As I predicted in my postyesterday, Marte Dalelv, the young Norwegian woman at the center of the Dubai alleged rape storm, has been shown leniency. Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum announced this morning she has been pardoned and thus will not have to serve out her highly controversial 16-month imprisonment term. See here... Read More

UPDATE: As I have reported in a newpost today, Marte Dalelv has now been pardoned. Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story included a photo caption that referenced Wissam al Mana as the employer of Marte Deborah Dalelv. The caption should have made clear that Ms. Dalelv’s termination from that firm is not connected... Read More

DUBAI - Welcome to the ultimate sociopolitical model for the 21st century: a Blade Runner-esque melting pot of neo-liberalism and "subterranean" economy, Sunni Arab Islam and low taxes, souks and artificial islands, a giant warehouse and a tourist paradise, life in the fast lane and post-modern slavery. The model spells out an apolitical, consumer-mad, citizenship-free... Read More