CSI Dubai and a Glance at the Heart of the Middle East

Even as I get older and grumpier, I have managed to keep my sense of humor. Sometimes though in my callousness of whether I am heading home or staying here short term or even long term, I no longer dance on "egg shells". What is the worse thing that can happen to me if I make the wrong person mad by making tough decisions at work? Yes, the answer is simple....they would send me where I want to go...lol, that is like getting in trouble as a kid, so your parents send you to your room with a bowl of Halloween candy and a stack of video games and tell you that as long as you keep mis behaving you don't have to go to school. It is very liberating in the work place, because I can make "the right" decisions for my company and the people that look for me to make good decisions and lead them, verses the safe ones to keep the good job.

The same can be true with dealing with people in general. The Pakistani hotel Purchasing Manager that was being pushy with this American Vice President this week probably didn't deserve my threat of a drone strike, but it made me chuckle as he bantered with me. Speaking of American Drones, this past week there was a large Military weapon show in Abu Dhabi. The UAE government ended up purchasing 1.6 billion in equipment and hardware at the show. They became the first Middle Eastern country that the US Government allowed to buy drones. Interesting and thought provoking to say the least. Right now, there is a large American "drone base" operating in Saudi Arabia that directs the drones and controls the surveillance and the destruction of targets around the Middle East (lots of activity in Yemen and over the Persian Gulf). Our alley here is arming up, it will be interesting to see where the future will lead.

Speaking of the Middle East, this weeks review of the region we will check out the center (saving the UAE for next week) of the Region.

 

 

 

 

 

Starting at the top and moving south (trying to make this easy - and I hope this hasn't been too boring). We begin with my best hire during my time in Dubai, the lovely Ceren. She is tough as nails and is from Turkey (She now manages the hotel channel at Transmed and has done a great job). Turkey doesn't fit the profiles of the region. The population is over 90% Muslim, yet they are a member of NATO. They are an alley here, yet they are tough foes of Israel. In South Eastern Turkey (bordering Iraq) there is a large Kurdish population, yet the Turkish Government fears the uniting of the Turkish Kurds with the Iraqi Kurds of Northern Iraq. It is a safe place for Americans to visit or do business, but once again the golden rule of making sure you stay on the "right side" of the law applies big time. Even though it is a very Muslim country, it is also "Western" in many aspects. In general, it's hard to use Turkey as a guide for anything as so many aspects of this nation (at least politically) don't follow a blue print as to what you would think.

 

Turkey is having huge issues right now with their Southern border neighbor Syria. The Civil War rocking Syria has turned into a proxy East verses West conflict. The current government led by the hard liner President Assad is in an alliance with Russia and Iran that are propping up the government against the "rebels". Syria has a long history of conflicts, and even was invaded by British led troops in World War II. The former French colony finally took its current state in the early 70's. The current President's father seized control of the Government in 1970. He ruled the country (with limited democracy) until his death in 2000. His son then followed his father, and has not been as popular as dad. Syria has had very rough relations with Israel, opposing the creation of the Jewish state in 1947 by trying to forcibly stop the Jewish state from beginning. They also invaded Israel during the Yom Kippur War of 1967. The Israeli's won a decisive victory and seized the Golan Heights. The Golan Heights has dominated peace negotiations between the two nations ever since. Syria joined the US in the first Gulf War as the coalition forces pushed Saddam Husseins forces out of Kuwait. Yet more recently, the US government named Syria a member of the "Axis of Evil" for supporting terrorism and trying to obtain weapons of mass destruction. Syria also has a history of conflict with it's Western neighbor Lebanon.

 

The Lebanese rule the Roost in the Middle East. The men dominate business in the Region and it seems hard to believe in their homeland things are so tough with border issues and rampant unemployment. The Lebanese Constitution establishes a "controlled government" with power shared equally between the Christians and Muslims. The country has been rocked by civil war and fighting with two of their neighbors - Israel and Syria. There is a sense of superiority by the people of Lebanese decent that borders on blatant racism. It is clear they feel (in general) that they are the superior people of the region, and they look down at people from other countries as not equals. Sadly, Hezbollah has gained control of Southern Lebanon. I wish I would have visited Lebanon when I first arrived here, now it would not be safe enough for an American. There are millions of Lebanese Ex Pats (6 out of every 7 Lebanese citizen live outside of their homeland) spread throughout the Middle East and South America.

 

South of Lebanon, there is Israel. They are isolated in the Middle East with virtually no friends. Many maps made in the region don't even have Israel on the map. In conversations with many Arabs, the general consensus here is that the Israeli Jewish Government needs to "go away" (Jews should leave or be annihilated) and the land be given to the Palestinians. It is a sad state of affairs that won't be resolved in my lifetime. I probably should not blog at length about it at this time, but maybe when my exit date from the middle East is firm, I will share my views, and give the way (according to John) to peace in the Middle east (at least about Israel). 

 

Jordan is a Monarchy that has been a relatively stable Government. The Arab Spring may have put strains on the rulers but so far it has held on. Like most of the Monarchies in the region, relationships with the American Government seem relatively good. The countries on the Eastern side of the area (Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia) are all friendly to the West and to some extent most of these governments keep their people under control). Our American Naval Fleet has a huge base in the tiny nation of Bahrain. These oil rich countries enjoy our protection as they try and deal with extremist in their countries that are not happy with the closeness of their governments with the evil American Government.

 

Yemen is a country in Chaos in the South. The government is not in firm control, and Jihadist roam the streets freely, their only fear being an American Drone strike from the previously mentioned Saudi Air base. Next week, we will delve into the UAE.

 

Enough politics today, I am even tired of my rambling. As I write about the Region, I am reminded about how blessed I am to be an American. Speaking of America, some little notes about Americana here. I actually enjoy American Idol, but one of the funny things is that it is sponsored by Pepsi on the TV network here. So the entire show, all the Coke logos are blurred out. Even the glasses of beverage that sit on the tables in front of the judges are blurred out - too funny. My Spinney's bought in  a new treat for us American Expats. Totino's Pizza's - yes those little cheap pizzas (ok- almost $3 here) never tasted so good...  

 

My dad is a huge CSI tv show fan....well dad, here is your newest episode starring your youngest son - My CSI Dubai case. Last Saturday I went to the Dubai Mall for a quick lunch at Texas Roadhouse. When I returned to my Nissan Altima I was parked in. The guy sitting with his car blocking my escape was talking on his cell phone in his running car. I was about to honk my horn and cause a scene, when he saw me and jumped out of his car and approached me. He wanted to tell me, that 10 minutes earlier he witnessed a white SUV pull into the space next to my car and side swipe the whole passenger side. He further shared that he had the license number (which he handed to me) and said that after the car struck mine he had moved to another space across the Mall and he showed me the car. Both my passenger doors were damaged, as was the white SUV. There was a large security camera directly in front of my car. Even Danny Messimer (my great friend and Marietta, Georgia Police Major) could solve this crime. Well, I called the Police to report this hit and run. They asked me to come to the Dubai Mall Police Station. (yes - the same station that I had to deal with and blog about  two years ago in my "Kuwaiti accident".)

 

Well the Police Officer was very friendly and quickly reached the conclusion that it was a case of hit and run. He told me how serious they take this and probably would arrest the driver, and he would face a huge fine, and possibly would have to leave the country. He looked the licence plate number up on line and phoned the owner - one Mr. Abdulaziz Alk******* (censored for my protection) of Al Ain. He showed up an hour later (driving his damaged car). He admitted parking "close" to my car and then relocating his car, to park more comfortably. After lengthy Arab dialog (a nice lady waiting for her turn with the police translated for me.) Mr Abdulaziz called someone, and within a few minutes another higher ranking Police Officer pulls in. They talk for two minutes and then Officer Ali (no, I am not making this up) says to me. That Mr. Abdulaziz is an Emirate citizen, and that I was mistaken, he did not hit my car. I was told that the camera doesn't confirm anything, and there would be no ticket issued. Mr. Abdulaziz did not have insurance (also against the law here), but that I should just have my minor repairs made on my own. The police wouldn't even issue an accident report, the other officer pulled me aside, and said that the gentlemen had privately agreed to pay the damages and have my car fixed as a gesture of good will....sigh. I left, and got my estimate and yes you guessed it, Mr. Abdulaziz so far is not paying....I will let you know the happy ending if and when it happens....

 

Baseball spring training games begin in America today, and I can not wait to come home in late March. I am going to go to at least one Baseball Game with my buddies....can't wait!

Have a nice weekend, and as always I am grateful for you...See you next Friday!

 

 

Near East and India 101

Happy Valentines Day from the Middle East. It is not a big deal here, in fact Arabs barely recognize the holiday. It has always been a big day in the Bruck household as my parents were married on Valentines day in 1954. My brother Mike took my parents out for a nice dinner...Happy 59th folks! I think 60th Anniversary is Tin foil, so I will start looking for your gift now.
When Barakat approached me back in April of last year about joining them, one of the big carrots that was dangled at me was the brand new warehouse and butchery. It was scheduled to be open by September 2012. Yesterday the new date was revealed to be September 2013. It is typical of this country that deadlines for completion of projects get delayed. The Arabic term "Inshallah" roughly translated as in "Gods will it will be done."

The freezer walls are being erected and you can see a ton of progress. Hopefully it will open and ready for business before my parents 60th Anniversary.

No pictures of Camels this week. I will say that our friend Vineet (Vinny the Pooh) was quite amused by the pictures. He said it was the "best blog ever" - I of course realize that pictures are more entertaining then my ramblings....but thanks Vinny!

Last week we scanned the map of North Africa and the area west of the Middle East. This week we look east.
My company is dominated by Indians. Out of our 1,000 employees we probably have 800 Indian Ex pats. India is a very large and diverse country.  There are more than 25 regional languages, although most Indians that are here in the UAE speak English fairly well. My company is also dominated by people from South India (Kerala). It is the Coastal area in South west India. From the pictures I have seen it is beautiful. Approximately 80% of Indians are Hindu's, 13% are Muslims and less that 3 % are practicing Christians. I have learned a lot about Hindu's and their thousands of Gods. Very spiritual people that tend to look for the good in everything. Now back to the regional analysis.

India is a Democracy and a decent ally of America. They have a very tense relationship with Pakistan and the border between the two countries in heavily armed on both sides. It has been mentioned to me more than once of the disappointment of Indians that America is financially supportive of their adversary Pakistan. I am personally troubled when we aid countries that clearly dislike us, and often are enemies of our allies. Two of the most obvious examples are Egypt (the now ruling Muslim Brotherhood is determined to see the end of Israel) and Pakistan, the country that harbored Osama Bib Laden and in the latest Gallop Poll, 91% of Pakistanis do not like America. Do not kid yourself, money does not change our enemies hearts). Pakistan is one of the nuclear countries in the region and yes it's a scary place for Americans and our future in the Region. Pakistan borders Afghanistan and Iran to their west. Many of the insurgents fighting the Western alliance in Afghanistan, find refuge for training and support across the border in Pakistan.

Afghanistan is a fledgling democracy that is propped up by America, It is traditionally tribalized and the wealth of the nation comes from the land. Huge poppy fields (opium) dominate the farms and is their cash crop. The north is very rich in minerals. The tribal leaders still control both commerces, and the Taliban are the bad guys there. Please don't kid yourself, once we leave, the government will fail within a year. Sadly, I hope I am wrong, but do not look for Afghanistan to be a long term ally.
Please also understand, the people of Afghanistan like Americans, they just will be bulldozed by the chieftains and Taliban.

Iran is the next country in the region. It is ruled by the Ayatollahs although they do have a little crazy man (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) that has been their President since 2005. They are rapidly approaching becoming a nuclear power  which if it happens could easily trigger a nasty Middle East war. We had great relations with the Shah of Iran until his overthrow in the late 70's. Many of the people of Iran remember fondly the west and our old influences. There are many Iranian Expats in the UAE and are generally friendly with Americans. The bad news is the military and government of Iran is not our friends, and they are poised just 100 miles across the Gulf from where I write this. The government has invaded three UAE Islands in the Persian Gulf, and this country will surely be involved in any conflict with Iran.
The last country in this weeks "John's Region 101" is maybe one of the more promising. Iraq is surviving the withdrawal of western forces and there is a fighting chance for this democracy to survive. The politics of the nation are split between the Sunni's, Shia's and the Kurds. The Kurds are the people and would be our best allies there, but truly a stable government is all the we can wish for.

I had Strawberry Pop tarts for breakfast this morning, unfortunately I probably have purchased my last ones as the pork room at Spinney's has discontinued them (lard makes it non-Halal). I am tiring of Restaurants here. I finally burned out on Subway and have no desire to dine out anymore. My trip home in March will be exciting, especially because of Waffle House and Chick fil a. At least that is what I am craving....

Have a great week, see you next Friday.

North Africa 101

Lot's of catching up this week, along with beginning the look at the region in my attempt at giving my friends a picture of the politics and my views where the Region is headed politically, country by country. This is the 150th blog since we started this little adventure almost 3 years ago. One of the things that excited me the most about coming to the Mid East in July 2010, was the opportunity to travel around and see the history and places that I have read about in person. I wanted to go to Egypt, see the Pyramids, check out the North African WW II battlefields where the "Desert Fox" - Rommel, led the Nazi's against the Allies in a masterful  game of chess warfare played with tanks. I wanted to meet the people of Kuwait, that I understand to this day love Americans and are extremely grateful for the saving of their country from the ruthless attack and the killing and raping of their country and the Kuwaiti citizens by a ruthless Saddam Hussein. I have heard about the beautiful country of Lebanon, and the friendliness of the people there. I made a decision early on to concentrate on getting my house in financial order first, then do some traveling around the region. In retrospect, I missed a wonderful opportunity to travel the Region, that will not represent itself in my remaining time here. In two short years, my ability to travel reasonably safely in the Middle East and North Africa have evaporated. The Arab spring championed by our Government has not made the Middle East a better place for Americans, and it remains to be seen whether it has improved the lives of the citizens of the region.

North Africa has become a hotbed of extremest politics. Looking across North Africa we can start out with a country that gives one hope. The Republic of Mali has been in the news most recently with their Government and France's attempt at keeping the country free from Al Qaeda. Mali used to be part of the French colony of "The Sudanese Republic". In the early 1960's, the country broke away from France and eventually evolved into a Democratic Republic. After many democratic reforms Mali elected their first President in the late 1990's and a young Democracy had began to flourish. Unfortunately, about 5 years ago, their was an Islamic rebellion in North Mali, that declared its area independent and established strict Islamic law. In 2012, France intervened in North Africa in an attempt to save Mali's Democratic Government. Al Qaeda is fighting back, using weapons left over from the Libyan Revolution and flooding across the Algerian border. Hopefully, this fledgling Democracy, with help from the free world will survive.
Algeria is another Democracy in North Africa. It has many political parties and is governed by a Parliament. The military also has a lot of control in the country so calling it a free Republic would be a stretch. The government is also fighting against Al Qaeda, and Great Britain is their major sponsor neighbor trying to help the country stay free and friendly to the west. Algeria was the country where Al Qaeda seized oil fields and Western workers, and eventually killed 38 Westerners, 3 of which were Americans just last month.
Tunisia is an Islamic Republic. The country is in the midst of upheaval that will start making the Western World news next week. As I write this blog, the citizens of Tunisia are marching in the streets demanding the dismantling of the current Government. The leading opposition political leader was assassinated this past week. Keep your eyes on this tiny nation.
Libya was emancipated from the rule of Qadhafi just two short years ago. This is where our Ambassador and 3 other Americans were killed in Benghazi this past fall. The country is on the right track, but will need  a lot of Western Support to stop those that are not our friends from seizing control.
Egypt was our second closest ally in the Region until the rigid regime of Mubarak was overthrown in 2011. Now President Morisi and the Islamic Brotherhood have taken over. They are not our friends and why we would give them, (yes give not sell) 20 Fighter jets and 200 tanks is beyond my comprehension.
The Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia are all very hostile to Americans and are rather poor countries that are controlled by "bad Guys". They engage in arm smuggling and will do whatever they want to with no fear of Western Repercussions. The countries border the Red Sea and the Suez Canal or we probably wouldn't even know who they are.
Alright class, day 1 of the Regional snapshot is complete. We will move out of Africa next week and into the Mideast.

This was a big week for Camels in the UAE. My local Subway that I blog so lovingly about went out of business on Feb. 1st. So I moved up the road to another Subway, my first day there a small pickup truck parked next to my car. In the back was a Camel.

I have to admit it was a little startling. well, things got more surreal yesterday when Joseph and I returned to RAK on a sales call. We had lunch (yes, one of my brand new ties became a casualty to cheese sauce on the very first occasion of me wearing it). Afterwards, a herd of Camels approached me in the parking lot.

I casually turned around and made a few new friends. (nice tie huh)

Interesting day with Camels. RAK is an interesting Emirate. I think you may remember me blogging last year about the coup that had one brother seizing control from the other. Well, the older brother is still in the Palace under house arrest as the younger brother rules the country. You would never know about the political upheaval from the happy Camels everywhere...lol.

There was an awful bus crash in Al Ain on Monday. A truck carrying rock and sand from a quarry crashed into a bus carrying workers from Bangladesh. 22 of them were crushed and suffocated before the trucks contents could be removed from the top of the bus. The deceased families will each receive a little less than $5,000 each to help ease the pain of losing the families bread winner. Life sometimes is so tragic.
The local Safest Way made me happy this week. New shipment of Cinnamon Toast Chex and Mt Olive Sweet Gherkins found there way into my grocery cart. Oh how the little things make me happy. Well this blog is too darn long this week, so take a breath - I will see you here next week!

Approaching 1,000 with only 500 left....Huh?

Greetings from Dubai, where the more things change, the more they seem to stay the same. As most of you know, one of my college Majors was Political Science. I have been fascinated with American politics and history since my pre-teen years. I love maps, and understanding the history of a region. Well, coming to the Middle East strokes all of those senses.

I can remember as a child, spending time at my late Uncle Clarence's house looking at a raised map of Southwest Virginia. I would run my fingers in the grooves, studying the valley's and mountain peaks that Southwest Virginia is known for. I would find places on the map that I had been, and then look for interesting places that I would like to go. Now 40 years later, I am in the Middle East and this regions maps are also exciting.

Now the map is not quite as exciting as my Uncle Clarence's topographical map (no sexy grooves and peaks) but, the Maps of this region are interesting because of the similarities of the peoples and lands and resources, yet the tremendous differences. I think one of the sad comments that ring true about Americans is that in general we don't understand the world and the way people act in it. This region is a powder keg of politics right now (has been for years, but the fuse is especially short right now).
So February will be a little Mideast and North Africa Map 101 in the Great Adventure blog. Maybe when you hear about Americans being killed in Libya or Jihadest seizing oil fields in Algeria, or French military attacking extremist in Mali (with US military logistical support) or the Iranian's causing havoc in the Persian Gulf where one of our fleets are permanently harbored you will be able to visualize the region and what it may or may not mean to you. For those of you that are a little challenged to find me on this map, all the way to the right, on the south side of the Persian Gulf.

This week, Joseph and I had business in RAK.

On the map, Ras Al Khaymah is on the coast very near the Straight of Hormuz. The hotel we were visiting has a beautiful view of the Persian Gulf, and yes on a clear day you can see military ships and oil tankers sailing the straight. The waters are clean and crystal clear. I now have been to all 7 of the Emirates and Oman. We will see what is next. We did see many camels on the 1 hour trip to the coastal City - How some can be offended by the Coke/Camel Super bowl commercial is maybe just a little too politically correct.

Good news bloggies! My picture download feature has been repaired. There is a picture to follow this little tale. One of the things that a few of us do when you have downtime here is play "Word Mole" on our Blackberries. I like to think I am proficient on this game compared to my colleagues. I have a fairly extensive vocabulary and English is my native language. My high score is a little over 5,600 and one would think I could play circles around my friends Kumail and Vinny. Well Kumail decided to test me and said he thought within a month he could make a score of 7,000. So I did what any gambling fool would do....I made a wager. I offered Kumail 200 Dirahams ($55) against his 100 Dirhams that he could not top 7,000 points as a high score within a month (This was in early December). Well of course the very next day, Kumail topped 7,000 and I forked over 200 Dirhams. Kumail felt bad (he took candy from a baby) so he of course gave me an opportunity to win half my original bet back. The new bet was 10,000 (now that's a sure thing - I even checked to make sure his word mole version was in English not Hindi). Well Kumail's score is now over 15,000 - Mine is still at 5,600. Kumail pocketed 400 Dirhams from me. Now my sweet friend Vinny (Pooh to his gal fans) decided he hadn't got an opportunity for a slice of the American pie (ie my wallet). Vineet made the same wager with me, and this past week he showed up to pay his 100 Dirhams.

Now things seem back to normal for this old American, back to taking advantage of the Indians, as God intended (please no angry letters - this is humor - as Rodz would say, "I love the Injuns!).

Today marks day number 943 since I arrived in Dubai with Bob back in July 2010. That seems like a lot of days. I can confidently say I am over half way through my journey, no definitive exit date yet.
If you look back at my blogs in 2011, one blog was about Q-tips. I have never found the good, sturdy cotton stemmed Q-tip here in the UAE. I finally got a box of 500 and at the same time my old pal Richard Ashlock brought me another 500 pack box from the States. Well, yesterday I opened this gift from Richard. I remember saying something to the effect of when the Q-tips run out, I will run away from here...well, there are 499 Q-tips left (a few in my travel bag also)...So - We will see...

Lot of harsh weather back in the states, here more of the same...highs around 80, lows in the 60's. February is the wettest month in the UAE...we will see. My mother came through her surgery with flying colors, I have talked with her several times in the past week, she is in good spirits and was actually going to drive on Thursday for a follow up visit with her Doctor.

See you here next week, God willing....