If you have ever pondered whether or not benevolent dictatorship is the construction industry's preferred option, a week in Dubai is an instructive experience. While the Americans are struggling to force democracy on to an increasingly recalcitrant population down the road in Iraq, in Dubai Crown Prince Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is driving a very different kind of revolution - the kind in which oceans of cash translate into some of the grandest and boldest construction projects in the world. His vision is to use oil money to turn the city into a huge centre for tourism, business, finance and retail so that, when the oil finally dries up, the city has an alternative source of revenue. All of which means that if you fancy building an artificial island in the shape of a palm tree or working out how to create real snow in the middle of a desert, Dubai is the place for you.
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