Reflections on Dubai

Megan linked to this Alternet piece a while back, and quoted a section detailing Dubai's punitive bankruptcy laws, but the entire thing should be read.

Dubai's Lesson to America: How the Middle East's Shangrai La Became a Hell on Earth

It appears from this article that its Western residents, and particularly the British, are collaborating in the Emirati's massive exploitation of its third-world residents. But let's do a thought experiment: what if these expats, who comprise the vast majority (some 95%) of the country's population, were to up and depose the Emirs? It seems apparent from the article that these Westerners couldn't keep the place running without the good graces of the other members of the UAE, which they almost certainly could not obtain. The Filipinos and Bangledeshis that comprise Dubai's de facto slave class couldn't keep the place running under any circumstances, and in fact wouldn't want to.

But I'm more interested in the kind of reaction such a revolution would inspire back here in the West. Would we:

• 1. Rejoice at the creation of a true liberal democracy on the Persian Gulf and applaud the liberation of the slaves; or

• 2. Denounce the colonialist temerity of the Westerners for imposing their Christian values on an Islamic Country.

I'm guessing #2. Just guessing.