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INTERNATIONAL
POLITICAL ECONOMY SERIES
SERIES EDITOR: TIMOTHY M. SHAW
A Political Economy of
Free Zones in Gulf Arab
States
Robert Mogielnicki
International Political Economy Series
Series Editor
Timothy M. Shaw , University of Massachusetts Boston,
Boston, USA;
Emeritus Professor, University of London, London, UK
The global political economy is in flux as a series of cumulative crises
impacts its organization and governance. The IPE series has tracked its
development in both analysis and structure over the last three decades.
It has always had a concentration on the global South. Now the South
increasingly challenges the North as the centre of development, also
reflected in a growing number of submissions and publications on
indebted Eurozone economies in Southern Europe. An indispensable
resource for scholars and researchers, the series examines a variety of capi-
talisms and connections by focusing on emerging economies, companies
and sectors, debates and policies. It informs diverse policy communities as
the established trans-Atlantic North declines and ‘the rest’, especially the
BRICS, rise. NOW INDEXED ON SCOPUS!
A Political Economy
of Free Zones in Gulf
Arab States
Robert Mogielnicki
Arab Gulf States Institute
Washington, DC, USA
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer
Nature Switzerland AG 2021
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the
Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights
of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on
microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and
retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc.
in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such
names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for
general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and informa-
tion in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither
the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with
respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been
made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps
and institutional affiliations.
This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature
Switzerland AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
This monograph is dedicated to Joan Barry & Jack Mogielnicki
Acknowledgments
vii
Contents
ix
x CONTENTS
Fujairah 77
References 81
4 Free Zones in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar,
and Kuwait 89
Omani Free Zones 90
Saudi Free Zones 99
Bahraini Free Zones 109
Qatari Free Zones 117
Kuwaiti Free Zones 121
References 125
5 Elite Embeddedness in Free Zone Development 133
Gulf Ruling Families and Free Zone Ownership 134
Elite Balancing: Mixing Business and Politics 146
Other Institutional Mechanisms of Elite Control 153
References 158
6 Free Zones as Spheres of Regional Contestation 165
Inter-Emirate Competition in the UAE 166
The Competitive Regionalization of Gulf Capital 175
Ramifications of the 2017 Rift with Qatar 181
Gateways for Iranian Influence in the Gulf? 184
References 189
7 A Commercial Nexus Between East and West 199
Buying Asian Partners in Bulk 200
Brand Recognition of American and European Firms 207
Border Zones: Iraq and Yemen 210
Other Regional Actors: Turkey, Egypt, & Israel 213
References 218
8 The Fraught Future of Free Zones in Gulf Arab States 227
Ongoing Free Zone Development 228
Economic Diversification & Reform Agendas 230
Rentierism Revisited 235
Moving Beyond the Gulf 238
References 239
xi
xii ABOUT THE AUTHOR
xiii
xiv ABBREVIATIONS
xvii
List of Interviews
The author personally conducted all interviews and kept them strictly confi-
dential; however, professional affiliations and interview locations provide back-
ground and context for the interview subjects. General references to “staff
members” resulted from the evolution of a system that balances accessibility
against confidentiality.
Interview 1. Director of a defense consultancy. Dubai. July 14, 2014.
Interview 2. Former head of HR for a major UAE bank. Dubai. July 30, 2014.
Interview 3. HR consultant in oil and gas sector. Dubai. July 30, 2014.
Interview 4. Former advisor in Dubai’s Executive Office. Dubai. August 6, 2014.
Interview 5. Head of HR for a UAE financial authority. Dubai. August 7, 2014.
Interview 6. Vice chairman of major real estate company. Abu Dhabi. August 7,
2014.
Interview 7. Regional director of a graduate business school. Dubai. August 14,
2014.
Interview 8. Project manager from an economic think tank. Dubai. August 14,
2014.
Interview 9. Consultant specializing in Saudization for major HR consultancy.
Dubai. August 19, 2014.
Interview 10. Manager of major Dubai bank. Dubai. August 19, 2014.
Interview 11. Director of HR for a major UAE hotel group. Oxford. October 9,
2014.
Interview 12. Owner of a consultancy specializing in Emiratization. Oxford.
October 30, 2014.
Interview 13. A member of one of the Emirati royal families. Oxford. November
4, 2014.
xix
xx LIST OF INTERVIEWS
Interview 39. Staff member at Salalah Free Zone. Salalah, Oman. June 9, 2016.
Interview 40. Senior industrial estate and free zone manager. Salalah, Oman.
June 9, 2016.
Interview 41. Staff member from Duqm Special Economic Zone. Muscat, Oman.
June 12, 2016.
Interview 42. Director from the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates.
Knowledge Oasis Muscat, Oman. June 12, 2016.
Interview 43. President of the National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones.
Washington, DC. June 17, 2016.
Interview 44. Analyst at International Trade Department, World Bank. Wash-
ington, DC. June 20, 2016.
Interview 45. Manager at USA Regional Trade Centre. Sharjah, UAE. July 21,
2016.
Interview 46. Manager at Economic Zones World. Remote conversation from
Dubai, UAE. July 23, 2016.
Interview 47. Consultant at Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD). Abu
Dhabi, UAE. July 24, 2016.
Interview 48. Senior manager at Abu Dhabi Global Market. Abu Dhabi, UAE.
July 24, 2016.
Interview 49. Business journalist at Thomson Reuters. Abu Dhabi, UAE. July
24, 2016.
Interview 50. Manager at Dubai Design District. Dubai, UAE. July 25, 2016.
Interview 51. Manager at Dubai International Academic City. Dubai, UAE. July
25, 2016.
Interview 52. Senior corporate manager of Dubai Healthcare City combined with
remote interview question responses. Dubai, UAE. July 26, 2016.
Interview 53. Manager of Bahrain International Investment Park. Remote conver-
sation in Dubai, UAE. July 26, 2016.
Interview 54. Senior Corporate Manager of World Free Zones Organization.
Dubai, UAE. August 1, 2016.
Interview 55. A director from Hamriyah Free Zone. Sharjah, UAE. August 11,
2016. [Arabic]
Interview 56. Staff member at Ajman Free Zone. Ajman, UAE. August 11, 2016.
Interview 57. Staff member at Sharjah International Airport Free Zone. Sharjah,
UAE. August 11, 2016.
Interview 58. Manager at Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA). Ras
Al Khaimah, UAE. August 14, 2016.
Interview 59. Source closely associated with RAK Maritime City. Remote
conversation in Dubai, UAE. August 16, 2016.
Interview 60. Senior manager at Dubai Auto Zone. Ras Al Khor, Dubai, UAE.
August 18, 2016.
Interview 61. Staff member at Manateq. Doha, Qatar. August 21, 2016
xxii LIST OF INTERVIEWS
Interview 62. Manager at Qatar Science and Technology Park. Doha, Qatar.
August 21, 2016
Interview 63. Director at Qatar Financial Centre. Doha, Qatar. August 21, 2016
Interview 64. Manager at Um Alhoul Special Economic Zone. Um Alhoul Site,
Doha, Qatar. August 22, 2016.
Interview 65. Business editor at The Peninsula newspaper. Doha, Qatar. August
22, 2016.
Interview 66. Director at Bahrain Investment Wharf. Hidd, Bahrain. August 23,
2016.
Interview 67. Senior corporate manager at Bahrain Logistics Zone. Hidd,
Bahrain. August 23, 2016.
Interview 68. Business editor at Gulf Daily News. Manama, Bahrain. August 24,
2016.
Interview 69. Staff at Bahrain Business Incubator Centre. Hidd, Bahrain. August
23, 2016.
Interview 70. Senior free trade zone official, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Kuwait City, Kuwait. August 25, 2016. [Arabic]
Interview 71. Head of major Kuwaiti newspaper. Kuwait City, Kuwait. August
25, 2016.
Interview 72. Economic specialist, U.S. Embassy Kuwait. Remote conversation
from Jerusalem. September 6, 2016.
Interview 73. Commercial service officer, U.S. Embassy in Doha, Qatar. Remote
conversation from Jerusalem. September 21, 2016.
Interview 74. Head of business and trade Council on Saudi Arabia. Remote
conversation from Oxford. November 21, 2016.
Interview 75. Former U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain. Washington, D.C. January
17, 2018.
Interview 76. Senior U.S. trade official responsible for the Middle East and North
Africa. Washington, D.C. January 29, 2018.
Interview 77. Dubai-based sanctions investigator for financial crime compliance
department of a European bank. Remote conversation from Washington, D.C.
February 15, 2018.
CHAPTER 1
Footnotes:
[1] Albert Einstein, born in 1879, is a German Jew of Würtemberg.
He studied in Switzerland, and was an engineer there until 1909,
when he became professor at Zurich University. In 1911 he
passed to Prague University, in 1912 to the Zurich Polytechnic,
and in 1914 to the Prussian Academy of Science. He refused to
give his name to the manifesto in which ninety-three professors of
Germany and Austria defended Germany’s war-action.—Trans.
[2] Physics, bk. iv, ch. xiv.
[3] De Natura Rerum, bk. i, vv. 460 ff.
[4] It is assumed that the ship is not rolling or pitching, and that
there is no vibration in the train.
[5] The best definition of the second that can be given is the
following: it is the time which light takes to cover 186,000 miles in
empty space and far from any strong gravitational field. This
definition, the only strict definition, is further justified by the fact
that there is no better means of regulating clocks than luminous
or Hertzian (which have the same speed) signals.
[6] In the geometrical calculus or representation that may be
substituted for this the hypotenuse of the triangle is the distance
in time, each second being represented by 300,000 kilometres.
[7] As an example of an identical force acting during periods of
time successively equal to 1, 2, or 3, we may take three guns of
the same calibre, but of lengths equal to 1, 2, and 3, and of which
the charges, or rather, their propulsive forces, are identical and
constant. It is found that the initial velocities of the shells are, in
relation to each other, 1, 2, and 3.
[8] De Natura Rerum, bk. ii, vv. 235-40.
[9] It is obvious that we assume the projectile to be without
rotation: that is to say, the Columbia cannon must not, in our
hypotheses, be rifled. This is indispensable, for if the projectile
turned, there would be centrifugal effects which would greatly
complicate both the phenomena and our argument.
[10] It goes without saying that in all this we assume that the
luminous ray travels in a homogeneous medium.
[11] We are, of course, imagining the earth as perfectly circular,
without irregularities.
[12] It goes without saying that we assume the observer to have a
retina with instantaneous impressions.
Transcriber’s Notes:
The cover image was created by the transcriber, and is in the public domain.
Typographical and punctuation errors have been silently corrected.
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EINSTEIN AND
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