`This book is a precious attempt to reveal the personality of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. The author's personal experience, as well as his intimacy with local culture, allows him to explain the situation of foreigners in the eyes of the local population: temporary guests, with duties and constraints, within a definite status, linked to that position. But the core of his purpose is to uncover the strategy of the rulers to carve the image of their young and affluent country on the global map. Here the author offers the reader a study based on more than a decade-long presence in the Emirates, providing insights far removed from the usual infatuation or criticism displayed by too many hurried observers in the face of the breathtaking pace of building a post-modern economy and sprawling cities in the desert.' - Marc Lavergne, Head Researcher, CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research), Middle East Studies Department, University of Tours, `The UAE: Geopolitics, Modernity and Tradition is a welcome addition to the scarce, serious academic literature on the study of the Emirate. Insightful, analytical and revealing, it offers a thought-provoking read that will surely add to the lively discussion of GCC politics.' - Kristian Alexander, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi