The United Arab Emirates takes its National Day celebrations seriously. Though each of the six countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council rings in its own national holiday in similar fashion, Emiratis observe their nation's founding with unrivaled flair. When the country commemorates its 45th anniversary on Dec. 2, parades will wend their way through city streets decked out in the national colors, red, white and green. Flags and lights will adorn buses and strip malls across the young nation, and the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, will be fully illuminated in honor of the holiday. Doubtless, the country's most recently completed megaproject -- a manmade canal that has turned downtown Dubai into an island -- will also be festooned for the occasion.
These displays of national pride are as much intended to dazzle outside observers as they are UAE citizens. Since its founding in 1971 -- and especially under its...
