Port of Call

It's time that we take a factual look at what really is all this port sale commotion about.

The basics are that the United Arab Emirates state-owned Dubai Ports World company has purchased the formerly British-owned Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co., which as part of its operations controls, according to their website 21 US ports. Some of these ports, Beaumont and Corpus Christie in Texas, are also used by the military. This is where we have to make corrections to what the mainstream media has been reporting as a sale of 6 US run ports, to that of a sale of 21 British run ports on US soil.

Next, let us take a look at the company purchasing these 21 ports, and more specifically who owns this company. The answer is the UAE royal family, which has very close ties to some people and countries that the American public does not like. For example, Osama Bin Laden has been sponsored, supported, and protected by the royal family. Furthermore, one of the major financial backers of DP World are the mullahs of Iran. Iran in general has a very big interest in the UAE in the form of 6,500 Iranian-owned tax paying companies that are now registered in the UAE under Iranian nationality, more then 20% investments in Dubai shopping centers (a major part of the UAE tourism industry), and the place where more then $300 billion will be moved by Iranian by the end of 2006, in addition to the trillions that are already there.

Now that we see the groups involved in this deal lets take a look at the implications for the US. Obviously, the first one is that of the security of items coming into the US. A terrorist would now have the ability to get a job at the ports and help sneak weapons or other terrorists into the US. A more credible and easier to accomplish threat to US security, is a person who works for DP World might also be an Iranian agent, and he just happens to report on a large shipment of US military equipment to the Middle East. Now Iran knows that the US is coming and with what.

Knowing the facts we can now make a fairly safe decision that the sale of the ports is not in the best interest of the US. However, some might say, "but you support the free market and now you are having government interfere in a deal between two companies", well in that case read this article by Jerome Corsi. Since DP World is a state-owned company that does not play by free market rules we can respond in kind.

The final issue left to discuss is why would President Bush if he has the ability to stop the deal not do it. One option is that he believes the myth that as a free market economy the US cannot interfere in the deal.

On the other hand, and more probable is that the administration has its own financial reasons for letting the deal go through. Here are some facts that are rarely stated:

• Dubai Ports World purchased the global port assets of U.S. freight rail company CSX Corp. in 2005 for $1.15 billion. U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow is a former chairman of CSX, but left the company a year before the Dubai deal.
• One of DP World's top executives, David Sanborn, was nominated by President George W. Bush in January to become the administrator of the Maritime Administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation.

However, this is only my speculation and only the President and his advisors know the real reasons why the deal should be put through.