Samer Makhzoumi represents a form of wasta that often gets overshadowed in Dubai’s conversation about influence because it isn’t glamorous and it doesn’t move fast. Industrial capital rarely trends. It doesn’t photograph well. It doesn’t announce itself on panels or podcasts. And yet, when you strip away the noise of visibility, industrial influence remains one of the most durable and consequential forms of power in the region. Makhzoumi’s leverage comes from producing things
