I like to think of myself as a classical 18th century liberal on democracy, trade, human and civil rights, as well as in opening minds to the culture and history of those who for so long, have been denied a place at the table of international respect, diplomacy and reconciliation.
The "flap" over the United Arab Emirates was particularly distasteful to me because having traveled there, I have seen firsthand the liberalization taking place in the Arabian Gulf. Are there problems and challenges? Yes, of course, but the United Arab Emirates is unambiguous in their alliance with the U.S. in the war on terror and desires to trade and invest in the West.
I'm glad the president - and I'm especially pleased that Dubai Port World - has asked for a 45-day hiatus to review the conditions and to answer the legitimate questions that have arisen, while bringing out the facts surrounding our seaport security. I, like most, think we need to do more and spend more in the protection of our ports, and particularly to recognize that security begins overseas. And by the way, Dubai Port World was the first to sign onto our container security initiative, which seeks to inspect cargo in foreign ports. The United Arab Emirates has assisted in training security forces in Iraq, and at home it has worked hard to stem terrorist financing and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The United Arab Emirates leaders are as much an al-Qaida target as Tony Blair and they have troops assisting us in Afghanistan, as The Wall Street Journal editorialized.
Gen. Tommy Franks said recently, "the Emirates is indispensable to our security in the Middle East and a valued ally." We use their ports and air bases, and let me remind the xenophobes, it's not particularly easy to be a friend of the U.S.A. in that region of the world. We need all the friends we can make.
To turn down this contract would further weaken our relationships with moderate Arab allies and I believe ultimately, it would weaken our own national security and our chances for peace and liberalization throughout the Middle East and Africa. We live in a world of increasing liberal flows of capital and trade and the Dubai Port World contract is a good example of the U.S reflecting our belief that world trade can help lead to a more peaceful world.