Sustainability in the Gulf States Week 8: The Gulf States OLLI, Fall 2018
Challenges Ahead? Environmental Challenges Smart Cities Building an Economy that outlives oil tourism and technology Surviving in a dangerous neighborhood through diversification Keeping the residents happy
Rising sea level would disrupt economies and infrastructure and displace populations, but would not affect countries evenly. Bahrain could lose up to 10% of its territory. Bahrain and southern Iran also more vulnerable due to greater reliance on fishing, vulnerable populations DOI:10.4236/eng.2013.58080
Saudi Arabia has devoted resources to preparing for a sea level rise. The studies here were done by KAUST (King Abdul Aziz University for Science and Technology, established 2009. KAUST sends some students to U of I)
Climate Change impact on fishing industry by 2050 and 2090; by 2090 the gulf may have lost 35% of the fishing catch. Bahrain and Iran will be most affected due to the relative lack of resources for replacing the fishing industry and moving populations out of low lying areas.
70% of the world s desalination plants are in the Gulf, and states are planning to double capacity by 2030, but as the briny wastewater is returned to the sea, they become less viable. Desalination also leaves a significant carbon footprint but solar research underway. UAE has highest per capita water consumption in the world! Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Plant
Masdar City (near Abu Dhabi) conceived as a carbon neutral city in 2008, but has had a slow start. The building pictured has not been built, but is very cool looking! https://youtu.be/ll zq9ymspp8
The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology developed in partnership with MIT. The Teflon coated wind tower in Masdar City also displays energy consumption.
While only about 1000 of the expected 50,000 residents have arrived as of 2017, the International Renewable Energy Agency (created 2009) has its headquarters in Masdar.
Dubai also has a Green campaign underway.
Sustainability city Dubai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gcb3nfsgos
Qatar s version of the planned Smart city is Lusail, built to support the 2022 World cup and house 450,000. 2000 total pop: 600,000 2018 2.3 million total 313,000 citizens
Smart City investment as an aspect of Branding UAE - World s Fiber broadband leader (in 85% of homes in 2014) - Ministry of Artificial Intelligence - Vision 2021: UAE master plan to develop e-commerce, e-government, e- education and e-health, smart card access to egate (immigration, airport security through biometric authentication) Dubai - created International Blockchain council - KhalifaSat (Emirati built Satellite) launched Oct. 29, 2018
United Arab Emirate s Vision 2021 key leaders. UAE master plan to develop e-commerce, e- government, e-education and e-health, egate (immigration, airport security through biometric authentication)
You can obtain birth certificates, replacement licenses, pay fines, pay bills, pay taxes, pass security
Oct. 29, 2018
UAE first country to create a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence Police Robot in Dubai
Blockchain Council The council consists of 46 members, all of which are potential key players in the Blockchain industry, and are shaping the market day by day. They include government entities, international companies, leading UAE banks, free zones, and international Blockchain technology firms, including: Microsoft, Du, SAP, IBM, Cisco, TECOM, Dubai Holding, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), EmirateNBD, Emirates Islamic, Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), Souq.com, Careem, Mashreq, InfoSys, Wamda, Propertyfinder.com, Kraken, BitOasis, Umbrellab, AstroLabs, YellowPay, SmartStart Fund, Etheruem, Viktor Koenig LLC, Privity FZ LLC, Digitus, Network int, Michael Mainelli, Vinay Gupta, Smart Dubai Office and Dubai Smart Government.
Not all the Branding is High tech Trump Golf Course opened 2017 by Eric Trump
Survival Strategy in the region? Diversification Diversity in terms of kinds of contacts abroad: Charity Development Trade relations, military purchases, Lobbying industry contacts
Diversifying in Allies as well Kuwait s Emir visited China in July 2018
. Xi Jinpeng visit the UAE in July 2018
2018 July visit of China s Xi Jinpeng to the UAE. https://gulfnews.com/news/uae/government/watch-chinese-president-xi-jinping-arrives-in-uae-on-state-visit-1.2253388
Turkey also a newly useful ally. October 10, 2018, Turkey signs a defense agreement with Kuwait. In 2017 Turkey began negotiations for a base in Qatar.
Kuwait became concerned about the intentions of Mohammed bin Salman after he was named Saudi Arabia's crown prince last year. Moreover, the decision by the Trump administration to support Riyadh took away some of Kuwait's defenses. Mohammed's visit to Kuwait on Sept. 30 to discuss the recurring problems between the two countries and the Qatar issue did not go well. The meeting, designated to last some two hours, was cut short. The crisis between the two countries escalated in 2014 due to disputes over their common oil fields of Khafji and Wafra. Kuwait had opposed the inclusion of Chevron in the operation and the Saudis unilaterally ceased production. Kuwait says it was denied $18 billion in revenue and wants to be compensated. US President Donald Trump wants for there to a Saudi boost to the world oil supply in lieu of an expected drop in Iranian production, and Mohammed wants to resume production in the common oil fields as soon as possible. In Kuwait's political corridors, Mohammed is now referred to as little Saddam. Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/10/turkey-gulfrapprochement-with-kuwait-may-cause-tension.html#ixzz5vofiskec
POST 9/11 Militarization of the Region began with counterterrorism, but has evolved into home grown militarization. The U.S. has hoped to coordinate militaries in the region in order to improve cooperation, but it isn t leading to regional cooperation 2018 figures.
We spend a lot of time lately thinking about Saudi Arabia, but it might be good to think about the UAE also. Instead of focusing on the Iran vs. Saudi contest, we can see a pro Saudi (Bahrain and UAE) vs Saudi averse (Qatar, Kuwait, Oman) dynamic also.
The UAE is the world s 3 rd largest importer of arms (SIPRI) 5 th largest over last 20 years (after Saudis and China). Almost 20% of US military exports go to the UAE and Saudi Arabia. UAE has nurtured a national arms industry and is now one of top 30 global exporters. The UAE has intervened heavily in Libya, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen, Eritrea and Somalia, in violation of UN controls. UAE Military Spending, 2005-2014
Qatar and its ally, Turkey, are building ports in Sudan. Saudi Arabia is in talks to set up a naval base in Djibouti. All three Gulf states are trying to snap up farmland in east Africa, part of a broader effort to secure food supplies for their arid countries. Emirati-built ports could one day export crops from Emirati-owned farms. (The Economist. July 2018) The UAE s DP World maritime transit company was shut out of the US market in 2006, and has since turned to African ports. It built ports in Djibouti and Somaliland in the 1990s. Opened naval base in Assab, 2015 (close to Yemen).
Reflecting on the Region? Certainly a lot more than funny hotels and shopping malls. Central Puzzle: At the forefront of high tech state administration (including monitoring), as well as traditional values. Traditional or Tribal identity key to maintaining/inventing the legitimacy of the state and place of citizens. A new model of the nation-state based on allegiance of elite vs the masses. A new conception of how to achieve national strength diversification of levels of contact and allies Better to think about the region as pro and anti Saudi rather than Saudi vs Iran?
Academic: Anything by Christopher M. Davidson, but especially After the Sheikhs and Shadow Wars. Tribal Modern by Miriam Cooke. 2014. Ethnography on modernizing cultures in the Gulf. Kuwait Transformed. Farah al Nakib. 2016. Le Miroir des Cheikhs. Alexandre Kazerouni. Dang its in French but its very interesting about museum politics. Dubai the Gilded Cage: Syed Ali. Expose of the underside of development. Memoirs: From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi. By Mohammad al Fahim covers 1930s on, but pretty stuffy. The Girl who fell to Earth by Sophia AL-Maria. 1980s-90s memoir funny. Fiction: The Sand Fish. By Maha Gargash (rural girl in 1950s Dubai) its ok, maybe the translation isn t well done. That Other Me, by Maha Gargash. (3 generations of an Emirati family in 1990s) I haven t read this yet. Small Kingdoms by Anastasia Hobbet. Kuwait in the 1990s as seen by locals, expats and maids. Well written novel by American who had lived there. The Girls of Riyadh. By Rajaa AlSanea. 2005 novel called Sex in the City in Saudi Arabia but helps understand region