Anyone who has been to Dubai can’t help but notice that it’s always been on the brink of disaster. The skyline is filled with the skeletons of half-finished high-rises and abandoned cranes, with brand new highways leading standstill traffic from one opulent (and now, empty) set of malls and condos to another – and all of it slapped in the middle of the desert. With no existing infrastructure, unchecked costs of living, constant traffic nightmares, sewage disposal problems, not to mention the lack of any direct water source, Dubai is $80 billion worth of investment in an avid fantasy, with sandstorms always two steps from eating the whole thing alive. (more...)