Dubai: Superstar of Islamic Modernism
Founder, Partner and Director - Cornerstone Global Associates
25 July 2010
Leading American thinker, writer and visionary and Cornerstone Senior Consultant Howard Bloom told me that he thought Dubai was not mistaken for what some perceive as its shallow consumerism. I lived and worked in Dubai, regularly quoted in international media allegedly criticising Dubai and the way it has developed. After a few minutes with Howard, my suspicion that Dubai is by no means out, was confirmed.
Cornerstone is very lucky to have Howard as a Senior Consultant. While the world still debates the fossil versus solar energy, Howard has- quite literally - gone to space. This is the sort of visionary Howard is. He does not think about today or tomorrow, let alone dwell about the past, but leaps in his thinking light years ahead, way beyond what those immersed in the day to day life are able to see. Howard Bloom never visited Dubai, was never paid or sponsored by its government. However, he was one of the few, select few, who comprehended the vision of Sheikh Mohammed, Dubai's ruler.
Dubai's woes were not the fault of its leadership. The perception on the ground is that they were the fault of large, international "consultants" who were good at "copying and pasting" solutions, without understanding them. Dubai feels that it was let down by those big consultants because "they employed barely experienced graduates"> to undertake the mammoth task of building Islamdom's newest frontier. Whether well-founded or ill-founded, those claims need to be carefully examined by the decision makers. Those big names may have used solutions and techniques that were cutting edge when they were developed in the West, decades or even centuries ago. But Dubai did not need those solutions. It was the blind and crude way in which those solutions were applied that led to Dubai’s troubles. I have little sympathy with big companies, some of which are British, who complain of non-payment of dues. Those companies not only were the real cause for the inability of some Dubai entities to settle their bills, but in fact were the reason why the emirate received unfair negative media publicity. Those large corporates thought they were making billions by effectively exploiting cheap south Asian labour. At least, their profits were "only on paper", as one local commentator intimated to me. In one stroke, the big companies let down their clients, their stockholders and stakeholders. Those are the ones who have really failed, not Dubai.
Dubai now needs to acknowledge that it needs visionaries and leaders, not simply to sign strategy reports and designs, but to actually design and write them. My fear is that the opposite will happen as the emirate cuts costs and ends up relying on even more inferior advice than in the past. If anything good came out of the crisis, it is that it demonstrated that big consultancies is not what Dubai only needs. Dubai needs visionaries and experts who can implement things and make them happen. Big consultancies are needed for their huge resources and capabilities but only if brought in as part of a larger effort that acknowledges the complexity of the challenge in hand. The distinction has to be made between consultants and experts and specialists. Dubai needs both.
Whilst those shallow thinkers - and designers, may see empty concrete buildings in Dubai, Howard Bloom sees them as "a modern reflection of the motivation that built the Kaaba". Howard further said: "Dubai must survive the crisis, because it is a superstar of Islamic modernism and a pointer to a glorious future for an Ummah that spans the globe, an Ummah that opens the Qur’an and sees words of peace”
Dubai has serious challenges to overcome, on multiple fronts. Howard Bloom and Cornerstone’s team can offer Dubai the services it deserves and the Muslim world demand. If Dubai fails, it is a triumph of oil money against modernism. If Dubai survives, it is a triumph for the whole Gulf and Islamic world. This is why Abu Dhabi will ensure Dubai comes out of the crisis more resilient.
For further information about Cornerstone's capabilities and team, or to comment about this article, please contact Ghanem Nuseibeh at gn@cstoneglobal.com