This is just another example of a middle-eastern nation putting its Pietro dollars to work, buying out American businesses and whole industries. Over the last 10 years alone foreign entities have spent $1.2 trillion to acquire more than 8,000 key U.S. companies. U.S. industries such as mining, cement, publishing, engine and power transmission equipment, rubber and plastics, sound recording and motion pictures are now largely foreign owned.

What foreign entities are most invested in the United States? What do they own?

What foreign entities are most invested in the United States? What do they own?
The country with the most holdings in the United States is the United Kingdom, followed by Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, and France. At the end of 2004, the sum of all foreign assets in the United States had an estimated market value of $2.7 trillion, though only 2 percent of these holdings are owned by state-run companies. Foreign companies' holdings are most concentrated in the manufacturing sector, but they also extend into several of the eleven "critical" areas identified by the Bush administration. In the energy sector, British Petroleum, Royal Dutch Shell, and Venezuela's state-owned Citgo all have holdings within U.S. borders. Finland's Nokia and Sweden's Ericsson are major telecommunications providers; French-owned Sodexho U.S.A. is the largest food service company in the United States, and even serves meals on Marine Corps bases; and the largest private security firm operating in the United States, Securitas, is based in Sweden.

Middle Eastern entities (excluding Israel) bore the brunt of the ire surrounding the Dubai Ports World purchase. These entities account for about 0.5 percent of foreign investment in theUnited States. However, these companies have some high-profile holdings, including New York's Plaza and Essex House hotels, the Caribou Coffee Co., and the aircraft manufacturer Cirrus Industries, Inc.

Facing increasing strains on its own budget, the United States has sought at least $300 billion from oil-rich Gulf states in order to meet the needs of its bailout programs, according to Agence France-Presse.

The United States is already heavily indebted to many nations around the world and to the OPEC countries in particular. Sources revealed to Kuwait’s Al-Seyassah that Washington has gone to Saudi Arabia ($120 billion), the United Arab Emirates ($70 billion), Qatar ($60 billion) and Kuwait ($40) in its search for cash.