LIANE HANSEN, host:
In the United Arab Emirates, there are mixed feelings about President Bush -who is both deeply unpopular and a vital military ally.
For a view from that country, we turn to NPR's Ivan Watson in Dubai.
IVAN WATSON: On the eve of Bush's visit to the UAE, the Dubai-based Gulf News newspaper published an open letter to the American president on its front page. It condemned his human rights record and the U.S. invasion of Iraq, adding that Mr. Bush has no moral right to lecture others on freedom and democracy.
Professor ABDEL-KHALIQ ABDALLAH (Political Science, Emirates University): This president comes at a time when respect for him personally is at its lowest.
WATSON: Abdel-Khaliq Abdallah is a professor of political science at Emirates University. He sits in one of the countless shopping malls that have sprung up across Dubai, which has emerged as the new commercial capital of the Middle East. Abdallah had scathing words for a country he has long looked to as a protector.
Prof. ABDALLAH: America has become, number one, militarist in its approach towards Iran and towards the Gulf. It chooses military to solve political problems, and worse yet, America has become unilateralist in its approach. If it wants to do something, it does not consult with your friends, your allies. We are supposedly friends and allies. It goes invading Iraq and it did not listen to us.
WATSON: Though the Bush administration is deeply unpopular here, the UAE and the other wealthy oil states of the Persian Gulf continue to depend on the U.S. military to protect them from more powerful neighbors like Iraq and Iran. The U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet is headquartered in nearby Bahrain, and Dubai is a frequent port of call for American warships.
Mustafa Alani, of the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center, says Gulf Arab rulers have little choice but to maintain strong ties with Washington.
Dr. MUSTAFA ALANI (Senior Adviser, Gulf Research Center): These small countries understand the United States as major force on their security, or rely on the United States' support and protection.
WATSON: In recent years, the UAE has watched with concern as Iran's power has grown throughout the Middle East and Persian Gulf.
Again, Abdel-Khaliq Abdallah of Emirates University.
Prof. ABDALLAH: Iran has always been a challenge to us, okay? It's a huge country, has a large population; it has a large army; it has a radical tone that comes with it.
WATSON: But while Iran has long been viewed as a potential military threat, it is also one of the UAE's biggest trading partners.
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WATSON: On the busy waterfront in downtown Dubai, Iranian merchants stack boxes of tea, which will soon be loaded on one of the countless cargo ships that make the 10-hour trip across the Persian Gulf to Iran every week.
WATSON: Many Emiratis have watched with alarm as tensions have escalated over the past year between Washington and Tehran. Just last week, the Pentagon says American warships came close to opening fire on speedboats from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, when they allegedly swerved to within a few hundred yards of a U.S. Navy convoy steaming through the nearby Strait of Hormuz. Iran denied the accusation. And each side has broadcast its own video version of the incident inspection of the American warships.
Unidentified Man #1: This is coalition warship 73. Roger. Over.
Unidentified Man #2: Coalition warship 73, this is (unintelligible) 16. Over.
Unidentified Man #3: (Unintelligible)
Unidentified Man #2: This is coalition warship 73. I read you loud and clear. Over.
WATSON: Many Emiratis fear that if a war breaks out between Washington and Tehran, it would bring an end to the incredible economic growth their country has enjoyed, as oil prices have hit record highs of more than $100 a barrel. Mustafa Alani, of the Gulf Research Center, predicts Emirati officials will urge President Bush to use diplomacy and coalition-building in his confrontation with Tehran.
Dr. ALANI: The message that Mr. President is going to get is that we don't want any military confrontation, and we prefer the internationalization of the issue rather than a fight between Americans and Iranians, and we're going to be forced to take side.
WATSON: As one UAE official put it, we can't afford to publicly stand beside a weak American president against our close Iranian neighbor. Meanwhile, as Emirati rulers meets and greet President Bush, they are also closely watching the U.S. presidential elections in America, and hoping that the next American leader will be less controversial than the current one.
Ivan Watson, NPR News, Dubai.