Dark ages for whom? What do you mean by 'dark ages'?
When Europe endured the 'dark ages,' the Arabic-Sephardic Middle East region was progressive; now it looks like the Middle and Eastern Asian world's turn to bloom (again?)

The 'dark ages' of Europe, in a sense, was a period of status quo, desperate for the basal majority, as Amos describes it, but relatively good for the small middle class including the churchmen, shopkeepers and artisans, politicians, mariners, etc. But even they, echoing Amos again, would rejoice in many of the things that the poor of the U. S. have today.

Slowdown, yes. Lowering of expectations, perhaps. But many will reap satisfactory gleanings stemming from the new entrepreneurship developing in China, India, and the Emirates. Globalization is the new reality and the new opportunity (vide Wal-mart, Ikea).
Dubai has parallels with Venice of the Renaissance. Shanghai and Mumbai are the re-invention of the New York and London of the latter 19th c.

(Not really pertinent, but yesterday I was saying Alas! for Canada. Stanfield's in Canada was THE source of underwear, and a source of pride that Canadians could make such a good quality product. I looked at the label in my Stanfield's briefs, and Lo! "Made in China." I believe "Jockey" were an old UK brand- I looked in a pair of "Jockey" briefs and found "Made in Mauritius").