tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15456688.post114062614324032370..comments2024-03-27T15:47:17.599+04:00Comments on UAE Community Blog: Dubai and Its Ambitions (ala Ports Controversy)secretdubaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115610824191031176noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15456688.post-1140726077834829282006-02-24T00:21:00.000+04:002006-02-24T00:21:00.000+04:00Maybe you can provide perspective on the Zayed Cen...Maybe you can provide perspective on the Zayed Center?<BR/><BR/>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zayed_Center_for_Coordination_and_Follow-Up<BR/>http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR1803Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15456688.post-1140722701835349392006-02-23T23:25:00.000+04:002006-02-23T23:25:00.000+04:00As I listen live to National Public Radio broadcas...As I listen live to National Public Radio broadcasts from the US, pundits have come up with the latest twists--the UAE was the source of funding and planning for 9/11. The UAE is "...awash with an ideology of Islamofacism." This is an exact quote!<BR/><BR/>What a twist! Never heard that one before. It's pathetic what racists (in the US) and political opportunists come up with.B.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03604898558343997616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15456688.post-1140700784894019742006-02-23T17:19:00.000+04:002006-02-23T17:19:00.000+04:00...but its relatively open economy and borders, pa...<I>...but its relatively open economy and borders, particularly in the emirate of Dubai, have caused problems in proliferation, terrorism, and human trafficking.</I><BR/><BR/>Such a statement seems to link the "problems" referred to to laxness in security proceedures. I would say it does not implicate Dubai's government in any way, although some could twist it that way.<BR/><BR/>And, of course, that is the problem now. A lot of twisting of the facts is going on.B.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03604898558343997616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15456688.post-1140670258093676092006-02-23T08:50:00.000+04:002006-02-23T08:50:00.000+04:00Whoops, looks like that previous "royal family" li...Whoops, looks like that previous "royal family" link was broken. <A HREF="http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/mar/25osama.htm" REL="nofollow">try this</A> instead.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15456688.post-1140669397232070692006-02-23T08:36:00.000+04:002006-02-23T08:36:00.000+04:00I've been posting this around alot, but I'd like t...I've been posting this around alot, but I'd like to hear the Emirati reaction to stuff about the <A HREF="http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/mar/25osama.htm<br/>" REL="nofollow">royal family</A> we read in the U.S. like...<BR/><BR/>"Had the CIA targeted bin Laden, half the royal family would have been wiped out as well, he said."<BR/><BR/>And <A HREF="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/12/60minutes/main655407.shtml" REL="nofollow">more details</A>. Or, for that matter, the U.S. State Department's report <A HREF="http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/48385.pdf" REL="nofollow">The United Arab Emirates (UAE): Issues for US Policy</A>...<BR/><BR/><BR/>"Summary: The United Arab Emirates (UAE), under new leadership upon the November 2, 2004 death of its president, Shaykh Zayid bin Sultan al-Nuhayyan, has undergone a smooth transition, but it remains weak militarily and surrounded by several powerful and ambitious neighbors. Political reform has been minimal, but its relatively open economy and borders, particularly in the emirate of Dubai, have caused problems in proliferation, terrorism, and human trafficking."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15456688.post-1140663782333426822006-02-23T07:03:00.000+04:002006-02-23T07:03:00.000+04:00I hate to say it, but empty rhetoric and hysteria ...I hate to say it, but empty rhetoric and hysteria can quite often overcome small obstacles like facts and logic.<BR/><BR/>There's an election coming up, and many Democrats are eager to exploit this opportunity to appear tougher and (sigh) more anti-Arab than the President (in the public mind, all Middle- and Near-Easterners outside Israel are "Arabs").<BR/><BR/>Fortunately, the President came out strong and early in favor of common sense, so you're probably correct in calling this a fait accompli. Still, the storm that's being kicked up in congress threatens to undermine our relations with everyone in your region.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com