Dubai

Sixty years ago, Dubai was a trading port in the desert with minimal infrastructure. Oil existed, but not in the quantities Saudi Arabia possessed. If Dubai bet its future on oil, it would lose. The emirate's leaders made a different choice: build the infrastructure to move the world's goods through Dubai instead. The government poured money into Jebel Ali port, the biggest deep water harbor in the Middle East. Then they deregulated business licensing and declared Dubai a free trade zone. Companies could operate with minimal bureaucracy. Shipping companies moved their hubs to Dubai because the port was efficient and the regulatory framework wasn't a barrier.