I stood on the fence regarding the port deal for far too long. I didn't know enough about it. Now that it has been cancelled, I now fully understand that which I did not before. Here is where it all lies:
1. The forces against the Dubai company purchasing the ports deal were mostly driven by "Arab-phobia". Our culture is one that fears Arabs, even pre-911/pre-WTC bombing/pre-Lebanon(1982). Look at the movies that come out of Hollywood. Arabs are usually portrayed as an ignorant evil people. For an example, name one major Hollywood movie that shows a sympathetic view of Arabs. I can't think of one. Examples of poor portrayals of Arabs: Air Force One and The Sheik .
2. There was an impression that the Dubai company would have presented a threat to our national security. I don't know how to break this to anyone, but 9/11 occurred when WE were in charge of our airport security. The first World Trade Center bombing occurred when we had the watch. So on and so forth. Now we will have our ports back (at least the six that were going to be outsourced). Hopefully, we can do the job right this time. The next time that something happens, we won't be able to blame the Arabs (not that we ever could). It will have happened on our watch.
No comments:
Post a Comment