The U.S. is Arming the Middle East

[Orwellian_Ghost]

Arming the Middle East
by Stephen Zunes

President George W Bush announced during his recent Middle East trip that he is formally serving notice to Congress of his administration’s decision to approve the sale of bomb-guidance kits to Saudi Arabia. This announcement follows notification on five other arms deals to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait that are part of a $20 billion package of additional armaments over the next decade to the family dictatorships of Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf emirates announced by President George W. Bush last summer.

At that time, the Bush administration also announced taxpayer-funded military assistance totaling an additional $13 billion over this same period to the Mubarak dictatorship in Egypt. Also part of this package is an additional $30 billion worth of sophisticated weaponry bound for Israel.

Altogether, these arms deals represent a major setback for those struggling to promote peace and democracy in that volatile region.

The Democratic-controlled Congress has the authority to block any or all of these proposed sales. It could also refuse to approve the military assistance packages, which altogether total $63 billion. Congress has until February 13 to block the latest portion of the arms package, consisting of 900 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, valued at $123 million. In addition to these highly advanced satellite-guided bombs, the Bush administration’s proposed arms sales to the Gulf monarchies include sophisticated guided missiles, new naval ships, and upgrades to fighter aircraft for Saudi Arabia and the five other Gulf monarchies.

However, no one among the top House or Senate leadership in either party has yet to come out in opposition to any aspect of the administration’s plans to dangerously escalate the regional arms race.

...

http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/4926

[fenriswolf]

1. not just us

isn't blackwater still gunrunning?

[gateley]

2. The vast majority of Americans don't know this shit is going on. I would love

to have Bush asked about it point blank -- "explain to the American people why you're proposing tax-payer funded military assistance ($13 billion) to Egypt?"

I honest to God believe that if people knew what was going on, while we're struggling to EAT, for fuck sake, heat our homes, pay our mortgage, there would be an UPRISING.

This needs to be made public again and again.

I hope to God our reps are looking into this. I can't even see HOW such a proposal could be considered at this time.

:grr:

Recommend -- and I'll keep coming back to kick this.

I'm contacting my reps tomorrow.

EDIT to say thanks for posting this, and pissing me off :7

[lonestarnot]

3. Perfect timing wouldn't you say?

[HughMoran]

4. and?

What else is new?

[Orwellian_Ghost]

5. United States Reemerges as Leading Arms Supplier to the Developing World

United States Reemerges as Leading Arms Supplier to the Developing World
By Rachel Stohl, Senior Analyst

On Sept. 26, 2007, the Congressional Research Service released the most recent version of its annual arms transfer report, “Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1999-2006.” For the period 2003-2006, the United States ranks as the world’s largest exporter of arms to developing nations, and regained its place atop the list of arms exporting nations (in 2005 the United States fell behind Russia and France to place third in terms of new arms export agreements concluded with developing nations). In 2006, the United States concluded $10.3 billion – nearly 36 percent of all arms transfer agreements with the developing world (up from $6.2 billion in agreements in 2005). Russia, last year’s leading exporter to developing nations, placed second with $8.1 billion (approximately 28 percent of new agreements) and the United Kingdom was third with $3.1 billion (nearly 11 percent) in new deals with the developing world.

According to the report, the developing world accounts for 71.5 percent of new arms transfer agreements. Total arms deliveries to these areas made up nearly 74 percent of all global arms deliveries. Arms transfer agreements worldwide amounted to $40.3 billion in 2006, a 13 percent decrease from 2005 totals. Global arms deliveries totaled $27 billion in 2006.

The CRS report (also known as the Grimmett report after its author, CRS Specialist in National Defense Richard Grimmett) defines developing nations as all countries except the United States, Russia, the European nations, Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. The report examines 14 categories of conventional weapons: tanks and self propelled guns, artillery, armored personnel carriers and armored cars, major surface combatants, minor surface combatants, submarines, guided missile patrol boats, supersonic combat aircraft, subsonic combat aircraft, other aircraft, helicopters, surface to air missiles, surface to surface missiles, and anti ship missiles.

The United States remained the number one arms exporter in the world – both in terms of global agreements and deliveries in 2006, making $16.9 billion worth of new arms agreements in 2006 (41.9 percent of the global total), up from its 2005 total of $13.5 billion. Russia was second in global arms agreements with $8.7 billion, and the United Kingdom was third with $3.1 billion. Together, the United States, Russia, and United Kingdom were responsible for 71.2 percent of global arms agreements, worth $28.7 billion in 2006.The United States made nearly 52 percent of global arms deliveries in 2006, worth $14 billion. Russia was again second with $5.8 billion and the United Kingdom third with $3.3 billion in global arms deliveries.

...

http://www.cdi.org/friendlyversion/printversion.cfm?documentID=4116