I find the whole discussion circling around the wrong arguments, and not just because the clamour reduced the next exposure of Abu Ghraib inhumanity into a mere whisper.

I'm not so keen on selling out the port workers in the first place, but if this is policy, then not wanting the ports to get sold out to an Arab nation because it is an Arab nation is plain ridiculous. Distrust has grown a long way.

As a comparison point, who runs the ports in Europe?

If I recall correctly, this was big contention point in the Bolkenstein directive, which got heavily ammended (I know that's not a word...) last week in the European Parliament. But whether the port workers are now protected from contractors outside the EU, I've no single clue. Thoroughly confused. This is one of these things you always want to find out, but never have the time for. Someone else?