Tales from Abu Dhabi

Airports seem to be the place for unique experiences. While waiting to board a midnight flight from Abu Dhabi to Delhi, the passenger waiting area was full of immigrant workers - all men. Regardless of how safe the airport was, being the only female in a hall full of testosterone can be a frightful prospect. To my relief, a middle aged  American woman walked into the waiting area. She looked equally relieved to find a female face in a sea of men. We made sure we were seated next to each other. Later, a few more women walked in. Still, on a flight with over a hundred passengers, I could count the number of women on two hands. 

During the flight, I learnt that the woman I had the just met was an entrepreneur. Engrossed, I asked her if her trip to India was a business trip. She replied in the affirmative. She ran a clothing line in Mexico whose production was based in Jaipur. She often visited India and some more Asian countries to oversee the production and in search of new materials and ideas. I did not ask her the details, but I drew an instant tangent from her story to my experience early that night.

That weekend, I was attending a university's candidate program in Abu Dhabi. On the last evening of the program, we were treated to dinner at a luxurious hotel and the most impressive surprise awaited us. Before dinner, we were graced with the presence of Dr.Gordon Brown, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom. For over forty minutes, he shared his view of the world's future with a group of 100 students. 

 Gordon Brown

Anyone who speaks of the world economy talks about the rise of China, India and Asia on a whole. Especially after the 2008 financial crisis, that has been evident to everyone. But Brown's talk did not state the obvious. Yes, Asia and the middle east are rising. But that progress, he believes, is not permanent. China's eminent position in the world is solely because of its manufacturing powerhouses. As seen in the case of my co-passenger whose company's production has been outsourced to India, it is this availability of workforce that earns Asia its current importance.

However, in the future, manpower and cheap work force alone cannot sustain an economic superpower. Brown predicts that the world will  follow the steps of creative powerhouses. He emphasized that unlike the current scenario where a few countries possess all the power, the future will require the countries of the world to be interdependent. This is because no one country will hold the power all the time. Instead, it's going to be transient, like a game of passing the parcel. Every region will earn its moment at the top of the pyramid for a short period of time. Therefore, strong international relations will be vital for every country to maintain its progress, independent of who is at the top then. Gordon Brown seems to personify the concept of a far-sighted leader.

Later, the conversation at our dinner table took a lively turn as we discussed Brown's ideas. With a student each from Malawi, India, Spain , Malaysia and Vietnam and an American-Italian professor who nearly moderated the discussion, the clash of perspectives was very interesting. It seemed a microcosm of international summits. At the end of it, one could perceive the kind of differences and deadlocks that arise in global negotiations. I hope to write more about this conversation later.

Conclusively, I gather that "United growth, not self sustenance" is the way to go. Considering all the ideas this talk seeded in my thoughts, I couldn't have learnt as much from a 40 minute lecture in any class. And my co-passenger on the flight was the perfect example I needed to ruminate more on the topic. All that in one night.