Word: dubai
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...just as worrisome as any financial arrangements would be Bill Clinton's ongoing relationships with world leaders and his predilection for offering advice - as he did in 2006, when Dubai sought help in a controversial attempt to acquire six terminals in U.S. ports. (Hillary, a leader in the effort to block the deal that she called an "unacceptable risk" to national security, later said she was unaware that Bill had been coaching the other side.) Ex-Presidents always have that potential; Jimmy Carter has complicated life for every President since he left office. But should Hillary...
...South Africa and going global, notably with the launch of the Atlantis in Paradise Island in 1996 - a spectacular success that revived tourism in the Bahamas. Kerzner, who maintains residences in London, the Bahamas and the south of France as well as in his native country, arrived in Dubai in 1997 to build one of its first glitzy resorts, the Royal Mirage, for the ruling family. In 2001, he approached bin Sulayem with a proposal to build the Atlantis as the Palm's anchor attraction...
...heart of the conflict-prone Middle East as a man taking the gamble of a lifetime. Not Kerzner. He came here soon after his plan to build a casino complex in the Israeli resort of Eilat fell through, and has felt at home ever since. "We are businessmen from Dubai and we look at it as business," explains bin Sulayem. "If he is the best Jewish man but has no vision, we wouldn't do business with him. But if he is from Timbuktu with a good idea, we will. What people believe is up to them. And when...
...global slump hasn't been the only bad omen for the launch of the Atlantis in Dubai. Only weeks before the resort welcomed its first paying guests with a soft opening in September, a fire caused by welders engulfed the hotel's lobby. That produced a public-relations nightmare of flames and smoke billowing from the site aspiring to become Dubai's next icon. Workmen managed to repair most of the damage in time, but then the Atlantis was hit by "Free Sammy" campaigners demanding the release from the aquarium of a 13 ft.-long whale shark on the grounds...
...billionaire who's seen it all, Kerzner remains optimistic. While refusing to divulge specifics, he says that bookings for the Atlantis are strong. He believes that even without gambling, the Atlantis is a natural draw for holidaymakers coming from Europe and Asia as well as the Middle East itself; Dubai does not forbid alcohol as most of its Muslim neighbors do. Yet Kerzner places his greatest hopes in his long-term dealings with his Arab associates. "This is probably the finest partnership I have experienced, and I've been in business with a lot of good organizations," he muses after...