The DP World affair has drawn a lot of rational and irrational comments. The sounds of reason come from a WP editorial that culminates in the following paragraph "we're wondering if perhaps American politicians are having trouble understanding some of the most basic goals of contemporary U.S. foreign policy. A goal of "democracy promotion" in the Middle East, after all, is to encourage Arab countries to become economically and politically integrated with the rest of the world. What better way to do so than by encouraging Arab companies to invest in the United States? Clearly, Congress doesn't understand that basic principle, since its members prefer instead to spread prejudice and misinformation."

Daniel Shorr on NPR's "All Things Considered" said the quarrel about port operations is a case of globalization meets xenophobia.