Richard Klein makes the case for UAE in his oped entitled Great Risks in Humiliating a Reliable Arab Ally :
Commercial arrangements, union contracts, relationships with port authorities, U.S. government- required security standards, U.S. Coast Guard oversight and the people running day-to-day operations at these ports will not change. Yes, two Sept. 11 hijackers were from the UAE. But lesser known is that when the Emirates government learned two of its own were part of the attack it committed troops to fight alongside American soldiers in Afghanistan.
No rationalizing about motives, no suggesting Israeli Mossad or CIA conspiracies, no avoiding responsibility. The UAE was the only Arab and Muslim country to stand shoulder to shoulder with the U.S -- a display all too rare in the Middle East.
read it all.
UPDATE: The Anchoress, always a class act supports the Dubai deal but has some very respectful ideas about some of those who do not. Read her take on Islamaphobia.
4 comments:
knuck:
I knew a man who had lived in the ME for years, and he told me that those people never forget an insult.
I don't think that taking away the contract in and of itself is a humilation, but treating them all like raving maniacs really is just that.
As for nuance perhaps folks would like to deal with the fact that 80% of this work is done by foreigners of one kind or another already and unless and until some American billionaires step up the bat that is not likely to change.
As for turmoil look at Europe. In about 20 years Danish shipping maybe in the control of a Muslim too, how is that for nuance?
There attitude is that there is a greater risk, cause they say so. That is all.
Terrye,
"the fact that 80% of this work is done by foreigners of one kind or another already" I think that you are referring to ownership of the terminals. The actual "work" belongs to unions - and getting into those unions isn't a matter of just signing up on a waiting list. Those are birthright jobs that go to sons, nephews (a few nieces now) and "special" friends of Business Agents who are willing to pay the BA for the privilege of getting on the waiting list.
The Teamsters who pull containers from the ports may have some foreign born drivers but if you went to the employee parking lot of most of these outfits, you would be surprised at how homogenous a group is involved.
Rick:
Yes you are right. I was talking about the management class, owners,etc.
The Teamsters Union, the Sailors Union, the Longshoremen together with the Port Authority and the port security are the people who run the show on a day to day basis.
I was just saying it was kind of late in the game to get worried about these kind of deals now.
Knuck:
Yes, I agree, but going out of our way to trash people who do meet us even half way will not help.
How can we say on one hand that we believe in liberating Afghanistan from the Taliban and Iraq from Saddam and then say that the vast majority of the citizens of both countries are beyond hope and help because of their religion?
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