US Signs Agreement for $11B Arms Sale to Qatar

[jakeXT]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON —

The United States signed an agreement with Qatar on Monday to sell the Gulf Arab ally Apache attack helicopters and Patriot and Javelin air-defense systems valued at $11 billion.

"Today's signing ceremony underscores the strong partnership between the United States and Qatar in the area of security and defense and will help improve our bilateral cooperation across a range of military operations," Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement.

The agreement was signed at the Pentagon by U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Qatar's defense minister, Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah.

It was the biggest U.S. arms sale so far this year, according to media reports.

Read more: http://www.voanews.com/content/us-agreement-11-billion-dollars-arms-sale-qatar/1957568.html

[delrem]

1. Cool. Qatar is a "Friend of Syria".

So nothing can go wrong.
It's just all totally cool.

[tjl148]

2. Yes, totally, 11 billion cool.

I mean, what could go wrong?

[delrem]

3. Fact: its the business that the USA is in. The USA's *only* business.

It's been profitable so far.

[Fearless]

4. At what cost?

[delrem]

5. If you work for a MIC supplier, it's at the cost of your wages.

If a whole country goes into war-profiteering in a 100% gung-ho effort, to the neglect of everything else, then you have the USA. You don't have to work directly for Boeing to rake in the dough. Just living in a city which has the manufacturing plants is enough. Have a mortgage? A 2015 car fired up and ready to go? The guarantee on your paycheck is the MIC. Not just the "nice parts" of the MIC, but the whole shiterroo.

[Fearless]

9. The same would be true of any industry we put that kind of money into

[delrem]

13. Of course. But the MIC isn't just "any industry".

[Fearless]

14. It is only what it is because we put so much money into it

It is no different than any other industry, had we chosen wisely and put our money there instead.

[delrem]

15. No. The MIC isn't "just any industry".

The MIC is predicated on war, exclusively, unlike any "industry" that can be imagined.

So the MIC isn't like any productive industry.

[Fearless]

16. It is the same.

The cause for why the money is put there does not impact the amount of money put there. I repeat, put the same amount of money in another industry and the same thing will happen. It is simply just a staggering amount of money and we have no means for comparison.

[delrem]

17. No. You're equating the MIC with some "industry".

It isn't an industry. It's a political-economic pact. It is built on and it is enforced by WAR. It's a political-economic pact that's existed and expanded and solidified esp. since WW2, but it of course preceded it. The USA is currently in a situation that it can't easily extricate itself from, and pretending that the MIC is like "any other industry" doesn't help.

[cosmicone]

6. a clandestine way to arm the Syrian terrorists

I mean rebels wink wink

[happyslug]

8. This is aimed at Iran, not Syria.

Qatar is a Sunni Wahhabism bulkhead against Iran Shittism. Thus when it comes to the Persian Gulf Qatar is a friend of Saudi Arabia and the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar

In 2013, Qatar's total population was 1.8 million; 278,000 Qatari citizens and 1.5 million expatriates.[8] Qatari nationals are merely 13% of the population. Non-Arab expatriates make up the majority of Qatar's population. Indians are the largest expatriate community, there were 545,000 Indians in 2013.[8] In addition, there were 341,000 Nepalis, 185,000 Filipinos, 137,000 Bangladeshis, 100,000 Sri Lankans and 90,000 Pakistanis.[8]

The leadership is tied in with Wahhabi branch of Islam (also called Salafi), but have good relations with the Moslem Brotherhood (Which rejects Wahhabism).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabi_movement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Brotherhood

In doctrine both are similar, the real difference is Wahhabism is the state religion of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. while the Moslem Brotherhood is the main religious groups of Moslem in Egypt and Syria. Thus when Saudi Arabia decided to support the Coup against Morsi, the Wahhabi of Egypt supported the coup.

Yes, Qatar supports the rebels in Syria and now Iraq, but they real fear is Iran and its own people, given most of the people living in Qatar are foreigners who sooner or late MUST leave Qatar. Qatar claims most of its Citizens are Sunni Wahhabism, but Shiites have long lived under hostile rule and think nothing of going through the motions of Sunni Islam while staying Shiite, if that is what is needed to survive. Thus the number of Shiites in Qatar is probably more then the official statistics show. Given the prejudice against Shiites (The ruling clique before foreigners to native born Shiites) it is smart of the Shiites to hide their real religion. On the other hand, its shows how weak all of the Persian Gulf nations are when it comes to support from their own people. The whole areas, if they could vote, would vote to be independent SHIITE run state, allied but not part of Iran. This includes that part of Saudi Arabia where most of its oil is located, the north east corner of Saudi Arabia. The Persian Gulf people have little use for Wahhabism, being Shiites, but Wahhabism is what connect the rulers of these nations with the House of Saud, that run Saudi Arabia.

Thus the Apaches are aimed not only at Iran, but the people of Qatar (nor the foreigners but the natives). These weapons are NOT for the Syrian or Iraqi rebels.

[cosmicone]

10. I have been to Qatar and do business there.

The issue is Qatari natural gas supplied to Europe via a pipeline that has to traverse Syria for logistical and geographical reasons. Syria wouldn't allow such a pipeline, favoring Iran's natural gas instead which the US doesn't want to see happen.

If Syria's government is overthrown and Wahabbishit takes over, Qatari gas will be sold to Europe and thus we can reduce Russia's power and economy.

This is how Ukraine, Syria, Qatar and Iran are all pieces on the same chess board.

[jakeXT]

11. 'carefully vetted rebels' would love to get some Javelin

White House officials are weighing whether to send surface-to-air missiles to opposition factions at the risk of a possible terrorist "nightmare"

..

Obama officials are only willing to accept that risk, according to a congressional aide familiar with the issue, if they can gain far more confidence in measures to control and monitor the weapons. That could involve supplying missiles in very small quantities — perhaps one or a few at a time — to carefully vetted rebels who would present videotaped evidence of their use before resupply, an approach proposed by Saudi officials, who would likely be the conduit for any transfer of the U.S.-made weapons. The catch here is that supplying manpads in small numbers will have little strategic impact, while larger quantities raise the risk that one will fall into the wrong hands.

http://time.com/68336/syria-obama-anti-aircraft-missiles/

During his visit to Washington in May, Mr. Jarba said he would ask the U.S. to either provide the advanced antiaircraft weapons directly to the opposition or to give a green light to another country to provide the systems. Saudi Arabia and other U.S. allies in the region have Manpads. Mr. Jarba said stringent safeguards would be put in place to ensure the weapons can't fall into the hands of al-Qaeda-linked militants

http://online.wsj.com/articles/key-lawmakers-open-to-giving-some-antiaircraft-weapons-to-syrian-rebels-1402590765

[Comrade Grumpy]

12. God forbid the Salafist monarchies are replaced by democracies. n/t

[AllyCat]

7. So with all that money we will take care of our hungry, right?

Or I suppose the money will go yo the rich. And more war.