A Letter to Dubai
Dear Dubai,
I have built businesses on four continents. I have lived in Mexico City, Tokyo, Moscow, Amsterdam, Chicago, San Francisco, Naples, and now here. I have seen the best and worst of what the world has to offer. I have been threatened, extorted, forced to flee, and compelled to start over. Through it all, I have learned to recognize greatness when I see it.
I see it in you.
When the missiles came, you did not flinch. When the world watched to see if you would crack, you walked through your malls, raced your horses, and flew your flag. When others fled, your people — all of your people, from every corner of the earth — stayed and stood together. Nearly 90 percent of this nation was born elsewhere, yet in that moment, they stood as one.
On February 28, 2026, the very first day you were attacked, your Ruler, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was at the races. I was there too. The Rt. Honorable Sir Brandon Lewis, my fellow VEON Board member was there. Five interceptors launched on the horizon. Nobody left. That is who you are.
Two weeks later, debris struck the building merely fifty steps from my home. My wife and I were awakened by the sound of the impact but felt fully comfortable going back to sleep. Within hours, the building was fully restored. That is who you are.
I have seen resilience before. I saw it in Kyiv, where shopkeepers opened stores in bombed-out buildings. I saw it in Moscow, where colleagues risked everything to build a company. I saw it on the streets of Chicago, where police officers served warrants in neighborhoods where gunfire is heard nightly.
But what I saw in you was different. Resilience combined with grace; tenacity, infused with elegance. Strength expressed through the quiet, persistent maintenance of excellence in everything you do. Your airports kept running. Your hotels kept welcoming. Your airlines kept flying. And through it all, your leaders walked among you with a calm confidence that told the world everything it needed to know.
Ukraine's airspace has been closed for four years. Yours was closed for less than twenty-four hours over the first thirty-one days of attacks. Not because the threat was less serious — nearly 2,500 missiles and drones were launched at you — but because your response was that extraordinary.
Your Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, said it best: "Challenges create opportunities, and we will emerge stronger." I believe him. I believe in you.
I came here as an entrepreneur; a businessperson. I stayed through the crisis as a citizen of this community. And I write this letter as a witness to your finest hour.
Thank you, Dubai. Thank you, UAE. The world is watching, and what it sees is tenacity.
With deep respect and enduring faith,
Augie K Fabela II