Multi se ciupesc, intrebandu-se daca e adevarat sau viseaza: emiratul Dubai a intrat in incapacitate de plata! Guvernul a cerut un moratoriu de sase luni la plata datoriilor de 60 de miliarde de euro pe care le are compania de stat Dubai World catre investitori.

Despre insemnatatea crizei din Dubai, dar si despre marirea si decaderea acestei creatii faraonice, aparute din nimic in desertul Arabiei, va propunem cateva articole deosebit de interesante:

Pe blogul Trenduri economice, unul din cele mai echilibrate si serioase publicatii economice independente, puteti citi Dubai Default si Efectul Dubai.

“Fenomenul Dubai are toate şansele să se transforme într-un element esenţial al crizei actuale. În timp ce peste tot se vorbeşte despre reintrarea pe creştere, fenomenele cauzate de excesele trecutului ies cu forţă la suprafaţă, semnalizându-ne faptul că fundamental nu s-a schimbat nimic. “

Parca prevazand iminentul colaps al acestui “paradis de carton”, ziarul britanic The Independent publica in aprilie 2009 o analiza amanuntita despre “fata intunecata a Dubaiului”. Printre subiectele abordate, povestea cutremuratoare a unui cuplu de occidentali ajunsi, din postura unor oameni bogati si fericiti, el – in puscaria datornicilor, ea – dormind intr-o parcare.

“Life was fantastic. You had these amazing big apartments, you had a whole army of your own staff, you pay no taxes at all. It seemed like everyone was a CEO. We were partying the whole time.”

Her husband, Daniel, bought two properties. “We were drunk on Dubai,” she says. But for the first time in his life, he was beginning to mismanage their finances.

[...] the debts were growing. “Before I came here, I didn’t know anything about Dubai law. I assumed if all these big companies come here, it must be pretty like Canada’s or any other liberal democracy’s,” she says. Nobody told her there is no concept of bankruptcy. If you get into debt and you can’t pay, you go to prison.

“When we realised that, I sat Daniel down and told him: listen, we need to get out of here. He knew he was guaranteed a pay-off when he resigned, so we said – right, let’s take the pay-off, clear the debt, and go.” So Daniel resigned – but he was given a lower pay-off than his contract suggested. The debt remained. As soon as you quit your job in Dubai, your employer has to inform your bank. If you have any outstanding debts that aren’t covered by your savings, then all your accounts are frozen, and you are forbidden to leave the country.

“Suddenly our cards stopped working. We had nothing. We were thrown out of our apartment.” Karen can’t speak about what happened next for a long time; she is shaking.

Daniel was arrested and taken away on the day of their eviction. It was six days before she could talk to him. “He told me he was put in a cell with another debtor, a Sri Lankan guy who was only 27, who said he couldn’t face the shame to his family. Daniel woke up and the boy had swallowed razor-blades. He banged for help, but nobody came, and the boy died in front of him.”

Karen managed to beg from her friends for a few weeks, “but it was so humiliating. I’ve never lived like this. I worked in the fashion industry. I had my own shops. I’ve never…” She peters out.

Daniel was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment at a trial he couldn’t understand. It was in Arabic, and there was no translation. “Now I’m here illegally, too,” Karen says I’ve got no money, nothing. I have to last nine months until he’s out, somehow.” Looking away, almost paralysed with embarrassment, she asks if I could buy her a meal.