Understanding Dubai's city diplomacy: actors and drivers

Abstract

Dubai is one of the few cities in the GCC region which stands as an example of successful diversification of a formerly resource-based economy. Investments in infrastructure, strategic sectors abroad and liberal trade policies earned Dubai the reputation of a cosmopolitan, global city. Its recent success story, however, has attracted little academic research so far. Therefore, this study is a first approach to understanding the drivers and actors of Dubai's international reach. Using parts of Kuznetsov's analytical framework borrowed from the paradiplomacy discourse, this study traces generic and specific aspects that motivated Dubai's international actions. It looks at legal, social, and economic factors to understand the nature of Dubai's entrepreneurial city diplomacy approach. Gaining insights from local leadership styles and Dubai's political organisation, this paper concludes that Dubai's de jure competencies are extensive in the fields of economic and social development. In contrast, Dubai's activity at the multilateral city diplomacy level is reduced and substantially left to local competitors. To counter this trend, Dubai had to re-evaluate policies and collaborate closely with the national government in Abu Dhabi.