In Their Own Words

One of the arguments some defenders of the UAE/ports deal make is that the UAE is an important antiterrorism partner of the United States. Mansoor Ijaz writes at NRO:

Whatever the UAE's policies in the pre-9/11 world (whether as home to A. Q. Khan's illicit nuclear network, one of three Taliban embassies, questionable banking practices, or as an alleged repository for Iranian-terror funds), Dubai's record under these young leaders in the post 9/11 world reflects serious and structural change in national strategy. As Jim Robbins noted Tuesday, in December 2004, Dubai was the first Middle East government to accept the U.S. Container Security Initiative as policy to screen all containers for security hazards before heading to America. In May 2005, Dubai signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to prevent nuclear materials from passing through its ports. It also installed radiation-detecting equipment -- evidence of a commitment to invest in technology. In October 2005, the UAE Central Bank directed banks and financial institutions in the country to tighten their internal systems and controls in their fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.

Whatever the myth and reality of the DP World ports deal, citing the antiterrorism credentials of the UAE is hardly convincing. There's no escaping the fact that before 9/11, the UAE took a less than rigorous approach to terrorism; color me unconvinced that it's a priority for them even now. But don't take my word for it. They'll tell you that themselves. For those who haven't seen it, here's the link to an interview in which Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, the chairman of DP World and one of the UAE's leading businessmen, ranks the threats that concern him. Note where "terrorism" and "weapons of mass destruction" place on the list. Remember, this is someone overseeing a global logistics, customs and ports network in a post-9/11 world.

Priorities....