never highly promotes internationally. This may be because of the large graduate consumer base from domestic graduates.

Nevertheless, Australia has engaged in intense recruiting measures to increase and maintain high levels of foreign graduates for their prestigious graduate school programs. The University of Melbourne, The University of Western Australia in Perth as well as Australia's first university, The University of Sydney all offer incentives to foreign undergrads seeking a first-class graduate degree. The University of Melbourne Business School offers Australia's most reputable MBA program as well as a Centre of International Business. Melbourne has certainly jumped on board with the globalization trend and are certainly looking very attractive to potential graduate candidates.

The U.A.E. and Qatar have different plans, however. Dubai and Doha are featuring "Education Cities" built into their rapidly expanding infrastructure. Some of America's most prestigious universities are frantically taking advantage of the low-tax incentives, educational stipends for international organizations and the opportunity to become a part of the most prestigious collection of private schools in the world.

Qatar's Education City

Qatar has a unique vision for the future of its younger generations. in 1995, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani of Qatar established the Qatar Foundation as a private, non-profit organization with the goal of sponsoring and funding education, science and community development. The Sheikh has noted that the country's greatest resource is the potential of its people, and investment in the expansion of the nation's education system is a key priority in the Qatari culture. The current chairperson of the Foundation is the wife of his highness, Sheikha Al-Missend.

The flagship project of the Foundation is the further development of Doha's Education City, which currently hosts branch campuses of 6 American Universities. These branches include Carnegie-Mellon, Georgetown, Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth, Cornell and Northeastern. Two Canadian universities have also opened campuses in Education City as well.

With the world's highest GDP per capita, a booming economy and a record number of immigrants, this is a valuable investment on behalf of Doha. A high national literacy rate is crucial in today's globalizing world, especially if a small nation is considering competing in the international arena with players such as neighboring UAE and Bahrain.

In a recent article in Penninsula Qatar, the leading English news source in the country, it was announced that the Ministry of Education would be dissolved by 2010. This is a part of the education reform process currently underway.

This highlights significant progress for Qatar, and displays a very socially responsible move for the Sheikh.

In Dubai, the recent opening of Academic City in May of 2006 marked the city's push to "become the new global academic destination." With construction underway on land that will soon accommodate 25 international universities, and provide top-notch education to over 150,000 students, Sheikh Muhammad of Dubai may very well place his city on the map of academia. There are already smaller branches of international universities, such as the American University of Dubai, within the city center. Dubai's Academic City will boast research firms and institutions responsible for developing cutting-edge technology and medical research that rivals that of many Western universities. Chairman of the Dubai Education Council, Ahmed bin Bayat was recently quoted as stating, "There is no doubt that the main challenge that our region faces is the challenge of development in the information age, and the most significant characteristic of this age is the human aspect." With the tremendous economic growth the region has experienced, it is evident that Dubai is capable of attracting scholars and students from every corner of the globe. Similar to the Qatar Foundation, the Dubai Education Council is responsible for the investment, development and accreditation of their institutions.

It is fascinating that Dubai has chosen to "group" their development centers. This certainly makes construction and navigation throughout the region more efficient. Dubai Sports City and the Dubai International Finance Centre (located at the base of the Burj Dubai) are just two examples of multi-billion dollar projects funded by the Sheikh as well as significant support from foreign investors. The promotion of education and global centers of higher learning will certainly create a more well-rounded appeal for the city of Dubai. It is not appropriate to compare Qatar's Education City and Dubai's Academic City in terms of the levels of education that will be provided, as both locations will boast branches of the world's top universities, each featuring an array of specific areas of study and multi-million dollar institutions.

Updated Post on Qatar

Qatar
On the Arabian Peninsula, Qatar was an early region occupied by Muslims. During the late 18th century, the Al Khalifa branch of the Utub tribe in Kuwait emigrated to Qatar and eventually settled on the northwest coast of the peninsula. Accomplished sailors and skilled traders, Al Khalifa became the mainstay of commercial development in this region. The Ottoman and British Empires had imperial interests in the region during 1600-. The British found the peninsula ideal for shipping routes to their colonies in India. Following the Second World War and the independence of India in 1947, pressure for British withdrawal increased. They announced a political withdrawal from the Gulf region in 1968, resulting in Qatar joining seven other Trucial States in a federation. Regional disputes ensued, and Qatar ultimately became an independent sovereign nation on September 3, 1971.

Qatar has experienced exponential growth in its economy following the discovery of oil. Many social and economic developments have ensued following its declaration of independence, including rights for women, and the launch of the region’s largest media outlet, Al Jazeera. Since 1995, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has ruled Qatar. Nearly all of Qatar’s native citizens proclaim Islam, but international expatriates form a majority of the country’s residents today.

Foreign Policy
After the formation of the Gulf Cooperation Council in November 1981, Qatar has enjoyed a stable membership and tranquil associations with the other six states. Border dispute issues have existed with neighboring Bahrain over the legitimacy of man made Fasht al-Dibal island. Qatari forces raided the island and took Bahrain workers as prisoners. The prisoners were released, but the sovereignty of the island continued to obscure relations between the two countries. Unlike other GCC members, Qatar has cordial relations with both Iran and Iraq and continues to maintain contacts with both governments at very high levels. Qatar is also member of the League of Arab States, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, the United Nations, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Non-Aligned Movement, the International Monetary Fund, World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization.

Economy
Qatar currently ranks as the ninth wealthiest nation in the world per capita, and has the highest GDP in the Arab world at USD $70,000. Its citizens enjoy no income tax, and Qatar is the second least taxed sovereign state in the world, after Bahrain. The country’s primary source of income, and chief export is natural gas. It is estimated that Qatar natural gas reserves will supply the world’s current usage for the next 109 years. Oil is the second largest export, supplying 1.9% of the world’s oil reserves.

Some fine tuning, and significant additions to the current business climate of Qatar are in the works...

KD

New Oman Travel Guide

The Musandam Peninsula of Oman juts out into the Strait of Hormuz. Its pristine, jagged peaks and red rock cliffs breathtaking to any tourist, which are, for now, few and far between. Khasab, an eclectic port, is the peninsula’s largest town and capital, with about 19,000 residents. With three hotels, it’s also the closest thing to a tourist hub. In town, the bustling exchange of food and cloths may seem like a flashback to more historical times. Modernism has yet to overtake this seemingly preserved location. They are in danger, however, as some residents say. Cranes as big as the ones in Dubai sit on the horizon. Prospective businessmen in Western style clothing visit on a daily basis, and survey the beauty of the land and the clear water it sits on. For Muscat, Oman’s capital, there is hope for the country; in the unrelenting form of tourism. Other neighboring regions have been exposed already, including a majority of the major cities in the U.A.E. and Oman is doing everything it can to bring in foreign investors.

Once you have seen Khasab, you will surely be convinced of its potential. The town is currently free of tourist shops that plague other port towns of Oman, but that may soon change. The promise that the Omani government is banking on is Khasab’s proximity to the region’s current center of commerce and tourism. Dubai is just a two hour drive south of the port city, and with roads being paved and flights linking the two locations, more and more tourists are now beginning to look elsewhere for a unique escape. While the residents may not approve of the impending influx of investment, it will surely bring a tremendous flow of crisp capital to the local economy.

For now, Khasab is preserved as the sole seacoast gem of Northern Oman, but it will soon transform into the “Dubai escape of the North.” It will be very interesting to monitor the economic transformation of this tiny town, which will surely set the course for future endeavors in the slowly expanding nation of Oman. This is just a piece of the trend that will engulf the coast, and bring the world to this region.