Safe Harbors: Port Security in the US
In the deep waters of the American mind, we are safe from foreign intrusions. A vast network of protection spans the globe and has remained seemingly impenetrable for at least 200 years. Not since the War of 1812 has the American national psyche been in doubt of its security… not till the proposed handing over of the ports to an Arab nation.
American ports in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, and New Orleans were set to be handed over to Dubai Ports World, a Dubai company that acquired Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. (P&O). This was approved by the Department of Homeland Security and by the White House- but failed to pass the test with the People of the United States, and her representatives in Congress.
Filled with products for the American consumer, nearly 10 million containers enter our ports annually. The drive for business is enormous, creating a vast network for transportation and logistics companies to manage. Many of these containers are off loaded directly from ships on to railcars, while others are put directly on to trucks. These containers usually wind up traveling through a neighborhood near you.
But with all the emphasis on preparedness and safety, amazingly, less than 5% of containers are screened and inspected at US ports annually, leaving a huge window of opportunity for terrorists to strike at the US mainland. Many scenarios of security breaches, from illegal immigrants and drugs on the low end, to atomic weapons on the high end, could ride pass you while going to the local shopping mall.
Many lawmakers have sounded the call for 100% screening of cargo stores, and the industry is listening as new technologies are being spurned.
But what of other countries? Today, more than 60 percent of the container terminals at the nation's 10 busiest ports are at least partly managed by foreign operators, and in some cases, companies controlled by foreign governments. In Los Angeles, for instance, there are terminals managed by companies from China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and Denmark. Of the eight terminals in Oakland, foreign companies manage four; two by U.S.-foreign joint operations and just two are purely American. America is blind to the foreign investment that operates its ports.
The impact of globalization allows companies to operate universally, without regard to location, unless regulated by national interests. This deal is a bellwether for the United States and the challenges it faces. The balancing act between globalization and the War on Terror will not be easy, especially in the mind of the American.
Does racism play a role? To a degree yes- as Dubai is an Arab nation; and a US ally. But more to the point, the second test of globalization is our ability to overcome stereotypes and fear to allow free enterprise to flourish. Our terrorist have a profile, but this should not lead to profiling an entire nation and its business relations with the U.S.
But the US collective thought demands security, and thus the Dubai port deal is now substituted for a US corporation. Will it be more secure in US hands? Right now, who’s to say? But in the final analysis, security must be improved in order that our shores and stores would be, well…safe and secure.