HOUSE OVERSIGHT 024933 actual impact of the crisis on Dubai economically and socially? In fact, the campaign has gone much further than that. An American writer, well known for his extreme views, was so keen to project Dubai's alleged "failure" in the coexistence of cultures, that he went all the way stating that Dubai was a place where cultures break up and not where cultures meet. He reached that conclusion based on the fact that Dubai has jailed and deported a British couple caught having illegal sex on a public beach. With regard to the fact that the global crisis effect threatens Dubai's growth and economy, I can guarantee you that those references constitute "wishful thinking" on the part of some people; they are illusions, not realities. The economic foundations and development are firm and stable; otherwise Dubai would not have been able to deal efficiently with the global financial crisis consequences. In addition to that, Dubai is not a city on its own. It is a member of the United Arab Emirates federation, which is strong, resilient and successful — a federation that is able to face the most difficult challenges. Al Hayat Newspaper - Shafiq Al Asadi Your Highness, the foreign media are reporting on the "bubble burst." What would you tell the people who are endorsing this view? I keep hearing the expression of "the bubble" for the past couple of decades. In my opinion, this bubble is found only in the minds of those who often keep repeating it and do not know its meaning. The future will prove to them the truth. Let me assure you we are fine, we have overcome the crisis with the least amount of losses. In our culture, we say: be virtuous and you will gain. That is why we always look at the half full cup of water, and when we look at the empty part, we do not moan over the void, instead we think of better and faster ways to fill it. Al Hayat Newspaper - Shafiq Al Asadi Your Highness, if we were saying this is an unfair campaign against