As we go to press with this issue of WNP, the hot news item in the United States is the furor over the present administration's plan to allow the lease of the management of six American ports to a group called Dubai Ports World, a group owned in part by the government of Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates.
The idea of having a company that is controlled by an Arab government involved in such a sensitive American business, while the country fights a war on terror based in that part of the world, has created a firestorm of protest.
On Feb. 26 DP World put a hold on its acquisition of the ports and asked for a 45-day investigation designed to ensure that its running of the ports would not be a threat to the security of America. I believe the deal will likely be approved and this issue will pass on.
America's relations with Dubai are very important to the conduct of the terror war. To slap them in the face with denial would cause embarrassment and possible rupture of a critical alliance in that part of the world. The Bush administration cannot let this happen.
The question of security at American ports is very real, and letting an Arab company be privy to the inner workings of this part of American commerce could lead to a security breach of very large proportions. But that concern seems to have been ignored or dismissed.
One of the arguments for approval of this deal is the globalization of the world. Free trade is the lifeblood of the world economy. America is at the heart of this global society and depends on its ties with all the key players, i.e., Arab oil states, China, India and others.
To deny this deal would send a signal to the world that could be seen as isolationist and xenophobic. "We want your trade and we need your oil and, by the way, we want you to continue turning a blind eye to our profligate deficit spending habits," is how some could interpret this. "Oh," they would reply, "but you don't want us in your front yard because we can't be trusted." And in a way, they might be right.
