Category: Portfolio Research

  • United Arab Emirates : Research

    United Arab Emirates : Assignment pages

    Allies

    Players

    • Sam Cummings small-scale US arms dealer
    • ‘Man from Wisconsin’ – hapless businessman trying to make an entrance on the scene

    Telexes:

    To be done

    Research

    UAE Background

    UAE flag
    UAE Map

    Wikipedia article
    BBC article

    United Arab Emirates was established in 1971 as a federation of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi (capital), Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. Each Emirate is governed by an absolute monarch, together they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council. One of the monarchs is selected as President of the UAE.

    It has a very ancient civilisation – stone tools from archaeological sites show  settlement of people from Africa 130,000 years ago. Trade in cooper from Hajar mountains motivated trade with Iran and Mesopotamia around 3000 years ago. There was constant movement of peoples from Bahrain and Oman. The area of the Al Ain/Buraimi oasis (Tu’am) was an important trading post for camels between the coast and Arabian interior. Islam was established shortly after the hijrah.

    Peoples were nomadic dependent on varying mixes of aniumal husbandry, agriculture and hunting. Seasonal movements often led to clashes between groups, but also establishment of seasonal and semi-seasonal settlements.

    By the 16thy Century came under the Ottoman Empire. Then Portuguese, English and Dutch forces. Al Qawasim tribe practised piracy against the British. Finally 1892 Exclusive Agreement between British and sheikhs – though abolition of slave trade led to some issues.

    19th and early 20th century wealth dependent on pearl industry, but this declined early 1930s with invention of cultured pearls. Oil was discovered in early 1950s, and in commercial quantities in 1958.

    After Independence UAE was a strategic ally of the US.

    100 activists were jailed during the Arab Spring. In November 2012 UAE outlawed on-line mockery of the government, and attempts to organise public protests through social media.

    In 2013 of 9.2 million people, 7.8 million are expatriates (27.15% population Indian, 12.53% Pakistani.)

    Videos

    Video 1: 50 minutes (first 42 minutes on UAE) produced 2007. Very interesting overview of history with old black and white photos of boats, old cities and people, and the souq markets. Less romantic than the tourist videos – shows health problems, discussion of impact of oil and situation of immigrants. Sees UAE as very standardised and ‘missing in soul’ except for Fujairah.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_npsvtA3nY

    Video 2: 8 minute video produced in. Introduction seems a part spoof of the tourist video below ‘Imagine a land where reality actually outstrips fantasy…Imagine a city that has emerged almost over night like a mirage out of the desert built by the sweat of indentured labour. Imagine a place like no other’. Smoochy music. But then rest is a fairly straight history. Airports. Oil and construction.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F585Gtp2c0E

    Video 3: 26 minute promotional tourist video 2010

    ‘200,000 man [sic] has lived and thrived’. Desert, fertile oases, nature, industry… Lots of ‘Arabian’ film music. ‘In a world of beautiful places you could say that UAE has more than its fair share…a celebration of the big, the bold and the inspired’ etc etc etc

    Abu Dhabi

    ‘energy and ambition’. Pearl industry declined 1930s because of synthetic pearls. 1950s discovered oil. Zayed is a’visionary’ for rising architectural statements.

    • Rubh al-Khali (empty quarter) dunes 400 metre dunes ‘sculpted by wind’ 600,000 sq km emptiness – winds and textures. birthplace of Islam. Now like a car track.
    • Jebel Hafit mountain 1,000 metres with extensive network of caves and ‘world’s greatest driving road up to it used by international cyclists.
    • El Hafit graves 3,000 years BC beehive design.
    Rubh al Khali
    Jebel Hafit
    • White marble Sk Zayed mosque for 40,000 worshippers.
    • 3bn USD Emirates palace hotel ‘reflects hues and shades of Arabian desert’.
    Sk Zayed mosque
    Emirates palace hotel
    • Abu Dhabi Golf championships.
    • Yas Island Formula 1 ‘can come by your own yacht and watch from room in Yas Hotel.
    • Bani Yas Island conservation Arabian Wildlife park. Dolphins, dugongs.
    • Liwa oasis ‘splashes of green signify life, crops and man’. Tourism 5 star hotels. ‘tourists who want to experience desert life in a more comfortable way.’ eg ballooning.
    • El-Ayn oasis ‘garden city’ 7,000 years old. Ancient falaj irrigation system. El Jahili fort. El-Ayn palace. Now 380,000 people.
    • Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 initiative – largest commitment in the world to renewable energy: Mazdar solar energy.
    Masdar solar energy

    Dubai

    Burj Khalifa
    Palm Jumeria
    Burj al Arab Hotel

    Waterway established it as centre of commerce, divides into 2 ‘soul of city’. Use small wooden boats. Development of less than 20 years. Government aimed at new Hong Kong or Shanghai, and attract tourism.

    • Ras al Khor wildlife wetland sanctuary – flamingos.
    • Sk Zayed road and Dubai metro above highway.
    • Burj Khalifa tallest man-made structure in world. 1.5 bn USD.
    • Burj al Arab hotel tallest all-suite hotel built on a small island based on traditional dow sail design. 2004. Cannot see it unless you can afford a room.
    • Cruise ship to see the Gulf.
    • Palm Jumeira – increases waterside real estate
    • The world – man-made islands representing countries also wildlife sancuary
    • Port and harbour – free zone and containers with cranes
    • Golf including ‘Dubai Ladies’ Masters’
    • Hata. 2 watch towers and Juma mosque. Cool refuge from heat – breathtaking hajar mountains

    Sharjah

    • was vital stop over for aircraft from Britain to Asia and Australia
    • touches Arabian gulf and Arabian sea so strategic
    • Museums and mosques  UNESCO cultural capital of Arab world
    • Gold and Blue Souqs
    • Support services to offshore oil and international container terminal
    • University of Sharjah brings together cultural and Islamic values. American University co-education.
    • Fishing harbour
    • Mangrove marsh for endangered species
    • Diba fort occupied by Portuguese
    Sharjah

    Fujairah

    The most historic emirate – but trying to ‘modernise’

    • rugged untouched mountains
    • home of UAE 16th Century mosque like West African
    • Fujairah fort and surrounding village restored using traditional materials and methods with Indian architect
    • hotels on palm beaches
    • key international shipping lanes
    Fujairah Free Zone !!!!

    Ajman

    • smallest emirate. extensive building in recent years
    • fort

    Umm al_Quwain (mother of two powers)

    • Blue green lagoon and wildlife
    • Tel Abrak archaorological site. Was inhabited for 2000 years on coast before sea retreated in 300BC.
    Umm Al Quwain Free Zone

    Ras al Khaima (top of the tent)

    From mountains, deserts and ancient cultural sites to beaches, mangroves, water sports and more,Ras Al Khaimah is a truly unforgettable Arabian experience. Tourist board website

    • inhabited many thousands of years
    • reinventing self for tourism
    • mangrove wetlands with flamingos
    • Hajjar mountains – camel farms and gorges with snow. highest peak 1100 metres.
    • isolated villages perched on rugged outcrops
    ‘What to do in Ras Al Khaimah’

    Research on players from Money Rush

    Shkh Zayed 1918 – 2004

    50 minutes (late 1950s??) Evocative portrait in Black and White film – if a rather patronising and romanticised BBC documentary that shows its age. Provided a lot of material for sketches of Zayed, falcons and desert driving.

    Wikipedia article

    Shkha Fatima

    Such adulation!!! Born?? Still alive.

    Shkha Fatima

    Third (or fifth??? is contradiction) wife ‘and most devoted’ of Shkh Zayed ‘mother of the nation’

    hosting of Sudanese president’s wife  article

    “Sheikha Fatima is one of the women rights supporters in the country. She is the supreme chairperson of the family development foundation. She significantly contributed to the foundation of the first women’s organization in 1976, the Abu Dhabi society for the awakening of women. She was also instrumental in a nationwide campaign towards girls’ education”

    Shkha Fatima:

    • heads the United Arab Emirate’s women federation, which she founded in 1975. 
    • president of motherhood and childhood supreme council.
    • At the end of the 1990s, she publicly announced that women should be member of the federal national council of the Emirates.
    • supports efforts concerning adult literacy and provision of free public education to girls. Annually an exclusive award named the Sheikha Fatima Award for Excellence has been presenting in her honour since 2005. It is awarded for the outstanding academic performance and commitment to the environment and world citizenship of the female recipients. It entitles winners to a full-tuition scholarship and extends across schools in the Middle East and was expanded to India as well in 2010. 
    • Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Award for Woman Athletes has been given to female athletes.”
    • 1997 UNICEF, WHO, UNIFEM, UNFP and UNFPA awarded Sheikha Fatima for her significant efforts for women’s rights. UNIFEM stated “she is the champion of women’s right.”
    • 2009 awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order by Tunisian president Zine el Abidine ben Ali for her contributions to raise the status of Arab women.
    • UNESCO Marie Curie Medal for her efforts in education, literacy and women’s rights, being the third international and the first Arab recipient of the award.

    Source: Wikipedia article

    Sheikh Rashid  1912 -1990

    Shkh Rashid
    Shkh Rashid in younger days

    “My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel”

    His son died of a drug overdose amid considerable scandal  (see Wikipedia article)
    Wikipedia article

    Ghaffar Hussain

    Abdul Ghaffar Hussain with Shkh Rashid

    Awards

    Sheikha Sanaa

    Sheikha Sanaa Bint Mana al Maktoum’s Beach Palace

    Sheikha Sanaa Bint Mana Al Maktoum was the daughter of Sheikh Mana Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, famous for the reform movement in Dubai in 1938–1939. A former education minister described as a “moderniser” by Lienhardt in Shaikhdoms of Eastern Arabia and an “enlightened philanthropist” by Michael Field in The Merchants: The Big Business Families of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. In the 1930s Mani had his young daughter taught to read and write, then an extremely rare thing for women.

    Her father, along with key figures from trading families in Dubai, was deported after a civil war with the Ruler Sheikh Saeed II bin Maktum and his son Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum (who later became the Ruler). The cause of this civil war in Dubai was their call for more people’s right and more participation in the ruling of the emirate as well as more nationalistic approach to education and commercial management. Many of the key commercial family members were killed and tortured.

    After her father was deported, Sheikha Sana was forced, at the age of 10, to marry Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum’s second son, Khalifa. She was the mother of Mana and Rashid. Her son Mana was the head of the Ruler’s Office for more than 20 years during the time of Rashid Bin Saeed.

    Sheikha Sana was famous for her love of poetry and support of the local intelligencia. She was, herself, a poet who demonstrated her sadness with repression for what happened to her family. She lived as a key woman in Dubai and her majlis was one of the key gatherings in which, occasionally, men also visited.

    Sheikha Sanaa died on 17 June 2006 in Dubai.

    Sam Cummings

    Sam Cummings

    Wikipedia article

    Hugh Boughstead

      wikipedia article

    Hugh Boustead autobiography

    Mahdi Tajeer

    Mahdi Al Tajeer

    wikipedia article

    Margaret McKay

    Margaret MacKay

    Wikipedia article

    Modern updates and critiques


    23 minute BBC documentary on Abu Dhabi showing new working lives: Emirati woman pilot, eco city, Emirati woman entrepreneur and Indonesian woman taxi driver.


    42 minutes US promotional video promoting technology of Dubai construction industry.

    Domestic Worker’s rights

    Voice of America article

    Voice of America 2014 article

    UAE Domestic workers rights


    13 minute – early (2006?) US investigative video from ABC News contrasting the OTT luxury and prices of the hotels like Burj el Arab – interviews with Western enthusiasts, managers and promoters (including an admiring Richard Branson and consultant was Bill Clinton paid thousands of dollars) – and billionaire autocracy power of Shk Rashid (billion dollars spent on horses) ‘no end to boom town spending’ on ski mountains etc. BUT treatment of people building it all – living in virtual enslavement in labour camps – though after the film were reported attempts to enforce the labour laws.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCaVQeiA2aI
    12 minute Frontline World video by Mimi Chakarova about Dubai tax haven – men outnumber women by 3-1’capitalism on steroids’. Starts with harrowing story of sex trafficking by journalist who has worked on this issue worldwide. But then goes on to how some of prostitutes are willing ‘businesswomen’ ‘hypnotised’ by the amount of money they can earn and the lavish environment. Chinese are the cheapest, then African and Eastern Europeans. Middle Eastern most expensive. Some is ‘no sex money’ on Internet. Prostitution is safer than many other places. Unregulated but in government-approved tourist bars. But very sad. And the journalist had been watched and followed, and the authorities tried to take all the tapes.


    46 minute British ITV video (2007?) by Piers Morgan about possibilities of impact of credit crunch.

    UAE first woman fighter pilot

     

    UAE has first woman fighter pilot

    Mariam Hassan Salem al-Mansouri has become the first Emirati woman to hold the rank of fighter pilot in the UAE Air Force and may be the first Gulf woman to enjoy the title.

    Captain Mansouri, 35, pilots an F-16 Fighting Falcon, a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft, and is a squadron commander.

    With backing from her family, Mansouri, who had always wanted to fly fighter jets for her country, joined the UAE Air Force in 2007 when authorities first announced they were accepting volunteers.

    During her career, Mansouri has taken part in a significant number of the aerial maneuvers both inside and outside the UAE alongside allied and friendly states.

    Emirati Vice President and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashed al-Maktoum honored Mansouri for her achievement and presented her with a medal as well as the Mohamed Bin Rashed award for distinguished governmental performance.

    Etihad woman pilot

    Woman pilot for Etihad Airlines

    Women entrepreneurs

    Environmental projects

     

    Skyline and skyscrapers

     

  • Oman : Research

    Money Rush pages

    Oman Background 

    Players:

    Sultan Qaboos

    Wikipedia article on Qaboos

    Eggleton

    Deals:

    Omani women

    Oman Arms deals

    Overview

    Wikipedia: Oman

    Google images

    Oman is the oldest independent state in the Arab world-  at its peak in the 19th century the Omani Empire stretched down the east African coast and vied with Portugal and Britain for influence in the Gulf and Indian Ocean. Most Omanis follow the Ibadi sect of Islam – the only remaining expression of Kharijism, which was created as a result of one of the first schisms within the religion.

    Under Sultan Said bin Taimur (ruled 1932-1970) was very isolated, run along feudal lines with internal rebellion. After deposing his father in 1970, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said opened up the country, embarked on economic reforms and boosted spending on health, education and welfare. He has moved to increase popular participation in decision making. There is little religious violence. But protests in 2011 demanding reforms were dispersed by riot police, and the government began a crackdown on Internet criticism the following year.

    Oman is heavily dependent on oil; but compared to its neighbours Oman is a modest producer. Agriculture and fishing are important sources of income. A diversification drive includes tourism (see the many You Tube promotion videos). Oman’s attractions include a largely-untouched coastline, mountains, deserts and the burgeoning capital Muscat, with its forts, palaces and old walled city. The focus is on modern art and architecture building on the traditional appearance, rather than the futuristic high-rise architecture of many other countries in the Gulf. Oman is developing the health sector. A policy of Omanisation aims to replace expatriate workers with locals.

    Oman has a strategically important position at the mouth of the Gulf. It is a long-standing US ally,  not least because of its steady relations with Iran. There is a free trade agreement between the two countries.

    Oman art inspiration

    Oman Tourism

     

    Research: The gloss of You Tube

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn2XLkLUKGk

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae1E_6HLw5w

    Oman – behind the gloss

    The general assessment of Sultan Qaboos is positive – the main question being how his achievements can be continued, and who might succeed him.

    Al Jazeera article

    But there are reports of critics being tortured.

    Human Rights Watch Report

    Amnesty International Report

  • Petropolis: the Power Game – design process

    The original games: Petropolis 1976

    Petropolis 1976

    Description on Gamegeek

    An exciting game about the fortunes of oil: From 2 to 7 players compete for the thrills of being an oil tycoon. The object of the game [is] to acquire concessions in the petroleum producing countries, control them and operate them. The player who obtains the largest number of petrodollars is the winner of the game. This “roll the die and move” game is strongly reminiscent of Monopoly, with petrol-producing countries replacing the streets, telex messages replacing “Chance” cards, and oil platforms and derricks replacing houses and hotels. Visually, it is a stunning game, with beautifully crafted components: 1 board; 27 concession titles; 25 telex messages; 7 playing markers; 2 dice; 34 derricks; 14 oil platforms; 390 petrodollar bills.

    The Dutch HEMA edition was slightly different – 30 derricks, 12 platforms and 430 bills. According to the Dutch rulebook the game is designed for 3-7 players.

    Elaboration of the rules by a blogger

    Here are the rules I've discovered [I've edited the form a bit from
    the comments posting so that it may be easier for you to read]:
    
    *********
    
    TAKE OFF/LANDING (=Geneva Airport) is on the midfield and the game
    goes counter-clockwise! 27 countries are spread over the strong game
    board, each of them having 1 oil consession to give away. From the
    airport on the spaces are:
    
    RED: Venezuela/Argentine/Ecuador
    LIGHT BLUE: USA/Canada/Telex/Mexico
    Go To International Court
    Refuel/Pay $ 100,000
    DARK BROWN: Indonesia/Brunei Malaysia/Australia
    LIGHT PURPLE: China/USSR/Norway
    Telex
    OPEC meeting
    DARK YELLOW: Libya/Algeria/Nigeria/Gabon 
    YELLOW: Falconry in the desert
    International Court
    Telex
    LIGHT GREEN: Iraq/Kuwait/Egypt
    DARK BLUE: Sjarjah/Dubai/Abu Dhabi
    Throw Dice Again
    Go To International Court
    BEIGE: Oman/Telex/Bahrein/Qatar 
    BLUE GREEN: Iran 
    YELLOW: Lost in the dessert
    BLUE GREEN: Saudi Arabia 
    
    Subject to the number of players the consessions are to be distributed
    amongst them at the start of the game; the remainder must be bought.
    
    The oiltycoons always move over the board by plane. Over or on TAKE
    OFF you receive P$ 500,000.
    
    There are 8 molded "gold" tokens representing:
    Airplane
    Tanker
    Sword
    Storage tank
    Bar of gold
    Barrel
    Drilling-rig 
    Oil-rig. 
    (The German and Dutch tokens are but plastic "emblems on a base").
    They are stored in a black vinyl pouch wilth "gold" draw-strings.
    There is a black dice shaker felt-lined inside.
    
    Typical for this edition is the keychain/timer, to set the game up to
    60 minutes. This is a clever item because the game is fundamentally
    played from time. The course of the game is divided into 3 stages:
    
    STAGE 1: The opening, playtime 10 minutes. In this stage those
    oilconsessions who were not distributed amongst the players in the
    first instance must be bought from the Worldbank now.
    
    STAGE 2: Trade and auction, playtime 5 - 10 minutes. The still unsold
    oil consessions must be sold or auctioned anyhow. Next the players can
    trade together in order to complete color groups.
    
    STAGE 3: Main match, playtime 60 minutes. The oiltycoons can now open
    up their properties by building drilling-rigs (instead of houses) and
    finally oil-rigs (instead of hotels). For the rest the game works out
    according to the usual rules.
    
    All property cards are made of thick vinyl with gold lettering for
    prices and interest rates.  The money consists of clumsy tiny (45 x 75
    mm) but good looking
    plastic laminated Petrodollar banknotes from the Worldbank. In the
    centre is a circle with a dromedary (or camel?) with "IN OIL WE TRUST"
    over it!
    
    The bills are in the amounts of P$1,000 - 5,000 - 10,000 - 20,000 -
    50,000 - 100,000 and P$1,000,000 denominations.
    
    Instead of Chance and Community Chest cards there are 25 Telex cards,
    consisting of black paper with gold lettering. The instructions are
    like:
    
    "The radar of your private jet is out of order. You miss a turn." 
    "You must appear in front of the Tribunal of The Hague - President of
    the Tribunal."
    "Heavy storm: important repairs on all the oil-rigs - Pay P$100,000 for each one."
    
    The card "Your political influence has helped to prove your innocence.
    Keep this telex - President of the Tribunal." correspond consequently
    with "Get out of Jail free".
    
    From http://www.muurkrant.nl/monopoly/usa_related_games.htm
    

    Petropolis – the Power Game: Designing my adaptation

    The aim of the game is for players to develop strategic alliances to best promote the interests of their country – playing off east and west.

    Contents:

    1. Board with map and squares. Each country has a number of specific squares that have different instructions eg you are caught by the secret police, you win a big contract etc or you have to convince a key player to let you leave etc. Then there are linking squares along the trade routes: collect x amount of money, you have a conflict with x – you must negotiate and pay them off, you are diverted to x and have to make alliances to get out and so on. Some are also particular contract cards that can be taken up or traded.
    2. Game Booklet: Main issue, background and Rules
    3. Country portfolios: Iran, Saudi, Oman, UAE
    4. Ally cards: one page presentation of key actors. These are clearly colour-coded by country/ies of initial affiliation, but can move between countries and change allegiance – at a price. All the players are up for auction at a negotiated price – depending on their money/ethical track record and power status. But these are decided and negotiated by the players as they go along – using the information on the cards to persuade the others to part with cash, or enhance/risk their reputation by association.
    5. Player tokens
    6. Telex cards
    7. Deal cards: these have different balance of money and ethics. But these values are negotiated and agreed between players in the game as they go a

    Stages of the Game:

    Opening:

    • Country profiles: the four country profiles are places in a pile, each player is blindfolded and picks a profile: Oman, Saudi, Iran and UAE. The players are give their respective token and place this on the start point of the board.
    • The ally cards are shuffled and half are distributed between the players. The rest are put in a pile. From the cards they receive, each player decides who they want to be (they place that card face up so others can see), who they want to keep on their side (these they can keep secret), and who they are prepared to sell to the other side in order to get the best team (these they reveal as up for negotiation).
    • The deal cards are shuffled and distributed.
    • The money notes are shuffled to mix their values and one quarter is distributed at random – so each player will have a different start amount.

    STAGE 1: Initial trading of allies and deals – players are given the opportunity to offer money to the other players to increase their team using the money they have. They can also decide to sell deals that they do not think they will be able to take up – bearing in mind that in Stage 2 they may be able to trade up the value. Players can decide at this point what balance of ethics and money they want to aim for.

    STAGE 2: Main game – players roll the two dice and move around the board – landing on the squares and following the instructions associated with each square. Some of these involve negotiation and buying and selling of allies and/or contracts. This can be timebound – minimum 2 hours.

    STAGE 3: Final assessment – who wins and who loses on money? on ethics? Each player has to justify and explain their final position to the others. In terms of both money and ethics. The others then vote. The player with the most votes from the other players wins.