DESC: Reporter Jim Krane, formerly an AP reporter in Baghdad, details the modest past, lavish present and boundless future of the capitalist extravaganza that is Dubai. Krane examines how a typical Arab village, which was small even by Middle-Eastern standards, evolved into a metropolis of unfathomable wealth and splendor within less than 50 years. The claim/blame for this remarkable transition lies with two members of the royal family, Sheikh Rashid, who first recognized the lucrative possibilities of building a refuge for wealthy western oil investors, and his son Sheikh Mohammed, who is pushing expansion of the city in unfathomable new directions. As of the time of the book's release, some of the landmarks of the city include the world's tallest building (more than twice the size of the Empire State Building), the world's largest shopping mall (featuring 1200 shops), the world's tallest hotel, the world's biggest fountain, and an artificial archipelago of manmade islands.