It's totally cool, because we like totally solved poverty

The idea of that mega-projects can be a salve for economic developments, has been regarded with healthy skepticism since its heyday a few decades ago.* (Then again, maybe I am wrong. Maybe such projects are a sign of a healthy democracy). In any event, it is no surprise that Arab leaders are a little behind the curve. Middle East Development LLC has recently announced that they will start a project to connect Yemen and Djibouti. Although there is a large amount of trade and human movement between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, I can't imagine that this is the most cost effective way to do this. The bridge will have to be able to accommodate the world's largest vessels (super-tankers, aircraft carriers, House of Saud party cruises etc.) and most cars in Yemen would have a difficult time driving that far in one stretch without breaking down. Will Somali pirates use it as another target of opportunity or hang out under it for shade? I wonder what the odds of this actually getting complete are.

Of course, Yemen and Djibouti are not the only Arab countries that have gone a little bridge crazy. The King Fahd Causeway (Bahrain-Saudi, pictured), the planned Friendship Bridge (Qatar-Bahrain) and another between Qatar and UAE are all fairly spectacular engineering feats, even taking into account the relative shallowness of the Gulf. Of course, the motivation for the bridges is probably more about getting the heck out of/totally avoiding going to Saudi Arabia than anything else, and Saudi knows it.

Then again, perhaps it is the romantic in me that dislikes these bridges, as it will only make more rare the sight of the graceful dhows making their way across the Indian Ocean, Red Sea and the Gulf.

*Simmer down, I can imagine the comments already. Yes, some big construction projects can be a vital part of economic development in the developing and developed world, but not always and what benefits they do have are often exaggerated.