Daily News Article - February 16, 2006
1. Define emir. Who is the emir of Dubai?
2a). What is the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)?
2b). For what purpose does CFIUS exist?
2c). Under what provision can the President deny the arrangement approved by CFIUS by which Dubai would acquire the control at 6 American seaports? (Click here to find the answers to 2b and 2c.)
3. Name the congressmen opposed to the federal government's approval of the proposed deal to grant control of U.S. ports to a company owned by the government of Dubai.
4. What two points does Senator Schumer make about the committee's approval? What does he say is his main concern about a Dubai company controlling U.S. ports?
5. Although President Bush now considers the Emirates an ally in the war on terror, what fact about 9/11 causes concern about Dubai controlling U.S. ports?
6. Re-read the concerns voiced by people interviewed for this article:
--Senator Schumer, para. 6
--Congressman Foley, para. 11
--Peter King, House Homeland Security Committee chairman, para. 10
--Rachel Ehrenfeld, director of American Center for Democracy, para. 19
--Ali Al-Ahmed, director of Institute for Gulf Affairs, para. 20-21
Do you think granting control of U.S. seaports to a foreign government is OK? Explain your answer.
A brief description of the United Arab Emirates:
Formerly known as the Trucial States, the United Arab Emirates are a federation of seven individual states, all ruled by emirs. (An emirate is a nation/territory ruled by an emir.) Founded between the 7th and 8th centuries, the Trucial States granted the United Kingdom control of their defense and foreign affairs in treaties signed in the 19th. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were then joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah.
(For further information on Dubai from the CIA factbook, click here, or from the United Arab Emirates official website, click here.)
(For a map of the Middle East, click here.)