Arab company to control 6 US ports...

[VictimOfScience]

Story.

At issue is the purchase last week of London-based Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co., by Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates. Peninsular & Oriental runs major commercial operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.

First of all, please don't think I am lumping all Arabs or Arab nations in with terrorists, but many critics of the sale argue that funding for Al Queda has indeed come from the United Arab Emirates in the past and also that "the UAE was an important transfer point for shipments of smuggled nuclear components sent to Iran, North Korea and Libya by a Pakistani scientist." This has some critics very upset and understandably so.

National security is at the center of the debate and supposedly there are "assurances in place, in general, sufficient to satisfy us (the Department of Homeland Security) that the deal is appropriate from a national security standpoint," but some have said that these assurances don't seem to apply to the hiring process. If the hiring of workers isn't monitored as closely as all of the other procedures, then great risks are being taken with these ports which have of late been thought to be the most vulnerable points in the US for a terrorists attack.

That said, the UAE, like many of the other smaller sheikdoms in the Middle East, has also been very good about allowing US forces to be maintained in their lands when other Islamic countries have been adamantly against it and they have also helped greatly with the War on Terror, so there are arguments on both sides, but unfortunately it does seem a bit risky unless the US Government can control every aspect of a foreign company's interests and business practices in the US similar to the law the Russians just passed, but who in the world wants the US governmewnt to have even more power??? Very controversial to be sure, but what other options are there? Thoughts about any of this?

 

[French Ninja]

Who ever thought giving control of major entryways into my country to a company, let alone a foreign one, was a good idea needs a kick in the teeth.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Many parts of America that you take for granted are, in fact, controlled by foreign companies.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[CptStern]

like Hollywood ..Columbia, MGM studios, Tri-Star is owned by japanese company Sony or Universal studios which was once owned by french company Vivendi

 

[jondy]

Who ever thought giving control of major entryways into my country to a company, let alone a foreign one, was a good idea needs a kick in the teeth.

Isn't that what your country is into, the whole 'free market capitalism' thing?

 

[kirovman]

Isn't that what your country is into, the whole 'free market capitalism' thing?

Only when it's good for the economy.

 

[VictimOfScience]

Many parts of America that you take for granted are, in fact, controlled by foreign companies.

-Angry Lawyer

Um, not that I personally take for granted thanks, but it's very true and a couple of things trouble me about this. One is that we've been selling of so much of our labor to China, Japan, Korea, Mexico, India, Manila, etc, and now we sell our major port operations to the UAE? The second is the fact that the UAE was a major financial center used by al-Qaeda in transferring money to the 9/11 hijackers. Now while it is true that they have cooperated in freezing the accounts involved and helped to track those responsible, they are still a country that produces many Islamic fundamentalist radicals which is a danger for everyone involved. Even when their own leadership says, "The UAE absolutely condemns all forms of terrorism and has consistently pointed out that the targeting of innocent civilians is in contravention not only of human rights but of Islamic values," there are still warnings for citizens to avoid popular nightclubs and other social arenas due to the threat of terrorism.

If we could learn more about this company's hiring practices, as that is where I gather most of this controversy stems from, then maybe we could all be a little reassured and not have to be seen as such xenophobes anymore.

 

[Pajari]

Only when it's good for the economy.

Wrong answer. Its always good for the economy.

And Dubai Ports World doesn't control the ports of six huge US cities- they just have large facilties there. There are literally thousands of companies that do business in our ports.

 

[mabufo]

Who ever thought giving control of major entryways into my country to a company, let alone a foreign one, was a good idea needs a kick in the teeth.

I agree.

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

The Al Qaeda Arguement, money coming from the UAE doesn't mean from the UAE state. I think this partnership can work well, the UAE has typically been a helpful and decent partner, like Kuwait, Qatar, and others.

 

[mabufo]

That may be so, but with the current political climate - I doubt this will get far. In all honesty - I don't feel comfortable with it.

I didn't know that organizations could own entire ports?

 

[kirovman]

Wrong answer. Its always good for the economy.

And Dubai Ports World doesn't control the ports of six huge US cities- they just have large facilties there. There are literally thousands of companies that do business in our ports.

Depends. A free market would involve allowing monopolys like Microsoft to spiral out of control and dominate the world.

Of course, the government introduces restrictive legislation to stop that.

 

[Pajari]

Who ever thought giving control of major entryways into my country to a company, let alone a foreign one, was a good idea needs a kick in the teeth.

Just remembered, but the company Dubai Ports World is buying out is British. So, your problem isnt with foreigners or capitalists (because the British and UAE are both hardcore capitalists), but with Arabs. This is the kind of ridiculous economic nationalism that keeps Africa and South America mired in poverty. Keep it up, dawg.

 

[kaf11]

Not allowing a foreign company to operate in the United States simply based on the fact that they are Arab is unthinkable. Its thinly veiled racism. By not allowing them the same opportunity we would give to any European country we would be setting bad precedent. Many 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia yet that certainly didn't stop us from keeping our business dealings with them.

 

[Eg.]

its not even operating the ports, it buyintg the company that operates it, much like how the company that owns pepsi, is owned in itself by another company that owns coke

 

[gick]

Its not as though because the owners of the ports are Arabic, they're going to only employ Arabians though, is it? The only difference will be that the profits are going to be channeled into a Saudi bank account, as opposed to an American one.

 

[Eg.]

it never even went to an american bank account, and its not going to a saudi bank, either.

 

[dys4iK]

And are they going to become the new coast guard and port authority?

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

Its not as though because the owners of the ports are Arabic, they're going to only employ Arabians though, is it? The only difference will be that the profits are going to be channeled into a Saudi bank account, as opposed to an American one.

It never went American in the first place, it was British before that as far as I'm aware. People are being stupid and discriminatory because the UAE is an arab nation- when in fact they're a VERY close trade partner to us and have cooperated fully and provided assistance in US endeavors. In the Arab world they're our friends, like Qatar and Kuwait.

 

[Some_God]

It never went American in the first place, it was British before that as far as I'm aware. People are being stupid and discriminatory because the UAE is an arab nation- when in fact they're a VERY close trade partner to us and have cooperated fully and provided assistance in US endeavors. In the Arab world they're our friends, like Qatar and Kuwait.

As you know it only takes one person, one collaborator, to get the ball rolling. I'd rather have an American company in charge of the ports than anyone else. The problem with MOST Americans (even I didn't know about this deal until Lou Dobbs broke the news) is that we're unaware that our country is being sold out. The Dubia deal is going up in flames and in a year port security will probably be a lot better than what it is today.

I'm sorry if we're offending Muslims but this is a business deal and, now, a National Security Issue and those two dont go well with "sensitivity".

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

Some_God, we weren't ever in control ownership wise of it in the first place. Unless you can find an American company to outbid them for over 6 BILLION dollars and purchase it from the British company.

You can't be sold out when you didn't even own it in the first place.

 

[Pajari]

And are they going to become the new coast guard and port authority?

That's the thing, the actual security of the ports and the customs work is still going to be done by the Coast Guard and security contractors. The Dubai Ports folks are simply taking over the administrative side of things, which makes this row about national security even more ridiculous.

And by the way, money from the US and Great Britain went to the terrorists, too. And Pakistan! But we're allies with them, right?

 

[clarky003]

It's not like stuff like this is new, the US has always been in cahoot's with middle eastern corporation's on some level, its screwed up.. yet when it comes down to weapon's dealing and supplying families who have links to terrorist organisation's in the middle east.. politicians's will have you believe its black and white, and it doesnt happen or have any bearing on future terrorisim.

It's bullshit, if the US government harbour and fund terrorist's they are terrorist's.

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

It's not like stuff like this is new, the US has always been in cahoot's with middle eastern corporation's on some level, its screwed up.. yet when it comes down to weapon's dealing and supplying families who have links to terrorist organisation's in the middle east.. politicians's will have you believe its black and white, and it doesnt happen or have any bearing on future terrorisim.

It's bullshit, if the US government harbour and fund terrorist's they are terrorist's.

Are you kidding me? It is not "Al Qaeda industries" purchasing the port, it's a major UAE corporate player. If you're going to lump all Arabs as terrorists go ahead, this isn't that situation.

 

[VictimOfScience]

I just think its going to be very interesting, to say the least, to see what Bush does with this one considering lots of players from each side of the aisle and the general public are none too pleased with this. Can Bush get any further down the toilet of public opnion by exercising his right to veto this? Does public opinion even matter to him now that he can't be re-elected and doesn't seem to be close to impeachment anytime soon?

 

[clarky003]

Are you kidding me? It is not "Al Qaeda industries" purchasing the port, it's a major UAE corporate player. If you're going to lump all Arabs as terrorists go ahead, this isn't that situation.

In the context of history they deal with all sort's of rich middle eastern folk's, including terrorist's families such as the Bin Laden's. For example, Bush senior was in a meeting with Bin Laden's brother in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, on 9/11/01

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,738196,00.html

"On 11 September, while Al-Qaeda's planes slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the Carlyle Group hosted a conference at a Washington hotel. Among the guests of honour was a valued investor: Shafig bin Laden, brother to Osama."