Thanks for the replies, mecabq and GUWonder.

I'm aware that applying out of one's home country/place of residence can render getting a visa improbable or impossible, but for some reason Dubai as the new crossroads of the world leads me to believe that, at consulates in that city, a casual interest in one's country or discussion over a couple cups of tea pull a bit more weight.

I guess I'm trying to bank on the randomness factor in a city where trade and discourse between any two countries is anything but random. Put it this way- asking about applying for a Pakistani visa in NY and Washington, DC was quite the pill, but in Jakarta the attitude was "let's chat." Same thing for the Myanmar and Bangladesh visas in Hong Kong. Or is this just aforementioned naivete again?

Anyway, places I'd like visit (with DXB/AUH/SHJ as bases) include Uzbekistan, Hargeisa, Baku, Yemen, and Sudan, though that last one might already be moot.