Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Drive the Spies Out of the Arab Gulf | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Dubai Police Chief General Dahi Khalfan Tamim called on all spies in the Gulf region to leave within the week otherwise they would be pursued by the concerned authorities. General Tamim also said that he was in possession of information about the presence of spies belonging to eastern and western intelligence agencies working in the region. This is something that must have perturbed many of the spies in Dubai, especially in view of the great success achieved by the Dubai authorities in uncovering those responsible for the assassination of Mahmoud al Mabhouh, resulting in the exposure of those agents and the end of their viability in this field. A spy whose picture is published and whose identity is exposed is no longer useful, and can hardly be used again in this highly sensitive and secretive field.

Therefore we say bravo to Dubai for its warning because nobody wants to see the Gulf region becoming a stage for espionage activity, as this is something that would wreak havoc on the region. Lessons can be learnt from the suffering of the countries that turned a blind eye to what was taking place on their soil with regards to spies having freedom of movement. Security in the region must always be on a state of alert in order to block espionage activity, as there is nothing more dangerous than these spies who have their own ambiguous purposes and agenda, and want to bring their conflict with their enemies onto other people’s territory.

The world of espionage today has moved away from the clichés of invisible ink and old-fashioned communication devices. The world of espionage has abandoned the much stereotyped image of a spy standing at a street corner with a rolled-up newspaper under his arm for more complex and advanced techniques. With the advancement of communication tools, there are more opportunities for concealing oneself, whilst at the same time it has also become possible to monitor individuals through mobile phones, credit cards, email, etc. The most dangerous situation that a society can face is when some of its youth get caught up in espionage, and a western intelligence agency claimed that it received 150,000 requests to work for them from people all over the world. If this is true, these people who are willing to undertake espionage work for the benefit of others allows us to be aware of the wave of moral degradation. Therefore all a homeland needs is faithful people.