Could This Be the End of Dubai? (Boo-fucking-hoo!)

[Coventina]

A video was circulating on social media last week of what appeared to be an Iranian Shahed drone flying over al-Mamzar beach in Dubai on March 8. A fighter jet was in hot pursuit, trying to shoot the drone down. Below, people were sunbathing under umbrellas. The comments ponged between whether it was more amazing that people were still on the beach during wartime and whether it was news at all that people kept living their best lives, since they trusted their government to keep them safe.

Dubai, which sits near the Strait of Hormuz, was supposed to be safe. Instead, it has been under attack by Iran since Feb. 28. More than 260 ballistic missiles and over 1,500 drones have been detected over the United Arab Emirates; most have been intercepted, but their percussive booms have become part of the city’s soundscape. The city that had spent decades billing itself as a sleek sanctuary — luxe, apolitical, income-tax-free, floating above and apart from the fractious region around it — was suddenly no longer insulated.

Dubai is on edge. Big banks asked employees to stay away from their office towers. People took shelter in underground parking garages or wherever they could find cover. Parents told their children the explosions overhead were Ramadan fireworks. At least four people have been killed so far in the Emirates — including a Pakistani, a Nepali and a Bangladeshi.

Those with means, many of whom had gone to Dubai to work in financial firms, hedge funds, family offices, law firms and consultancies, scrambled for commercial flights and private jets out of the Persian Gulf region.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/opinion/dubai-hormuz-war-iran-elite.html?

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Dubai is an affront to the environment, good taste, and just humanity in general. I hope it dies.

[OC375]

1. Gen X Says: Embrace the Suck

Going to be tougher and tougher to sit out disturbing global events, wealthy and privileged or not. War and climate don’t care who your daddy is. Silly rabbit.

[Cheezoholic]

2. There's a documentary somewhere on how they imported Pakistani and Indian poor as slave labor to build the place

They weren't allowed in public. They were paid in script. They weren't allowed to go to regular medical facilities. Fuck those fascist monarchs that the FatFuck family are emulating. Hope the place explodes

[gab13by13]

15. I can verify that as far back as 2008

Workers from my company went to DuBai to rebuild glass bottle making machines, the work is hard and dirty. They gave each of our workers 10 Indians to supervise.

[wolfie001]

24. Bangladeshi too

Many horror stories from those oil sheikdoms.

[democratsruletheday]

3. fuck Dubai....

cesspool getting lit up....meh.

[pfitz59]

4. Money laundering haven

Escape hatch for the very rich and very criminal.

[popsdenver]

29. The IRS has reported that

ever since 2016, an increasing number of the top 1% have become ex-pats and run off to Dubai......hundreds and hundreds of them every year.........they must have thought they were no longer safe in the U.S. but protected 100% in Dubai........
Surprise, surprise.............
Some group(s)???? have been reported to be firing rockets at the high rise complexes of Condo's and Apartments in Dubai

[2naSalit]

5. My first...

Reaction to the news of Dubai being hit was the same as this. Reap what you sew.

[Wonder Why]

7. Isn't that what Betsy Ross said? Sorry. I couldn't help myself.

[2naSalit]

8. LOL!

[Wonder Why]

10. When I was in the ER 4 weeks ago after I was on a bike and got hit by an SUV, I was joking with

the staff. Humor relieves pain even more when it's your own Humor and your own pain.

Thanks for being a great sport.

[Wonder Why]

6. If they cared at all about their fellow Arabs, there would never be a Mideast crisis.

[2naSalit]

26. Just like here...

They aren't all the same and have different cultures and religious beliefs and they don't all get along.

[erronis]

28. Given the tribal nature of many people in that region,

I don't think you'll find a whole lot of caring for "others" going on. Whether religion, families, nationalities, old grudges, etc.

And witness mbs's murders and imprisonment of even his own family members, personal avarice and power reign.

[dalton99a]

9. Kick

https://archive.ph/IAlsh

[sarisataka]

11. Are we now cheering Iranian attacks on a city of 4 million

In a country that did not attack Iran?

[Coventina]

12. I'm not cheering the Iranian attacks. But I'm not going to pretend to feel sorry for them.

They are a bunch of dickheads who arrest women for being raped.

[sarisataka]

16. And Iran has a system that treats women fairly?

In addition to the tens of thousands of protestors killed for protesting the Iranian government, rape was weaponized by the regime against female protestors who were in custody.

Despite that, I still oppose the attacks on Iran. Attacks on the Iranian civilians have been called war crimes; attacks on the citizens of Dubai should also be war crimes.

[Coventina]

17. When did I say that I am in favor of Iran's actions?

All I'm saying is that I don't give a fig for Dubai's troubles.
As another poster put it, if they cared at all for other beleaguered brethren, they wouldn't be in the position they are currently in.

They are a slave state.

[EdmondDantes_]

33. Does anyone have a system that treats women fairly?

The US certainly doesn't. I get not liking Dubai, but if it was okay to randomly bomb any place that doesn't treat women as equal citizens, there would need to be a lot more bombs getting dropped. But hey I suppose bombs dropped do kill men, women and non-binary people without regard for gender, so huzzah for gender equality in indiscriminate killing.

[fujiyamasan]

20. I'm definitely not a fan of how the UAE treats its migrant labor population

But targeting a major urban center should be strongly condemned. Civilians should be off limits.

[AStern]

13. Best comment about Dubai, seen on youtube

"In my opinion I personally find Dubai a city that doesn't have a personality or soul, that looks like it was AI generated and represents everything wrong with the 21st century."

[BigmanPigman]

14. If their massive desalination plants are wrecked

they are toast. Easy come, easy go. A few decades of unprecedented growth will come crashing down despite what their leader has envisioned.

[swong19104]

18. Was in Dubai in 2024

Reminded me of the worst of Las Vegas. Of all the places to emulate, they had to choose Vegas.

[druidity33]

19. Useless desert city sucking up resources...

for $200 Alex!

[ColoringFool]

21. Dubai: Where Women Are Lured To Be Slave-Maids.

[Figarosmom]

22. I guess it's not going to be

"The vacation place" for Europeans and the British for a while.

[AverageOldGuy]

23. Tennis tournamentd

Several tennis tournaments in Dubai where most of the tennis big names participate.

We r in our 80’s, wife does not get out much, watches a lot if tv, enjoys tennis. Seems as though there’s a Dubai tournament damn near every month.

[Renew Deal]

27. Assuming this war ends in the next 2-3 weeks, It will come back.

With people better informed about the risks.

[JT45242]

30. A stated goal is to be money launderer of the world

The government knows that the oil will run out but money laundering and secret finance laws have kept Switzerland wealthy for decades.

So slavers who want to money launder for all the criminals in the world and likely have hidden lots of money for Putin and other oligarchs.

No sympathy...just don't have it in me

[WarGamer]

31. Ummm... no. Dubai and the UAE will be fine...

And I've been there. It's very cool.

Is it perfect, it's history and everything? no... But it's a technological wonder and it's as Western-friendly as you can get in the neighborhood.

[fujiyamasan]

32. A lot of the victims of this are the indentured servants

From South Asia. They’re heavily indebted, have their passports confiscated and can’t afford the flights out. This is already having major consequences for their home countries (like India and elsewhere) since their families rely on those remittances.

Dubai is pretty much a cultural wasteland, that marketed itself as a haven for the wealthy. It’s well documented the place was built on virtual slave labor. Now, if you were to ask me the root cause for these attacks, it’s of course the US and Israel‘a decision to start this war. No one can say with a straight face that they’re surprised Iran would attack neighboring countries friendly with the US.

None of that can excuse Iran’s decision to attack civilian population centers. It doesn’t matter which side does it.