UAE Port Deal

[Stu Pidasso]

[ QUOTE ]
We can't just outsource our security to any country relying on that there is "ANY EVIDENCE that their proposed purchase is suspicious in any way." No, we need to be SURE--but we can't. So outsourcing our security to any foreign country is a bad idea, and outsourcing our security to an Arab Muslim country is a worse idea, and outsourcing our security to an Arab Muslim country that has a fair amount of terrorist activity going on is yet a worse idea.


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Hi MMMMMM,

Can you tell us exactly what is being outsourced. Apparently security of those ports has and will continue to remain the responsibility of the USCG. How much of an impact does this company's operation have on actual port security?

Stu

[ligastar]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
We can't just outsource our security to any country relying on that there is "ANY EVIDENCE that their proposed purchase is suspicious in any way." No, we need to be SURE--but we can't. So outsourcing our security to any foreign country is a bad idea, and outsourcing our security to an Arab Muslim country is a worse idea, and outsourcing our security to an Arab Muslim country that has a fair amount of terrorist activity going on is yet a worse idea.


[/ QUOTE ]

Hi MMMMMM,

Can you tell us exactly what is being outsourced. Apparently security of those ports has and will continue to remain the responsibility of the USCG. How much of an impact does this company's operation have on actual port security?

Stu

[/ QUOTE ]

The contract is for $6.5 billion...they are doing more than cleaning the toilets.

[New001]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
We can't just outsource our security to any country relying on that there is "ANY EVIDENCE that their proposed purchase is suspicious in any way." No, we need to be SURE--but we can't. So outsourcing our security to any foreign country is a bad idea, and outsourcing our security to an Arab Muslim country is a worse idea, and outsourcing our security to an Arab Muslim country that has a fair amount of terrorist activity going on is yet a worse idea.


[/ QUOTE ]

Hi MMMMMM,

Can you tell us exactly what is being outsourced. Apparently security of those ports has and will continue to remain the responsibility of the USCG. How much of an impact does this company's operation have on actual port security?

Stu

[/ QUOTE ]

The contract is for $6.5 billion...they are doing more than cleaning the toilets.

[/ QUOTE ]
Then since you oppose this deal, surely you can tell us what they'll be doing?

[ligastar]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
We can't just outsource our security to any country relying on that there is "ANY EVIDENCE that their proposed purchase is suspicious in any way." No, we need to be SURE--but we can't. So outsourcing our security to any foreign country is a bad idea, and outsourcing our security to an Arab Muslim country is a worse idea, and outsourcing our security to an Arab Muslim country that has a fair amount of terrorist activity going on is yet a worse idea.


[/ QUOTE ]

Hi MMMMMM,

Can you tell us exactly what is being outsourced. Apparently security of those ports has and will continue to remain the responsibility of the USCG. How much of an impact does this company's operation have on actual port security?

Stu

[/ QUOTE ]

The contract is for $6.5 billion...they are doing more than cleaning the toilets.

[/ QUOTE ]
Then since you oppose this deal, surely you can tell us what they'll be doing?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not really. But I heard U.A.E. And I heard U.S. ports. And I heard $6.5B and I went with my gut.

[Nepa]

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OK guys, there are 2.5 million people in the UAE. Despite being overwhelmingly Arab, they are actually not all terrorists. It would be both disgusting and terribly damaging to our current image war in the Middle East to disrupt this deal solely because the buyers are Arabs.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a Government owned company. Even if you assume that they are with us and fighting the terrorist how can you be sure that the political climate doesn't change in the UAE to be for the terrorist AGAIN. They have been known to harbor terrorist.

I believe that we ruined our image with Arabs when we invaded IRAQ.

[ligastar]

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I believe that we ruined our image with Arabs when we invaded IRAQ.

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I think we can all agree that this was a bad decision by our president. No WMD and all. No connection to 9/11 and all.

[Nepa]

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I believe that we ruined our image with Arabs when we invaded IRAQ.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think we can all agree that this was a bad decision by our president. No WMD and all. No connection to 9/11 and all.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't want this to be hijacked by that statement but I just wanted to point out how bad the "We'll look bad with the Arabs" Talking point is.

[slamdunkpro]

First – this is a baaad idea - period.

I think the reason for Bush’s support may be more of a nod to the Brits since it’s their company who is doing the selling than to the UAE.

Still bad idea – bad bad bad bad

[wacki]

Interesting article:
http://voanews.com/english/2006-02-19-voa27.cfm

[nicky g]

I don't have particularly strong feelings on this either way, and if it was a Bush decision then there's bound to ahve been plenty of incompetence and wishful thinking involved, but some points:

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The UAE was one of three countries in the world to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.




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Enough red flags for this American.

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To all extents and purposes the Taliban was the government of Afghanistan - and its rivals to legitimacy were not much better in terms of fundamentalism, and supported by well-known US allies such as Iran. Others may not have chosen to officially recongise the Taliban government but in practice the US for example was perfectly happy to deal with it pre-9/11.

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The UAE has been a key transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear components to Iran, North Korea and Lybia.


According to the FBI, money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers through the UAE banking system.


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It is one of the key shipping and banking centres of the Middle East. No doubt money went through the British and US banking systems too.

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After 9/11, the Treasury Department reported that the UAE was not cooperating in efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden's bank accounts.

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The banking system or the government? If the latter, I can see that this could be a worry.

For whoever said they'd be less worried if it were a privately opwned company, I think the opposite is true. The UAE government is a Western ally and petrified of al-Qa'ida and the like, to whom it is anathema as a feudal, insufficiently Islamic regime. A private company would be more likely to be run by people with al-Qa'ida sympathies.