This is the time of year when Europeans dream about escaping to somewhere sunnier. London last week offered an unattractive combination of freezing temperatures, Tube strikes and airport closures. To add to the usual seasonal discomforts, much of Europe is in the icy grip of a debt crisis. For all these reasons, I was grateful to get away to somewhere hotter and more optimistic – and to spend much of last week in Dubai, at a meeting of the World Economic Forum.
