Gulf governments are changing, but not how they talk to citizens
Rumours about downpours in Dubai and rosé in Riyadh stem from a lack of trust
IT WAS a very Dubai apocalypse. As your correspondent tried to reach the city’s main motorway on April 16th, a chauffeured BMW was inching along the same on-ramp, by then more river than road. It looked to be ferrying a business-class passenger to the airport. But there would be no free-flowing Moët et Chandon in the lounge that day: the car was soon submerged in floodwaters and came to a stop.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Après nous, le déluge”
From the May 4th 2024 edition
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