Sentence:  [V]arious emirates wanted their own ‘international' airport, then an ‘international' harbour, then cement factories, then container ports, then petro-chemical plants, then skyscraper hotels and, most recently, ‘international' trade centres. ... The impetus for these projects continues to be ‘<WSD>one-upmanship</WSD>' and inter-emirate competition for commercial pre-eminence and regional prestige. ... Outsiders, anxious to win lucrative contracts, have consistently taken advantage of these features of competitive <WSD>one-upmanship</WSD> among the UAE member states. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The art or practice of successively outdoing a competitor.