[kSmica]

I think Bush acted a bit hastily in saying he'd use his veto in defending this deal before even explaining to congress what the deal entails and how they approved it. But I think the government were afraid of losing the best ally in the Middle East with all the criticism of the UAE that was going on in the States.

Setting aside the fact that the UAE's ports are used by the US Navy, and that the country has responded to every single request by the American government in terms of changing their banking laws, allowing for more freedom of speech in the press, and addressing some human rights issues with regards to underage camel jockeys.. the UAE, despite its lack of a real democracy, is what the US wants every other Middle Eastern nation to be like.

I don't think that when the US says it wants to fight terror or the seeds of terror that it really cares whether people can vote. What's important is that people are happy and live their lives without killing and revenge being their top priority. They'd rather have them think of getting an education, making money, having a family, and buying luxuries. They want them to change their lifestyle to make them more tolerant, and give them new interests. That was one of the aims of Radio Sawa, an Arabic-language FM radio station broadcast in all Middle Eastern countries which plays a mix of Arabic and international music. Sawa TV is like MTV. The difference is that Sawa is funded by the American taxpayer. The American government actually broadcasts music videos to make Arab youth think of something else other than "extremism" and make them appreciate Western culture. It's funny though because Middle Eastern countries already have many of their own music TV and radio stations.. Sawa is no different, but I guess they believe it will reach all countries, even war-torn ones.

From this, and many other requests by the American government, it's clear that they want to Westernize people's lifestyle, or else just make them enjoy their lives without thinking of politics or outside factors making them miserable. The UAE is an excellent example of this, and they're one of few countries in the Middle East who focus on building for the future, rather than destroying. It is not in the American government's best interest to damage relations with their pet student.