America and the Dubai Ports Deal: The Aftermath

The Dubai ports crisis is finally over. After large-scale public outcry and strong Congressional opposition, the deal which would have allowed a UAE government-owned company to manage six key U.S. ports has been canceled, and the company has agreed to transfer the management to an American entity to be named. At the same time, President Bush has avoided what surely would have been a nasty showdown with a large part of his political constituency.

So where do we, the American people, stand in the aftermath of the deal gone bad?

Most importantly, our national security has been strengthened. Before this issue came to light, hardly anyone was even aware that foreign companies managed most of our ports. Now, the operation of such an essential aspect of our border security will increasingly lie in American hands. It's also wonderful to see so many of us remaining skeptical of government officials who say "trust me" without providing full information, such as President Bush in this case. Of course these officials are our elected representatives, but they too can make mistakes, and we should always take proper action if necessary.

Some say that rejecting the deal sends the wrong message to our Arab allies, but let's not kid ourselves - the UAE is no true ally. Any nation with links to Al Qaeda and Hamas is fundamentally hostile to U.S. interests, no matter how much superficial support (such as airbases) its government has given us to save itself from a terrorist takeover.

Economically, meanwhile, the impact is neutral. Some pundits worry that we've hurt ourselves by sending a protectionist message to other nations, but the port cancellation clearly was a security-motivated isolated incident and by no means points to an overall protectionist trend.

The big question is the political fallout. President Bush championed a highly unpopular stand, and anger has run high, from all-time low poll support to even calls for impeachment. I don't think the latter will actually occur, but a much larger risk is the Republicans losing control of the House and/or Senate in 2006. If the GOP is no longer perceived as the party that can keep America secure, it will likely take a tumble.

The danger of this would lessen, of course, if the opposing Democrats had better national security ideas themselves, but as we have seen, for the most part they do not. The upcoming elections will be an essential judge of where Americans stand on this issue. Personally, I think the ports matter will quickly become old news a la the Harriet Miers Supreme Court episode, and while Republicans may lose a few seats, they'll still maintain control of both lawmaking bodies.

The ports crisis could have been avoided by some sharper moves from the get-go (such as considering only American companies for the management contracts), but once it occurred, our only option was to resolve the situation satisfactorily and build upon what we learned from the mistake. Having just completed the former, it is essential that we Americans continue on the path of the latter.