The Gulf was a very interesting place some 30 years ago as well, after Beirut fell apart, all the banks moved to Bahrain. It was the start of the boom there, the construction was either old, genuine gulf arab vernacular, British colonial remnants whitewashed thick as stalagmites, or new under construction. Solid connection between Texas businessmen and local families, some for generations.
Then the Shah abdicated.
All this was at the start of this war.
The UAE is 1200 years ahead of rural Abyssinia. It takes courage to stand up to other mid-eastern pressures with SCUDS landing within the horizon, the 5th fleet at home, (their COM) in your ports for years, and you, reconstruct an old Brit airbase to take the war to Saddam. We do the Gulf arabs a grievous disservice with our uninformed, bigoted generalizing borborygm.