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Ports Deal Ignites National Security Concerns Bowing to pressure from Congress, a Dubai-based company backs out of a White House-approved deal to run cargo terminals at ports in six U.S. cities. Bipartisan concerns over national security greeted widespread publicity over the Dubai Ports World agreement.
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Ports Deal Ignites National Security Concerns

Pressure from lawmakers scuttles a deal to turn over U.S. port operations to a Dubai-based company.

Wednesday

Dubai Ports World Gets Specific About Its Plans

Dubai Ports World says it will sell all of its operations at U.S. ports to an "unrelated" U.S. buyer in the next four to six months. Previously, the company had said only that it would transfer its operations to a U.S. entity, a phrasing that proved too ambiguous for many in Congress.

Dubai Ports World Gets Specific About Its Plans

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Monday

Friday

President: Ports Deal Defeat Sends Wrong Message

President Bush says he is troubled by the protests that led to the collapse of the Dubai Ports World deal. He said Friday that the fight against the deal sends a bad message to moderate American allies in the Middle East like the United Arab Emirates.

President: Ports Deal Defeat Sends Wrong Message

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Democrats Leverage President's Political Ports Problem

Democrats in Congress are leveraging the Dubai ports deal as a political issue. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, Republicans have had the upper hand on homeland security. Now, President Bush's firm support of a deal for Dubai to take over terminal operations at six key American ports is eroding that advantage.

Democrats Leverage President's Political Ports Problem

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Government Report Questions N.Y.-N.J. Ports

A report by the Department of Homeland Security criticizes lax screening of truck drivers by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The report says drivers using phony documents, or having criminal records, have received passes to work at ports operated by the authority, compromising security.

Government Report Questions N.Y.-N.J. Ports

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Ports Controversy Not Entirely Resolved

A Dubai-owned company is backing away from a plan to manage terminal operations at some U.S. ports. Under political pressure from Congress, Dubai Ports World says it is transferring operations to an unspecified American "entity." Democrats in Congress want to hear more before giving their seal of approval.

Ports Controversy Not Entirely Resolved

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Ports Showdown Averted, White House Relieved

A Persian Gulf shipping company that had hoped to take over terminal operations at six American ports has backed out of the deal. The announcement may have averted a major showdown between the White House and Republican members of Congress who opposed the transaction.

Ports Showdown Averted, White House Relieved

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Thursday

Dubai Company Bails Out on Ports Deal

The Dubai company that was to acquire rights to manage U.S. ports announces it will transfer the rights to a U.S. entity. The deal was soundly rejected by a House committee, and Republican congressional leaders told President Bush that the deal should be scrapped.

Dubai Company Bails Out on Ports Deal

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Dubai Company Gives Up on Ports Deal

A Dubai-owned company says it will drop its quest to take over operations at several U.S. ports. DP World, the firm involved, issued a statement saying it would "transfer fully" the planned operations to a "United States entity."

Dubai Company Gives Up on Ports Deal

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House Committee Votes to Block Ports Deal

In the latest sign of friction between President Bush and members of his party in Congress, a Republican-dominated committee votes to block the Dubai Ports World deal. The move by a House panel puts Congress on a collision course with the president, who has threatened a veto.

House Committee Votes to Block Ports Deal

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Wednesday

Lobbyist's Last-Minute Bid Set Off Ports Controversy

The furor over the Dubai Ports World deal began just three weeks ago when members of Congress held a news conference to protest it. The deal had been in the works for months, but a company in Miami hired a lobbyist to go to Washington and make a last-minute bid to stop it.

Lobbyist's Last-Minute Bid Set Off Ports Controversy

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House Republicans Move to Halt Dubai Ports Deal

The House Appropriations Committee attaches an amendment to a Pentagon supplemental spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan that would stop Dubai Ports World from operating terminals at six U.S. ports they own. Attaching the amendment to the supplemental spending bill makes a veto more difficult.

House Republicans Move to Halt Dubai Ports Deal

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Tuesday

Bills Fly in Response to Dubai Ports Deal

The takeover of terminal operations at some American ports by a Dubai-owned shipping company has generated more than a dozen new bills in Congress. The mildest of these would require more scrutiny of the deal. Others would have much broader implications.

Bills Fly in Response to Dubai Ports Deal

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Friday

The President's Unlikely Allies in UAE Ports Deal

President Bush has been defending a business arrangement that could put a firm based in the United Arab Emirates in charge of some terminals at six major U.S. ports. Opponents of the plan, including many Democrats and some key Republicans, call the deal a security risk. But the president has gained support from some unlikely allies -- including his former political rival, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), plus officials in an Israeli company that has dealt with Dubai Ports World. Madeleine Brand discusses the issue with Ivan Watson.

The President's Unlikely Allies in UAE Ports Deal

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Critics Hound Administration on Dubai Ports Deal

Lawmakers' complaints about the Bush administration's handling of the Dubai Ports World deal continue to grow. The Senate Armed Service Committee is preparing legislation to block the Dubai-based company from managing terminal operations at six U.S. ports.

Critics Hound Administration on Dubai Ports Deal

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