The Dubai World Port deal seems to be raising a few eyebrows indeed. One recent Blogger of Political Affairs, asks; Why would selling our ports to foreign companies/countries be a good thing? It is interesting how these rumors get started, as this was what the news media originally reported; that we were selling our ports. In fact we are not selling ports. We are allowing a contractor to over see some of the operations; it is a business, which is under contract. Why should it matter what country owns the business, as ports are used by all international interests and many of the properties are actually legally Foreign Trade Zones, which is a completely special category of land, with a completely different set of rules. The UAE is a central money point for the Middle East, so much money comes thru there. Also consider that most all ports are Foreign Trade Zones already, just like most airports, with duty free areas and some entire airports are and many foreign companies do own land there, not lease it. Take KLM for instance as they fly goods and land planes 747s before anyone inspects anything. What is in all those air cargo containers? Do you know how much a 747 holds? Let me put it this way; there is more fuel in a 727 than the water in the laboratories in a 747. I know my dad use to fly one for Continental Airlines. We want containers full of products from the USA going to the rich UAE and this will help our trade deficit with all nations, since all nations by Middle Eastern Oil and that completes a trade triangle. Additionally if we do not trust the UAE, why do we sell them F-15s and F-16s? And why do we allow them to host over 400 US Warships in and out of their ports during this latest Iraqi deal? Additionally we are so hard on our own companies here we chase them away so they, as Multi-National Conglomerates set up foreign subsidiaries all over the world. In doing so they interact with all the other nations, just like Dubai World will be interacting with us. And shipping is an international business, thus international companies from many nations all operate in and around the port; so it would make sense that one might have a contract to operate some of the operations at those ports. Consider this in 2006. |
