Port Security and Stereotyping Posted by Spencer Boyer

Guest Blogger: Spencer P. Boyer, Security and Peace Initiative Fellow

As Suzanne, Lorelei, and others have correctly pointed out recently, much of the outrage over a company based in the United Arab Emirates having control over several ports in the United States is misplaced.   Yes, the administration completely botched this issue politically by continuing with the “just trust us” policy, and not properly consulting with relevant members of Congress, governors, and port city mayors.  As noted, however, the real concern should be over whether we have the ideas and resources in place to move towards a comprehensive port security strategy that secures supply chains and provides adequate inspection of goods bound for American cities.  But perhaps we should be equally concerned about what the reaction to the deal says about the state of mind of the American people post-9/11.     

The “us versus them” language of the war on terror seems to be biting back at President Bush.  Even conservative journalists such as Robert Novak have said that “Bush's ceaseless efforts to rouse his countrymen to support the war against terrorism may have unleashed the dogs of anti-Arab prejudice.”  Going forward, the question should be how to separate out legitimate concerns about security risks associated with the foreign operation of ports, which is widespread, from those raised by the stereotyping of Arabs.  The standard of review should be the same for all companies operating U.S. ports.  The United States is already viewed as a country that adheres to double standards that negatively impact the Arab world, and has an unfavorable rating of at least 63% in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE according to a 2005 James Zogby poll.  Given this lack of American legitimacy, the United States would alienate the Gulf region further by singling out a particular foreign-owned company based in a country that has been a leading Middle East ally in the war on terror.  As Zogby mentions in the Christian Science Monitor, “if the UAE, which has stuck its neck out to support the United States, can be treated with such scorn, some ask, what’s the point of being a friend of America?”   

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