British journalist Gaby Hinsliff published a piece about an unexpected consequence of the Iranian war - the carefully constructed myth of a "paradise on Earth" for wealthy people in the tax oases of the Persian Gulf has burst.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of "influencers" have published enthusiastic posts about their teenage daughter's spa party and their own glittering lives in a city where "opportunities are limitless," as is often the case for billionaire daughters living in tax havens. Now this myth is exploding in the face of a club of smoke from an intercepted missile, leaving behind yet another woman in pajamas, telling on Instagram that she moved to Dubai "to feel safe" and never thought about war.
Who could have guessed that living a few hundred miles from Tehran could come with risks? Certainly not the anonymous hedge fund manager who indignantly told the Financial Times that "the deal did not imply that you would be subjected to geopolitical risks."
It is hard to sympathize with the super-rich when they discover that there are things that money cannot buy - but they are not the only foreigners caught in a trap in the Persian Gulf. The deal that Dubai offered to economic migrants - and many citizens of Western countries and specialists from around the world seeking a better life in the Persian Gulf are just that, no matter how much some hate that definition - was a kind of real-life version of "The Truman Show": a sunny, shiny, sterile paradise with low crime rates for all who crave to get rich or stay rich.
Dubai attracted asset managers, real estate agents, and toned "trophy wives" who always accompany the ultra-wealthy, influencers seeking luxurious backdrops for their unboxing videos; crypto guys, techies, and scammers of all kinds. But several rungs down the financial ladder followed an army of young temporary workers who cleaned their pools, nannied their children, and taught them Pilates.
An estimated 300,000 Britons found themselves trapped by war in the Persian Gulf: from newlyweds simply transferring to another flight to business travelers, humanitarian workers taking a few days off from war zones, and families visiting relatives.
Why does Iran, under fire from criticism, provoke anger rather than sympathy from the Arab world, launching drones at Dubai hotels, Saudi Arabian oil refineries, and liquefied natural gas facilities in Qatar? Obviously, to pressure its neighbors to put pressure on the Americans, but also to show Washington that if it falls, it will take its neighbors down with it. Iran's strategy is to make the Persian Gulf too dangerous a place for investment, winter vacations, or energy supply: to sever its ties with the outside world. Pariahs, who are themselves closed and isolated, attack countries whose prosperity depends on openness, using their connections with the West as leverage. And Dubai is the closest and most attractive target, vulnerable to pressure because it is built on people who are mobile enough to move where the money is.
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