Current Events: Dubai Port Company Deal is Disgraceful

So the government is going to contract out operations at six U.S. ports to a state-owned company based in the United Arab Emirates? Are they out of their f***in' mind?!? ---------------------------------- According to our own government's information (the CIA World Factbook), the UAE came into existence in the early 1970s and consists of seven member emirates. Given its Persian Gulf locale, it is also a "strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil". The president and vice president of the UAE are elected by the Federal Supreme Council (composed of rulers of the seven emirates) for five-year terms. In terms of a legislature, members of the unicameral, 40-seat Federal National Council members are appointed by the rulers of the constituent emirates for two-year terms. --------------------------------- Without rehashing the excellent talking points in the link above and the analysis in the article below, let me raise one additional point, particularly the fact that Dubai Ports World is a state-owned company. Despite a good stretch of relative stability for the UAE, an emirate in the Middle East is not exactly the most stable government. -------------If there is future uncertainty as the current ruler's successor or, even worse, an Islamist government comes to power, a neighboring country invades or the UAE in its present form fragments, what would happen to the DPW's records, business operations and relations with the U.S.? What might an Islamist government do with records, documents and information about six major U.S. ports? What would happen to port operations in the U.S. in the aftermath of such a change in the region? Did anyone who (and, indeed, we still don't really know who) approved this deal give a moment's consideration to the above issues? For more information on the Dubai Port Deal Debacle, see: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/22/politics/22cnd-port.html?ei=5094&en=f2d930432589b60f&hp=&ex=1140670800&partner=homepage&pagewanted=all