Cal Thomas adds some new (to me) information about the United Arab Emirates, would—be operators of 6 American ports, in his column this morning.

On Sunday, the Australian government issued the following alert to its citizens: "We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in the United Arab Emirates because of the high threat of terrorist attack. We continue to receive reports that terrorists are planning attacks against Western interests in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Commercial and public areas frequented by foreigners are possible terrorist targets."

Not exactly a bastion of stability. The current emir of Dubai may be a fine fellow, but who will rule in the future, if terrorists have a local presence?

...the UAE was an important transfer point for shipments of smuggled nuclear components bound for Iran, North Korea and Libya by a Pakistani scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Port security? Aren't we worried about exactly such materials?

Hat tip: Ed Lasky

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