When you think that a country like the United Arab Emirates … is sitting on the largest sovereign fund in history, something approaching almost $800 billion – it’s a country of just 5.5 million people, of whom only 1.5 million are UAE citizens. You can see the dimension of the imbalance that results from this, and the cultural impact of it. …
[The Saudis] … have bought significant shares of Apple Corporation, of strategic outlets, banks, Merrill Lynch, Morgan, Citibank. …
[A]ll this money coming from countries that do not share the same values of democracy, women’s rights, equality, rule of the majority …
[W]hen they buy big shares of Citibank, how can you say it does not affect the biggest bank in the United States of America? Or course it does. And the next question is, all right, it affects it, that’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with them buying a share of it, but there could be plenty wrong if they have a political agenda dictated by their social agenda.
More here.
