So what is a typical American in Dubai's perspecive?
Most of the Americans, here at AUD, see the hoopla in the states over the takeover of six US ports by Dubai Ports World as just a bunch of thinly veiled politics. A chance for politicians to get some air time before elections. "How could intilligent people overreact so much?" we've been asking. Below the grandstanding this is largely about America's distrust of Arabs as a people. "They're all bad guys," we seem to think. The outcry against the deal is based on many naïve and unwarranted fears.
Most people don't know that the UAE is the most liberal of all the Gulf Countries, and a great partner on the war on terror--one of the most pro-US countries in the Middle East. While the Arabs here are always a little peeved at the US for some reason, at the same time they still love us. They like our movies, coffee, music, business practices, cars, television, food, universities, cities, landscape, and pretty much everything else about us. Dubai is westernized to the extent that I have to continually remind myself that I'm not back home or in Europe.
Even if this country was more conservative/fanatical, it still doesn't discount the fact that a corporation is taking over these ports. Corporations (and most people in Dubai, it seems) want one thing: to make money. I think the US can find no better partner than a company who's profitability depends on free and unhindered (by war, or bombs, terrorists, or whatever) flow of goods into our country.
I find two things ironic in all this. The first is that the democrats and the White House have switched sides. Hillary Clinton is suggesting legislation to block ports from being run by foreign firms, a super America-First stance usually reserved for the right wing. And Bush is arguing for the softer 'let them trade' position. One that placates Arab sentiments and reinforces our image around the world. Something we heard non-stop from John Kerry in his 2004 campaign. The second irony is that, in our rhetoric, we are holding the UAE government responsible for the fact that terrorists on 9/11 used private banks and airlines in the UAE, but we, at the same time, try to tell the Arab world that the Dutch government has no proper ability to apologize for cartoons published in their private newspapers. Seems like a double standard to me.
3 comments:
Your thinking is very convincing. Makes me wonder what is going on here in the USA, anyway.
Yeah I think people here are over reacting about the whole port things. Its just news thats all, something for the New York Times and CNN to report about. Colin if I didn't already think this you would have convinced me....yes you were always a convincing person.
Well, referring to you in the past tense, as Carrie did, is a little creepy!
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