# Dubai firm gives up plan to control US ports **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 9, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-firm-gives-up-plan-to-control-us-ports/347735 "2006-03-09T20:20:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-firm-gives-up-plan-to-control-us-ports/347735/1 "2006-03-09T20:20:31Z")
[CNN Story](http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/09/port.security/index.html) > [@](#): > > United Arab Emirates-owned DP World said Thursday it would transfer its operations of American ports to a U.S. “entity” after congressional leaders reportedly told President Bush that the firm’s takeover deal was essentially dead on Capitol Hill. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-firm-gives-up-plan-to-control-us-ports/347735/2 "2006-03-09T21:11:01Z")
Ah, the wrath of the Americans. Sort of like the Eye of Sauron. Doesn’t see but one thing at a time, but when it focuses on you, watch out! It was a really foolish idea to begin with though. It could probably be done safely, but exactly who is going to oversee all that on a daily basis? ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-firm-gives-up-plan-to-control-us-ports/347735/3 "2006-03-09T23:54:56Z")
Good. This actually makes my day… okay that’s an overstatement. This in my opinion is good. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-firm-gives-up-plan-to-control-us-ports/347735/4 "2006-03-10T00:03:16Z")
I hope the entity that gets to control it now, Korana Enterprises, does a good job. They are a new Delaware corporation so I can’t find much about them. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-firm-gives-up-plan-to-control-us-ports/347735/5 "2006-03-10T00:55:50Z")
This is a very bad thing, IMHO. It sends a message to the entire Muslim/Arab world: We don’t want your business, just your oil. (And we reserve the right to invade you, too.) ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-firm-gives-up-plan-to-control-us-ports/347735/6 "2006-03-10T01:00:11Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > This is a very bad thing, IMHO. It sends a message to the entire Muslim/Arab world: We don’t want your business, just your oil. (And we reserve the right to invade you, too.) You know, I’ll trade the bad PR when it comes to the security of the US ports. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-firm-gives-up-plan-to-control-us-ports/347735/7 "2006-03-10T01:19:57Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > You know, I’ll trade the bad PR when it comes to the security of the US ports. Of all the problems with security at US ports, who owns the management contract is at the bottom. For a cogent argument for my point of view, read [this article](http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/2006/02/kristof-arabs-are-coming.html) by Nicholas Kristoff. > [@](#): > > (Excerp) > Suppose you were Osama bin Laden and wanted to set off a nuclear weapon or a “dirty bomb” in front of the U.S. Capitol. First you would bribe Russians with access to loosely secured nuclear materials. > > Then you would ship them to the U.S. — but the key step would occur in the foreign port: hiding the materials in the shipping container of a well-known and trusted exporter. If the container were shipped out of Rotterdam and seemed to contain Lego toys, for example, U.S. customs officials (who are now also based abroad) might not bother to examine it. > > So even if agents of Al Qaeda infiltrate Dubai Ports World, and some manage to get U.S. visas and be stationed in Newark, it’s not clear that they could help the plot. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-firm-gives-up-plan-to-control-us-ports/347735/8 "2006-03-10T01:36:15Z")
You’re right, they are at the bottom of my concerns. But it’s still on the list! It’s true that there are probably easier or more effective ways to exploit the system, but to use that as an argument to willfully create a possible risk is flat out stupid. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-firm-gives-up-plan-to-control-us-ports/347735/9 "2006-03-10T01:58:39Z")
What are you afraid of? It would be no easier for “them” to attack our ports with Dubai running it than an American company. Look, I’m no fan of this administration (quite the opposite), but they’re right this time. Because of fear and politics, we’re turning our backs on one of the very few places in the Arab world that’s actually engaged in the world economy without oil. Hell, when I first heard about this, I thought the contraversy was over Bush giving a contract based on family business connections. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-firm-gives-up-plan-to-control-us-ports/347735/10 "2006-03-10T02:55:33Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I hope the entity that gets to control it now, Korana Enterprises, does a good job. They are a new Delaware corporation so I can’t find much about them. Maybe this is the same Chinese corporation that already operates several US ports. 🙂 Seriously, some lawyer with the right discrete connections and poof the the problem goes away. The Democrats can claim a “national security” victory, the Republicans avoid any political damage, and Dubai does another favor for the American government. The tab must be getting pretty high by now. 😉 This whole thing was political theater without the slightest bit of real security risk. The rest of the world lowers their opinion of the US another notch and everyone involved makes money. Sigh ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-firm-gives-up-plan-to-control-us-ports/347735/11 "2006-03-10T06:30:26Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I thought the contraversy was over Bush giving a contract based on family business connections. I still think it was. The pesimist in me thinks that that’s the only reason having a foreign company was ever even in the running to operate the ports. Say what you want, but I don’t think the ports, the airports, the border or any other security concern should be outsourced to any country. Has nothing to do with them being Arab. this should be handed in house.