is part of their effort to look beyond oil. They realize that the oil is going to dry up sooner than later, and they're trying to use their oil profits to turn the tiny country into a worldwide tourism destination. The indoor ski slope in the desert, the crazy hotel built on its own island, the palm tree islands, and "The Globe" islands are all part of that.
I question whether they've fully considered the potential environmental impact of those man-made islands, and only time will tell whether their efforts to attract tourism on a scale sufficient to support their economy will prove successful in the long run ... but at least they're aggresively working to prepare for the future of their country beyond oil. Which is more than we can say of our own leadership.
