From the New Republic:
One obvious reason for Bush's intransigence is that Dubai has been an important ally in the troubled Middle East. But there's another possibility: Rescinding the deal could offend a country that has been a very important customer for American exports.
In November, Dubai's government airline, Emirates, agreed to purchase 42 Boeing 777s for $9.7 billion, with an option for 20 more planes. That is one of the largest purchases of commercial aircraft ever, and it may have been the most important foreign sale made by an American company last year.
Aircraft and aircraft parts are one of America's largest exports. Last year they accounted for $66 billion in exports. By contrast, telecommunications exports totaled $25 billion, pharmaceuticals $25 billion, computers and computer accessories $43 billion. The largest single component of aircraft exports was civilian aircraft, which totaled $23 billion. Boeing, which absorbed aircraft manufacturer McDonnell-Douglas in 1997, and which has over 150,000 employees, is the American aircraft industry. If Boeing is in trouble, the American aircraft industry--and by extension American manufacturing--is in trouble. And until very recently, it has been in trouble.
In selling civilian aircraft, Boeing has had only one competitor: Europe's government-subsidized consortium, Airbus. In the mid-1990s, Boeing was outselling Airbus by two-to-one; but since 2003, Airbus has sold and produced more planes, while Boeing has suffered from scandal
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