<span>From a United States vantage, the culture of UAE and Dubai may seem from a distance to be some stereotype of a conservative Arab culture. In fact, much like the United States, these cultures have been transformed by modern forces such as international finance, wealth and immigration from other areas. Thus, rather than stressing elements some would label "traditional", I would emphasize that both cultures are shaped by the same modern cultural influences in the United States.</span>
Based on my knowledge, the scramble for Africa was largely because the industrial revolution was springing up all over the world in largely European countries and they were at a point where resources were running out. Gold and other valuable metals were discovered in Africa as well as timber. The surplus of resources in Africa made it very valuable to these industrial countries so they all made a huge "scramble" to Africa. Also, the idea of merchantilism, the idea that the amount of land a country owned defined its wealth, was still very popular so these countries wanted to make a huge land grab.
A product is commodity when it is fungible. Commodities are raw materials like corn, wheat, copper, crude oil, etc.
