akirakhan

I'm in Abu Dhabi and skype is out of action for about a week now. I've heard all the voip and even some instant messaging is down here. Just another straw on the camel's back. With all these low paid foreign workers you would think they would take morale into account instead of just sticking it to them...

stufried

Even with the not so poorly paid. I took a pay cut to work tax free along way from everyone. Every bargain you find disappears. For example, has AD finally gotten rid of the super cheap taxis in favor of the expensive ones run by the connected locals?

The locals don't seem to look at the long term. Collectively, they are creating a climate which will drive people out of here. The rule of law is not obeyed. A signed business contract in the UAE is often the opening rather than finalisation of the negotiatons. Rental contracts don't mean anything. They just promise to move a relative in and all bets are off. If you could find a PI investigator to stake out your former prorperty and testify that the Emiratee released it, I doubt a UAE court would give you damages.

The hands off policy in the Free Trade Zone is collapsing under the weight of its own sucess. The duty free nature of purchases is gone. Electronics are cheaper in the US than they are in Dubai.

Everyone promises everything to get your business and the reniges. I know someone who had his credit card stolen and the local bank wanted him to produce the stolen credit to prove he actually signed it!

Until very recently, Beiruit was looking attractive again. Obviously that is out, but the question remains whether there are other places in the region that might be worth moving to if you were a business. I know that Q-Tel in Qatar is also blocking VOIP otherwise, Doha has some attractiveness. Despite being dry, Kuwait actually seems attractive. I honestly don't know much about Bahrain.