ABSTRACT
This chapter places in context the issues of globalization facing the United Arab Emirates, which I describe without too much exaggeration as “the beating heart of globalization” in the Arab world. The Gulf countries in general, and the UAE in particular, have emerged as the Arab region’s flagship of globalization. His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Ruler of Sharjah, has taken the lead in developing an educational center in the emirate of Sharjah that connects the Gulf with the global world of research, teaching, scholarship, and decision-making. Others are also working to integrate the Gulf into global networks of finance, trade, media, information technology, culture, and tourism. The results are spectacular and are readily evident in the skylines of cities along the Arabian Gulf.
