I awoke this morning to a new name for the War on Terror...
The Long War.
Yeah, this makes it all better now. I love that name. It is literary and pithy. That helps cure my anxiety. Oy.
And then there is the brewhaha about the sale of our ports to an Arab company. Is this an act of a high-minded president hoping to gain support from moderate Islamic types? Is this a way to separate more clearly the terrorists from the rest of the Arab world in our foreign policy relationships? Perhaps. It is a brave thing if this is so.
Otherwise, I am not so sure what the motivation might be.
Posted by tripp at February 22, 2006 08:25 AMPerhaps it was a sale to friends...that's what I'm thinking...Bush has a lot of rich friends in certain countrys...friends of the entire family.
Posted by: Mae at February 22, 2006 08:59 AMI think Mae is on the right track here. Bush recently appointed Dave Sanborn as a Maritime Administrator. He is a senior official to DP World. This happened on January 17, 2006.
Link to DP World Press Release
Link to White Hose Press Release
(Hat Tip TJF1977 for this news.)
Posted by: justin at February 22, 2006 09:10 AMWhat has actually been sold is the contract for the operation of the ports, the property doesn't change hands and the overall security is still in the hands of the Port Authority.
I suspect it was basically an economic decision by the UAE. They recognize that the supply of oil is limited and will one day run out. They have been using their profits from the sale of their oil to invest in a diverse range of interests to provide for the welfare of future generations.
The United States based corporations did the same thing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. What was not counted on then and may not be now, is the ability of governments to take over private industry as the UAE and the Saudis did with the oil industry.
Their strategy is a sound one, albeit risky, but what investment isn't risky?
Posted by: Joel at February 23, 2006 09:57 AM