Dubya and Dubai: The Real Deal

Posted 2006-10-03 18:19:43

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October 3, 2006 President Bush was “surprised” by the announcement that the shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports had been sold for $6.8 billion by the venerable British-owned P&O Steam Navigation Company to Dubai Ports World, a business owned by the city-state of Dubai, one of the seven sheikdoms comprising the United Arab Emirates. The White House admitted that the purchase was approved at a sub-cabinet level, without notice to Congress, and that Bush did not know about it until it was a “done deal.” However, on checking with his cabinet officers, Bush was reassured that they were “comfortable” with the deal and that it did not pose a national security risk, even though the Department of Homeland Security initially opposed the transaction. After both Republican and Democratic Congressional leaders expressed concerns about Dubai’s connections with Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda and 9-11, Bush threatened to use his first presidential veto to prevent Congress from blocking the sale. He said, “I think it sends a terrible signal to friends around the world, that it’s OK for a company from one country to manage the port, but not a country that plays by the rules and has a good track record from another part of the world.” Americans were not convinced. A poll found that 64% believed the sale should not be allowed, while only 17% agreed with the purchase. The same poll found, for the first time, a public preference for Democrats in Congress over Bush on national security issues. Bush sought to reassure us, “If there was any chance that this transaction would jeopardize the security of the United States, it would not go forward.” This then is the question: Is there any “chance” that allowing Dubai to control the seaports of New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia would increase the “chance” that a nuclear, biological or chemical weapon could be smuggled into the United States and detonated with catastrophic results? The President says no. Is he right, and what if he’s wrong? Since Bush was entirely unaware that the “done deal” was even pending, one has to wonder if he is just spinning and cheerleading without a clue about the facts of the matter. Rather than take him at his word, shouldn’t we decide for ourselves whether or not we want the government of Dubai to control shipping access to the Gulf and East Coasts of America? Consider the following: ? Dubai Is Not a Democracy. To the contrary, it is tiny sheikdom one-quarter the size of Los Angeles County founded in 1833 by the Maktoum family under the umbrella of the English Empire. The emirate gained “independence” in 1971; however, it is entirely controlled by five Arab families, who appoint the members of a “consultative council.” An absolute monarch and multi-billionaire, the present Emir of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, recently succeeded his elder brother who died in January. He is officially the ruler of Dubai and serves as the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Subsidized by government income transfers, UAE nationals are only 15% of the population, and, within the essentially racist society, only they qualify for free health, education and the best government jobs. Only UAE nationals can own land outside of designated “free zones,” and foreign companies cannot operate in Dubai without hiring a UAE national to “sponsor” them. ? Dubai has refused to adopt the International Migrant Workers Convention. Trade unions and strikes are illegal, and migrants, who comprise 99% of the non-government workforce, can be easily deported. The passports and visas of immigrant workers are seized at the airport and they are forced into virtual slavery for years. They are legally bound to a single employer, are subject to totalitarian controls, and work for approximately $237 per month. More than 250,000 of these workers, primarily from India and Pakistan, live in work camps outside the city crammed together in small rooms. ? There is an extensive sex trade in Dubai’s hotels and resorts involving the forced exploitation of thousands of young women from Europe, Russia, India and Iran. Most horrible is the kidnapping and slavery of boys as young as three to be jockeys in the royal family’s camel races, during which their shrieks of terror are believed to urge the camels on to a faster pace. The State Department’s annual human rights report cited UAE’s trafficking in prostitutes, using young boys in camel races and the flogging of prisoners in charging, “There are no democratically elected institutions or political parties.” ? Dubai’s support of terrorism. Immediately following the first Gulf War, authorities closed a Pakistani bank where Osama bin Laden had maintained his personal account and which had been laundering al Qaeda funds. In 2001, it was discovered that the bank had been restored by bin Laden and that 77% of the bank had come to be owned by the UAE government. Commencing as early as 1995, then Crown Prince Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum went on frequent hunting trips with Osama bin Laden. At the time the Sheik was serving as the Defense Minister of the UAE. After al Qaeda attacked American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998, the Clinton Administration was determined to kill or capture Osama bin Laden. Six months later, American spy satellites spotted an airplane landing near bin Laden’s hideout in Afghanistan. Satellite photographs were able to identify UAE markings on the plane and its passengers as a member of the UAE royal family and several UAE government officials as part of a hunting party. At the time, the UAE was holding itself out as an ally of America; however, when American operatives contacted UAE officials in Dubai, they denied that any of its sheiks or officials was in Afghanistan. In spite of these lies, Clinton decided that the risk of harming a member of the Dubai royal family outweighed the opportunity to kill bin Laden, and he called off the planned missile strike. American intelligence officers received information in 1998 that al Qaeda was trying to recruit U.S. citizens to train in terrorist camps. The al Qaeda effort was directed from a base in the UAE. At that time, the UAE was one of only three countries that recognized the Taliban government in Afghanistan. In 1996, a Russian arms trader operating out of the UAE sold 40 tons of weapons to the Taliban, and in 2000, he delivered as many as 200 tanks to Afghanistan. Commencing in 2000, the al Qaeda operatives plotting the 9-11 attack began to receive payments ultimately amounting to more than $350,000 from an al Qaeda paymaster named Mustafa Ahmed Al Hawsawi. He lived in Dubai and forwarded the funds through UAE banks to the hijackers in America. American officials approached the UAE government and asked for tighter controls on money laundering and arms sales. The UAE stalled. On July 12, 2001, Osama bin Laden was at the American Hospital in Dubai for treatment of a kidney condition. He received visits from many members of his extensive family and from Prince Turki Al Faisal, the head of Saudi intelligence. Although bin Laden was wanted on an American arrest warrant for murder, he was not detained or arrested by Dubai officials. Two days before 9-11, an Internet web site in the UAE posted a message that a “big surprise” was about to take place. Among the hijackers who delivered that surprise to America were two citizens of the UAE. In 2002, al Qaeda sent a letter warning UAE officials to stop arresting al Qaeda's "Mujahideen sympathizers." It says in part, "You are well aware that we have infiltrated your security, censorship, and monetary agencies along with other agencies that should not be mentioned." ? It has also been learned that Abdul Qadeer Khan, the Pakistani nuclear engineer accused of peddling nuclear technology to the highest bidder, used the UAE as his base of operations. Khan operated the world’s largest nuclear proliferation ring from warehouses near the Dubai port. He met Iranian officials in Dubai and shipped centrifuge equipment used for the enrichment of uranium from there to Libya. Playing by the “Rules?” The UAE claims that it has now changed its spots; however, Dubai Ports World continues to illegally boycott Israel, and Dubai helps to circumvent restrictions on the sale of U.S. goods to Iran. A former CIA counterterrorism official recently commented on the UAE security record: “Their ports are some of the biggest smuggling centers in the world.” What do the people of the UAE think? According to a recent Zogby poll, 73% have a negative view of the United States. Most say that “oil” and “domination of the Muslim world” were the main reasons for our invasion of Iraq, and 81% believe that Iraq is now worse off. Osama bin Laden was identified as their “most admired” world leader by 18% of respondents; however, “no one” finished first with 22%. Only 19% identified themselves first and foremost as citizens of the UAE, while 66% said they saw themselves as “Muslims” first. Islamic Fundamentalism. Although the Dubai royal family may have become more cooperative in the war on terrorism since 9-11, it is struggling to keep the lid on a kettle of Islamic fundamentalism that threatens to boil over. If and when it does, there is more than a “chance” it will flow through the channels of Dubai Ports World into the ports of the United States. There is a significant “chance” that terrorists will infiltrate Dubai Ports World, as it has the UAE government. As a port facility operator, the corporation will necessarily have access to Coast Guard security incident response plans. In other words, terrorists, including al Qaeda, will easily know exactly how the Coast Guard plans to counter and respond to their attacks. In a report issued in December, the Coast Guard stated that questions about foreign influence, employees and operations made it impossible to assess the threat posed by Dubai’s purchase of P&O. The report, which concluded, “[t]here are many intelligence gaps concerning the potential” for port facilities “to support terrorist operations,” was not even considered by the Bush sub-cabinet-level review. Why Is Our President Taking a “Chance” With Our Lives? Keeping in mind that, following 9-11, Bush ordered the detention of hundreds of Muslims without probable cause and without access to legal counsel or the courts, it is difficult to understand why the President is suddenly accusing those who object to the port deal of having a religious or racial bias. Perhaps the better question is why is Bush so heedlessly risking American lives? Bush and his family have a long history of being tied to Middle East oil interests. In 1979, Bush was bailed out of a failing oil-drilling operation by James Bath, the U.S. front man for Salem bin Laden, the brother of Osama bin Laden. Again in 1986, Bush was bailed out by Harken Energy Corporation, which wanted him to bring in the Persian “Gulf connection” and drilling rights in Bahrain. The next year, Harken sold 17.6% of its stock to Saudi Sheik Abdulla Taha Bakhsh, whose banker was Khalid bin Mahfouz and who also served as the bin Laden family banker. Since he left office, Bush’s father has been employed to give speeches for the Caryle Group and has served on the boards of its subsidiaries. The bin Laden family was a major investor in Caryle, and Bush Sr. has visited the bin Laden family at their home in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Caryle’s Middle East operations are based in Dubai, and the Group has attracted substantial investment funds from the UAE, including more than $100 million last year from the state-owned Dubai Investment Corporation. The corporation is awash in cash and is expecting to invest at least $5 billion per year well into the future. In the early 1990s, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan donated more than $1 million on behalf of the people of the UAE to the Bush Library Foundation, which established the George Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University to house the papers of former President George Bush. Other Arab donors included the state of Kuwait, the Bandar bin Sultan family, the Sultanate of Oman, King Hassan II of Morocco and the emir of Qatar. More recently, on January 24, 2006, just before the announcement that Dubai Ports World was purchasing P&O, President Bush appointed David Sanborn to head the U.S. Maritime Administration. Sanborn has been serving as the Director of Operations for Europe and Latin American for Dubai Ports World. Bargaining Security for Trade. While Bush’s personal relationships with oil sheiks are worthy of suspicion, corporate greed, globalization and free trade are the most likely reasons for his gamble with our lives. Oil prices are at all time highs, and every time you fill up your gasoline tank some of the cash flows, one way or another, back to Dubai. Since 9-11, a good portion of the Arab money invested in the U.S. has been pulled back to the Middle East. When Dubai Ports World issued a bond for $2.8 billion to finance its purchase of P&O, it received more than $11.4 billion in subscriptions. Dubai is growing faster than any city on earth, with one-fifth of the world’s building cranes at work on any given day. More than $100 billion in projects are planned or being built in the city. In 2000, UAE purchased 80 F-16 jet fighters from Lockheed Martin for $6.5 billion. Recently, Emirates, the national airline, placed a $9.7 billion order for 42 Boeing 777s, and it earlier ordered a fleet of Airbus A380s which are due to be delivered in this year. One of the ten largest ports in the world, Dubai offloads more than 7,000,000 containers every year, a figure set to triple within the next six years. The UAE is the third-largest U.S. trading partner in the Middle East, totaling almost $10 billion in 2005. Civilian aircraft sales helped the U.S. to build a $7 billion trade surplus last year. The Bush administration commenced free-trade talks with the UAE in March 2005 as part of its vision of globalization. Bush plans to resume the fifth round of free trade talks this month in an attempt to resolve remaining issues. The Bottom Line. Which finally brings us to Bush’s definition of “friends.” Is a friend someone who will stand firm with us against our enemies, such as England and the P&O Steam Navigation Company, which has operated in a free society for the past 150 years? Or, is a friend some rich guy whose pockets are stuffed with cash that we’re dying to pick? Dubai is flush, and Dubya’s corporate sponsors have goodies to peddle. That’s the real deal. But, do we really want to sell our rope to someone who will use it to hang us?

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