Illinois Fallout From The Dubai Fiasco
According to The Hill, Illinois based Boeing has begun lobbying on behalf of the Terminal Deal: “They’re saying, ‘All we’ve done for you guys, all our purchases, we’ll stop it, we’ll just yank it,’” the source said. Retaliation from the emirate could come against lucrative deals with aircraft maker Boeing and by curtailing the docking of hundreds of American ships, including U.S. Navy ships, each year at its port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the source added. It is not clear how much of Dubai’s behind-the-scenes anger would be followed up by action, but Boeing has been made aware of the threat and is already reportedly lobbying to save the ports deal. The Emirates Group airline will decide later this year whether it will buy Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner or its competitor, Airbus A350. The airline last fall placed an order worth $9.7 billion for 42 Boeing 777 aircraft, making Dubai Boeing’s largest 777 customer."
"A source close to the deal said members of Dubai’s royal family are furious at the hostility both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill have shown toward the deal.
Illinois' Senator Durbin was on the press podium with Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) blasting the GOP over their fear of voting on the measure, yesterday. As this develops, and we learn just how interdependent the US and UAE are, I wonder how willing our Illinois delegation will be to throw an Illinois corporation under the bus just to stick it to the President.
Update: DP World has seen the light and pulled out. They want an American company to take it over. I hope Halliburton is interested...
6 comments:
I hope the liberal left is as finicky about dealing with Arabs when it comes to continuing the dole for Plastinians and Hamas.
Only a Moderate Islam can overcome Radical Islam. We and the West can't do it.
We should be careful when snubbing our noses at Arab moderates.
The test, and it's one Dubai fails at the moment, is can any Arab walk into the market place and denounce their own Gov with the same words they can denounce the US and Israel.
It's not elections that count so much, it's when that basic liberty is in place, that we know Liberalism in the broad meaning of the word, has won.
The really troubling thing is the Dubai deal has overwhelmed yesterday's hearings on the Iran Freedom Support Act, and the role the Emirates play in aiding us against Iranian radical Islam.
Is Boeing an "Illinois company" because of the $70-some million we taxpayers gave them to come here?
"I hope the liberal left is as finicky about dealing with Arabs when it comes to continuing the dole for Plastinians and Hamas."
I rather hope not. Someone needs to show some common sense re: the Middle East. It makes us look rather hypocritical to support Middle Eastern democracy and then second-guess the Palestinian's ability to choose leaders for themselves.
If we don't like the government the Palestinians democratically elected, then maybe we should create the preconditions for a more pacific Palestinian leadership.
No think Hamas victory at the ballot box was a good thing. I question whether we have to pay for them though. Especially if they can't renounce terror...
...do note the rockets have stopped flying from the Gaza.
One election is a small stop... the real test is the second election when the incumbent loses...
..either way I balk and financing terrorists, or those who vote for them.
Our Senators need to read Ignatius today: Burning Allies -- and Ourselves.
We have to ask what the average Palestinian voter was doing when he/she voted for Hamas rather than Fatah.
I would be very surprised if the average vote for Hamas was a vote for terrorism rather than a vote against the widespread corruption within the PA or even a vote of gratitude toward the one group that actually managed to meet the basic physical needs of Palestinians in the occupied territories (when the Israelis and the Palestinian Authority failed to do so, Hamas gained a pretty solid reputation on the ground for taking care of the common people).
By winning the election, Hamas is now responsible to a democratic electorate that for the most part is going to prefer a peaceful way of life for their families than a jihad against the Israeli people.
If the Hamas government makes it clear that it is more interested in waging war against Israel than taking care of its people, then I think their term in elected office will be short.
In any case, the way to defuse the situation is not to isolate the Palestinians and confirm everything the Islamist propaganda says about us, but rather to engage with them on multiple levels and make it clear to the Palestinian people that the extremists are, quite simply, wrong about America.
I do buy Bill Baar's point about the importance of the second election, and hope that the Hamas government will have enough common sense to abide by the will of the people. If not, however, we do have the consolation that an airstrike against Hamas can be against a government building rather than a civilian neighborhood...
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