The fat kids of Dubai

The growth in Dubai's collective waistline highlights the growth opportunities still available for Western companies in the relatively untapped markets of Arabia.

Dubai still has the ring of the Arabian nights about it. As recently as the early 20th century, it was no more than a village living off fishing and trading pearls. With all due respect to this ancient culture, one could say that until oil was found in 1966, the country was as backwater-ish as a place could be.

The subsequent oil boom happened on the back of the West's rapid economic expansion after World War II, and it brought incredible wealth to Dubai. After becoming independent from Great Britain in 1971, Dubai allied with five other former Emirates to form the United Arab Emirates.

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