A colleague of mine's father was one of the engineers that designed the first Dubai "island" - the one that the Burj Al Arab was built on. Even more so than the subsequent Palms, The World was a colossal expense, but that is not the main reason for the Emiratis to save it. They will spend any amount to avoid loss of face in the international community. For an Emirati, title and appearances are far more important than wealth. This is just IMHO from living there for a number of years on 2 separate occassions.