India, March 27 -- Dubai is often described, particularly in moments of regional uncertainty, as an experiment or a spectacle - at times even as a mirage. Such characterisations tend to re-emerge whenever the region faces disruption. Yet they overlook a more durable reality: Dubai is not an illusion. It has become a structural feature of West Asia's economic and social landscape.

Its significance lies less in its skyline than in its function. Dubai has evolved into a reference point - especially for younger generations across the region seeking opportunity, stability and a degree of predictability often absent elsewhere.

At its core is a model that produces outcomes.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s non-oil economy now accounts for mor...