From US News by way of The Corner:
From Egypt to Afghanistan, when terrorists and gangsters need a place to meet, to relax, maybe to invest, they head to Dubai, a bustling city-state on the Persian Gulf. The Middle East's unquestioned financial capital, Dubai is the showcase of the United Arab Emirates, an oil-rich federation of sheikdoms. Forty years ago, Dubai was a backwater; today, it hosts dozens of banks and one of the world's busiest ports; its free-trade zones are crammed with thousands of companies. Construction is everywhere--skyscrapers, malls, hotels, and, soon, the world's tallest building.But Dubai also serves as the region's criminal crossroads, a hub for smuggling, money laundering, and underground banking. There are Russian and Indian mobsters, Iranian arms traffickers, and Arab jihadists. Funds for the 9/11 hijackers and African embassy bombers were transferred through the city. It was the heart of Pakistani scientist A. Q. Khan's black market in nuclear technology and other proliferation cases. Half of all applications to buy U.S. military equipment from Dubai are from bogus front companies, officials say. "Iran," adds one U.S. official, "is building a bomb through Dubai." Last year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents thwarted the shipment of 3,000 U.S. military night-vision goggles by an Iranian pair based in Dubai. Moving goods undetected is not hard. Dhows--rickety wooden boats that have plowed the Arabian Sea for centuries--move along the city center, uninspected, down the aptly named Smuggler's Creek.
U.A.E. rulers have taken terrorism seriously since 9/11, but Washington has a half-dozen extradition requests that they refuse to honor. The list includes people accused of rape, murder, and arms trafficking, and the last fugitive of the BCCI banking scandal. The country has put money laundering controls on the books but has made few cases. Interior Minister Sheik Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan told U.S. News the U.A.E. has made great strides in cracking down, but he insists that the real problems lie elsewhere. "We are a neutral country, like Switzerland," he says. "Give us the evidence, and we will do something about it. Don't blame others." Not everyone agrees. "All roads lead to Dubai," says former treasury agent John Cassara, author of Hide and Seek, a forthcoming book on terrorism finance. Cassara tried explaining U.S. concerns about Dubai to a local businessman but got only a puzzled look: "Mr. John, money laundering? But that's what we do. " (Emphasis mine.)
But come on, you know what all those "heavy thinkers" say -- those that are wary of this port deal are "racists."
*Yawn*
UNRELATED UPDATE: I tinkered with the blockquote design (thanks, Rhodey) as if you couldn't tell. Hope you all dig it. If you absolutely detest it (the blockquote design, not our blog content, that is) let us know.
I like the quotes being set off -- but wonder if you could find a different background color. A gray might be good, or a less-bright blue.
Posted by: Rhymes With Right at February 23, 2006 08:53 PMI've been mostly holding off on this whole Dubai Ports thing because there's been so much of a frenzy, but this piece encapsulates everything so well.
Thanks for this, Hube.
Posted by: Mike M. at February 23, 2006 09:04 PMMike: What cracks me up is how this has really turned partisan politics on its head! People who never thought they'd agree w/someone else are all doing just that.
My view is fairly simple: If we really are to get serious about securing the borders/homeland, not allowing foreign cos. to run our ports is only a start. Now we gotta get serious about protecting them.
RWR: How do you like this darker blue? I tried a dark gray, but the darkest I could find was too light; the other was a greenish tint.
Posted by: Hube at February 23, 2006 09:10 PMOK, I tried some more grays for background color, and wasn't happy. I kept this present darker blue color, used a light gray for the text instead of pure white, and added the same light gray one pixel border.
You like? Any other suggestions?? Believe me, I'm WIDE open for 'em! I could play w/this code all night...
Posted by: Hube at February 23, 2006 09:30 PMUpdate: I ditched the borderline. ;-)
Posted by: Hube at February 23, 2006 09:46 PMHube, I really like your comment about the uneasy alliances this is making. Its nuts, absolutly nuts. I found myself on Ryan S.'s blog agreeing with Jess. I find myself opposed to Jimmy Carter, in line with you. My head hurts.
The race issue is a serious one. However, I think its better to say this measure is absurd because of the actions of the country, not because they are "Arab." Unfortunatly, the Arab world probably will not see the difference. It scares me, quite frankly, because we're rapidly heading toward a literal "clash of civilizations" if we're not careful. Scary scary stuff.
Posted by: Mike McKain at February 23, 2006 10:13 PM"But Dubai also serves as the region's criminal crossroads, a hub for smuggling, money laundering, and underground banking. There are Russian and Indian mobsters, Iranian arms traffickers, and Arab jihadists. Funds for the 9/11 hijackers and African embassy bombers were transferred through the city."
Wow, sounds like Miami FL...just substitute Cuban American hardliners as well as other angry rightish expats from from the Americas. Orlando Bosch, a very successful terrorist, walks around in Miami a free man thanks to Bush 1.
Of course, what happens in Dubai is irrelevant to what happens in a USA port managed by a UAE owned company. The ships coming into the USA won't mostly be coming from the UAE. They will will come from all over the world...just like now.
The UAE's financial interest in managing the ports is that they control the speed by which their ships unload and load their cargo (putting them ahead of the line, etc), effecting their bottom line.
Oh, and they will have nothing to do w/ security. Zero--if that fact matters.
Posted by: Dana Garrett at February 24, 2006 08:04 AMOh, and they will have nothing to do w/ security. Zero--if that fact matters.
Simply not true. The UAE's ruling class (which Bush is in bed with) are the level headed business men that Dana mentions. They are no doubt in favor of keeping the ports (and their profits) secure.
The terrorists (like two of the 9/11 hijackers) are culled from the UAE's middle and professional class. The very class that staffs the port's Dubai administrative operations. These people have access to detailed schedules, blue prints, and passwords. Dana seems to be fine with that.
I am not.
I have to agree with Dana on this; add in all the American sailors from the Navy ships that stop there and Dubai sounds like Marseilles, Hong Kong, or New York City.
Posted by: G Rex at February 24, 2006 09:29 AMOh, and while I completele discount anything Jimmy Carter has to say, if the Teamsters (who are protesting in Wilmington today) are against the port deal, it must be good for business.
Posted by: G Rex at February 24, 2006 09:33 AMWrong, G. If the Teamsters are against it, it must be good for the entire universe.
Posted by: Delathought at February 24, 2006 07:17 PM