Americans, how do you feel about the United Arab Emirate managing our ports?
95752
I'm a bit uncomfortable about it.  I just don't think we have any real allies in the Mideast outside of Israel we could trust with this.  \n\nFormer president Jimmy Carter, a man for whom I have a great deal of respect, is siding with President Bush on this issue, so perhaps my fears are unfounded.  I find it interesting that there is so much Republican resistance for a president that they have followed so faithfully.
136060
Since we could never afford to inspect more than 5% of all inbound cargo what does it matter who schedules and unloads the shipments? Yes, I think its probably fine for the UAE to operate the 21 ports. We should NEVER reliquish security, and in fact we should step up investigations of new port workers.
101067
They are not. UAE is not taking over port management.  Dubai Ports World a company based out of UAE is taking over ports management. P&O based out of Britain(Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation) was managing the ports. P&O was bought by Dubai Ports World.
143815
Well, we're not handing the ports over to Dubai. What's happening is that the British company that manages the ports is being purchased by a company based in Dubai. So it's very likely that in terms of people "on the ground", i.e. the ones in the port itself, there would be very little change. Basically all that will change is the profits from the port are going to another set of CEOs.\n\nFurthermore, there would be no change in the safety procedures at the port. The procedures are federally mandated, and enforced by the US Coast Guard, so it's not as if the new company could change them, even if they wanted to. \n\nSpeaking of which, it's not clear why people are automatically assuming that this company is somehow connected to terrorism itself. The only reason given is that the company is based in Dubai. What this reason really means is that people are afraid of having an Arab company run the ports, since "Arabs are terrorists" or some similar racist dreck.\n\nBut the company that in question, Dubai Ports World, has never had a security problem before. In an article on CNN.com (see below), an expert on maritime security named Kim Peterson called DPW's security record "exemplary".\n\nSo the sale shouldn't be a problem, although the Bush Administration is arguably making a mistake in this situation. \n\nTheir mistake is not the sale of ports, or more accurately the sale of the port management company, but rather that instead of explaining to people why they're doing what they're doing, the Administration is simply saying that we should trust them and not offering any reason to do so. That arrogance has, for obvious reasons, raised hackles on both sides of the aisle.\n\nIn sum: the sale won't effect security at all, and the only problem is politics.
288217
I am not sure what it is you are asking but if you are asking that should the government go with the deal, I'd say sure. As long as Bush and his cronies benefit from the deal, who cares about anything else?\nIf you are asking WILL the government go for the deal, I think it will go through. Neither the government of UAE nor the company that will be put in charge of the project benefit from terrorist attack on the US ports. Global business is likes calm continuity to prosper. The money will not go far either. Thanks to multinational financial corporations and big business, money spent on security of US ports to a Dubai based company will be deposited in the Hong Kong branch of an English bank account backed by US government bonds.
406244
Yes, I don't want to sell the American ports to OPEC. No way!
455302
Well mochita, I believe that we have a war on our hands. As we have painfully come to learn is that one of the greatest weapons to use in a war against an opposing country is to attack its economy, and further to destabilize the fabric of its society.\nThese concerns for international security are the prime motives for the war in Iraq.\nIf we may only try to remember that Iraq's, or rather Saddam Hussein's intentions when he decided to invade Kuwait was for the reason of controlling the export and price of oil through its seaports.\nAlso a main reason for Saddam's decision is Kuwaits geographical location from where Saddam intended to intercept any trade that would issue through this waterway, and I believe it is the mouth of the Red Sea; however, if I am in error please advise me.\nIn my opinion the crisis that our economy is causing for our country are tactics of multiplier effects.\nWe have to conserve our trade routes and partners and this has already cost us billions.\nAdd to that the loss of human life of our loved ones cannot be ignored.\nI could go on forever laying out the reasons for the cause of this war and why my approval of such a war; I however am a much older and more experienced person than many of our citizens and who has learned to try to see and not to only look.\nDo not become angry or spiteful because we are at war. Just try to keep up with as much reliable information that you can and thusly continue to learn under a good shade.  Jose
939739
I feel very angry about what Bush has done to our reputation around the world.  It is something that really concerns me.  But, and this is a big but, I believe you are wrong about the American people and our government.  The American people ARE the government, in a very real sense.  We elect and we reject.  We are free to speak out and criticize our government and our President if we feel they are screwing up, and thankfully can effect change fairly easily compared to most governments.  You can see from our polls (yes, polls are notorious but when they all agree it's good to pay attention to them) that the majority of the American people do not approve of the job that Bush is doing.  We can support our troops and still be unhappy about the reasons they are there.  \n\nWe will change the tide by voting, it is our most precious freedom, IMO.  Apathy keeps many Americans at home during the mid-term elections, but I feel this time around we will see a big surge at the polls in the Democratic favor.  I have to say, as unhappy as I am with the Bush Administration, I bristled when I read your opening statement.  It just isn't true, we are the sum of all of our parts in this democratic republic.  We will continue to respond harshly to terrorists and their threats, whether our government is headed by a Republican or a Democrat.  Guantanomo Bay?  It's unfortunate and there's house cleaning to be done, but we have a right to detain those who are a threat to our national security.  We learned on 9/11 what it means to remain complacent and have a false sense of security.  We won't make that mistake again.
311406
This is just my opinion about the above statement:\nUSA is the greatest country in the world, and Americans are by far the best people in the world.  Negative talks about US have been going on since the beginnings and always will.\nI feel we should take care of our USA and it's people first in all ways, and if we have any MONIES left to help others, then we should do it.  Our bleeding heart volunteers in Iraq, should come back to the USA and help us here.  I never heard of Iraq sending volunters here to help us.\nI know this is a comment and not an Answer!
105242
We never sold our ports.  The ports belong to us.  This is about contracts for who will run the port activities.
241825
I am Soooooooo glad this is happening.  Republicans are going to have to worry about what theiCONSTITUENTSTS want - we are going into the mid terms and Bush has placed them in an impossible bind.  They will have to override Bushes veto and end his leadership of the party.   How could Bush have gotten this so wrong? \n\nMy guess is that Bush, who likes to hold hands with princes from the Arab Emirates,( check out the footage of him walking and holding hands with Prince Bandar  ), has more vested interests in the financial dealings with Gulf Coast Arab nations - than his own country. \n\nThe Bushes are also  good friends of the Bin Laudens too.\n\nThis is not going down well.  I don't honestly know if this is really a security concern, but Dubai has two of the hijackers, if laundered the money for the 9/11 attack and REFUSED US invetigators access to financial records.\n\nThis port deal has a bad feel to it.  A 62-2 vote in Congress passed to block this Dubai port deal. The acquisition of any leases, transfer is prohibited\nand attached to a bill the president wil find hard to veto. \n\nWith the President's poll levels at their lowest, its time for Republican congressmen to distance themselves.\n\nThis action by the appropriations committes is VETO proof. \nWhat options does the White House have?
159185
Yes, it is becasue it is an Arab country. The US right now is going through an identity crisis.\n\nWe make it our business to spread democracy and freedom around the world, yet when a party is democratically elected, and we don't like them, we want to break diplomatic relations. (Hamas)\n\nWe belive in free trade/market, and have allowed businesses from other countries maintain our ports, yet now that there is an Arab country involved, it is a problem.\n\nThe United States does not know what position it is to hold in the world.
231116
Yes, currently the chinese govt manages a port on the West coast. Apprently its run quite efficiently.
146272
I'm very comfortable with it. Nothing is going to change, except a DIFFERENT foreign country will be handling the day-to-day COMMERCIAL operation of the ports. It is currently being handles by a British company. SECURITY in the ports will still be handled by the Dept. of Homeland Security (US Coast Guard and Border Patrol).\n\nWhy is everyone being so racist over this topic. It is OK for white Europeans to run the ports, but everyone seems to act like all Middle Easterners are terrorists. Does anyone remember Timothy McVeigh? He was a white American terrorist. Therefore, by the way of thinking everyone has, all white Americans must be terrorists.
434433
Many are developing quickly...the  United Arab Emirates for example (of which Dubai is a member)...They are the ones that wanted to take over our 6 of our most important ports. This caused quite a uproar a few weeks ago.  \n\nDubai is building two man-made islands which can be seen from outer space...one is in the shape of an huge palm tree...the other I think is the globe (but I'm not sure because it was on a show I viewed a couple of months ago). The palm tree island is designed so that everthing is waterfront (ergo, very exspensive) property. Of course Trump is involved, which is why he didn't agree with the protests over the U.S. Ports. And Dubai powers that be withdrew their offer, which helped Bush save face....well actually it was too late for that!\n\nMany of the eastern Asian countries are really developing rapidly, and, in fact, are way ahead of us in tecnology.\n\nBUT, CHINA is going to very soon be THE #1 superpower. This WILL be their century. They have always had the population, but now they have really gotten their act together in the world market.\n\nWe blinked!
687761
I feel America does not want to control territory as such.It only wants to maintain its supremacy and balance of world power.Controlling new territories is not good for the USA instead it is troublesome for them to hold on to foreign countries.
116356
Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not buying out US ports.   The ports operation will be run by a company based in Dubai.  The company currently running the ports P&O ( Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co )is a London based company that has recently been acquired by Dubai Ports World, the UAE company. \n\nThe purchase and takeover of the contract to run the ports has been approved by a US government agency that investigates security risks of outside control of US companies.  The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment, the agency, found no security risks.  \n\nThe company will just manage the ports, it will still keep the same workers, the same managers and the same equiptment.  It will hire the same longshoremen - the guys who unload the boats and it will keep American paychecks in America.  \n\nI have linked below to an article about the sale of P&O to DP World as well as links to the companies' web sites. \n\nRemember too that ports deal with international cargo - most everything domestic is moved by truck- and that international companies are involved in international commerce.   The US produces airplanes for the Chinese and UAE,  Mexico assembles a lot of toilets used in the US.  We are truly a global economy.  When the deal finalizes it will be a UAE company running these US ports as opposed to a UK company as it was last week.