Since you have experience there, which parts in the piece are untrue? More to the point, there isn't much you've asserted that disputes Dubai's value in the WOT. Frankly, if we only work with countries that share our values, we'll be working alone.
I've removed those parts of the article which aren't assertions of fact--so which of the following facts aren't true? Thanks for your input:From the article:
This is a country that has been a long-standing ally of the United States since 1971.
The UAE was part of the coalition to liberate Kuwait in 1991, and also has supported the United States in the war on terror (including, among other things, providing access to a deep-water berth that can accommodate aircraft carriers, use of a training facility for air-to-air training facility, airfields, and logistics support).
It is a country that has proven largely inhospitable to al-Qaeda (instead, the focus is on business),
sent forces to Afghanistan to protect the construction of a hospital that they donated and built,
and also has sent humanitarian assistance to Iraq while also providing a location for training Iraqi police.
In 2002, the UAE also captured a major al-Qaeda figure, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who was involved in the attack on the USS Cole in 2000, and handed him over to the United States despite threats from the terrorist organization.
After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, the UAE donated $100 million for the relief efforts. ....
In 2003, the UAE shut down the Zayed Center for Coordination and Follow-up, which was publishing material that promoted anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.
Security will remain the province of the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security.
the UAE has the only port in the Middle East that is part of the Container Security Initiative.
Dubai Ports World has also agreed to mandatory participation in other programs to improve security and to prevent the illegal shipment of nuclear materials, and will also provide documents on internal operations on demand and has agreed to cooperate in future investigations.
The deal was also scrutinized by the intelligence community, which found no problems.
The only thing that changes hands is who owns the company that will handle the day-to-day operations (often performed by American longshoremen – usually unionized). Dubai Ports World also bought out the port operations of CSX in 2004 – with no real issues.
none of the critics have any proof that either the government of the UAE or Dubai Ports World was involved in the attack.
the United Arab Emirates have stepped up efforts to make money laundering less easy after Dubai was used as a financial conduit for the attacks (again, there is no proof that the UAE or DPW were active participants in the laundering).
Is that going to be Bush's legacy? "If it didn't have anything to do with the WOT I (Bush) ignored it."
There is a lot more to the U.S. than the WOT.
Thanks for shinning some light here.