Ethics
Piltdown Man. If all pilots maintained your high standard of ethics, there would be no pilots, especially those ex-pats flying in the Middle East!
Many major airlines are operating aircraft where the maintenance is outsourced to foreign countries paying very low wages. Should pilots refuse to fly those aircraft? They are NOT out-sourcing in the Middle East as their maintenance staff is already paid low wages.
This thread is wandering around trade barriers. Looking from high enough up, we know that importing goods can severely impact local industries. It took the American automobile industry years to reorganise and recover. Legacy carriers were knocked on their heels by low cost carriers. It is understandable that they are are concerned about the Nordic onslaught (just ask the British and European coastal communities what they thought of the Vikings) but in the end, the PUBLIC is going to decide. In my perspective, the PUBLIC does not really get involved in the industry ramifications, they really just want the best price.
The politicians may be able to play hide the marble for a bit, but eventually someone is going mount sufficient political pressure to permit the landing rights. If ALPA tries to mount a public attack, they are likely to get caught in the flames. This is a delaying tactic only, and a dangerous one at that. Politicians are meddling with an entity charged with ensuring safe operations and standards, NOT enforcing political policy.