Ports deal
http://www.pacificviews.org/weblog/archives/001813.html
Ever since Congress flipped out over the port takeover by the state-owned Dubai company out of the United Arab Emirates, I have been curious about this entire situation. In all honesty I have understood very little of it; however, I know there is more to it then just "national security risks" as many Congressmen and executives have claimed. The link above is a great blog that connects many different threads to provide a clearer picture. I was really struck with the connections he made between foreign investment in essential US infrastructure and its relationship to poor fiscal policies since the 70s.
However, I am not completely convinced this is the only case. First of all, it seems to me that most of the Congresspeople are using this as an opportunity to sell themselves to their constituencies. The Dems are showing they can be "tough," and the Reps are distancing themselves from an administration that are suffering from their worst approval ratings of the past 5+ years. There is electioneering afoot.
It seems to me that the above article does not address the potential desire of the administration to see this deal through. As we all know, UAE is a major oil producer. And the connection between a UAE state-owned oil company and the Bush administration is one that cannot be ignored. However, UAE (specifically Abu Dhabi) are strongly tied to OPEC, so the ability to directly affect policy is limited.
There is stil an interesting connection though. The UAE has the 4th largest natural gas reserves in the world (behind Russia, Iran, and Qatar). It would be intersting for those with better capabilities to examine any possible connection between this port deal, the US need for natural gas, and the desire of the UAE to better develop their energy and gas infrastructure through companies like, oh I dunno, Halliburton and Brown & Root.
I guess all I am really driving at is to not take the excuses used in the media (national security issue) as fact. Dig under the rhetoric. And if you are still having troubles making a solid connection in your mind, then dig for someone elses and use that as a starting point to critically think about the situation from a different point of view. This is one of many examples, but a good one nonetheless.
Ever since Congress flipped out over the port takeover by the state-owned Dubai company out of the United Arab Emirates, I have been curious about this entire situation. In all honesty I have understood very little of it; however, I know there is more to it then just "national security risks" as many Congressmen and executives have claimed. The link above is a great blog that connects many different threads to provide a clearer picture. I was really struck with the connections he made between foreign investment in essential US infrastructure and its relationship to poor fiscal policies since the 70s.
However, I am not completely convinced this is the only case. First of all, it seems to me that most of the Congresspeople are using this as an opportunity to sell themselves to their constituencies. The Dems are showing they can be "tough," and the Reps are distancing themselves from an administration that are suffering from their worst approval ratings of the past 5+ years. There is electioneering afoot.
It seems to me that the above article does not address the potential desire of the administration to see this deal through. As we all know, UAE is a major oil producer. And the connection between a UAE state-owned oil company and the Bush administration is one that cannot be ignored. However, UAE (specifically Abu Dhabi) are strongly tied to OPEC, so the ability to directly affect policy is limited.
There is stil an interesting connection though. The UAE has the 4th largest natural gas reserves in the world (behind Russia, Iran, and Qatar). It would be intersting for those with better capabilities to examine any possible connection between this port deal, the US need for natural gas, and the desire of the UAE to better develop their energy and gas infrastructure through companies like, oh I dunno, Halliburton and Brown & Root.
I guess all I am really driving at is to not take the excuses used in the media (national security issue) as fact. Dig under the rhetoric. And if you are still having troubles making a solid connection in your mind, then dig for someone elses and use that as a starting point to critically think about the situation from a different point of view. This is one of many examples, but a good one nonetheless.
posted by E Hawker at 7:46 PM
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