Abu Dhabi : oil and beyond /

Davidson (Durham Univ.) has written a companion to his well-received 2008 Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success (CH, Aug'09, 46-6917) and an update of his 2005 The United Arab Emirates: A Study in Survival (CH, Feb'06, 43-3643). In three chapters, he details the remarkable ups and downs of Abu Dhabi. Starting in 1855, it had 92 years under two far-sighted rulers, interrupted by 20 years of turmoil and 36 years under a reactionary opponent of progress. As appropriate, given the key role of the extended ruling family in an emirate of less than 250,000 nationals, Davidson devotes great attention to the al Nayhans, including a chapter examining power relations in the current generation. His detailed accounts about economic development and the many programs to legitimize the monarchy--from providing services to championing culture and the environment--are rich in facts but too quick to accept at face value implausible announced ambitions. The final chapter on unresolved problems explores political reform, lack of transparency, censorship, human rights, the wealth gap, and unemployment; it lightly touches on external challenges and the issues posed by 1,250,000 non-national residents. The book would have benefitted from maps and family trees of the al Nayhan dynasty. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. P. Clawson Washington Institute for Near East Policy