Merchants of Death
According to the Congressional Research Service’s, the United States is by far the largest weapons dealer in the world. From 1998 to 2005, the U.S. exported $109 billion worth of weapons around the world. The U.K. came in a distant second with $39 billion in worldwide weapons sales and Russia came in third with $34 billion.
Bush has proposed to send tens of billions of dollars worth of advanced weapons to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, and five other states in the Persian Gulf. It’s part of a region-wide effort to build a buffer against Iran and terror groups. However, some wonder whether those weapons would eventually wind up in the wrong hands and end up destabilizing the Middle East region even further.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates will push Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to support the Iraq governments crack down on Saudi fighters joining the Sunni insurgency. They have propose a $20 billion arms sale of very sophisticated equipment, including warships, missiles and precision-guided bombs to sweeten the deal.
The Saudi deal is just part of a broader American effort over the next decade to sell more than $60 billion of arms across the Middle East, establishing a military hedge against Iran.
Furthermore, the Bush regime is considering arms deals with five other Gulf Arab states, and talks have begun with Egypt on a military assistance package totaling about $13 billion over the next 10 years. Israel is likely to receive a total of $30 billion in U.S. military assistance over the next decade.
These arms deal would have two predictable consequences: First, if and when war breaks out, the level of destruction will be greater. Second, weapons manufacturers with influence in Washington will reap billions of dollars in windfall profits. Military production creates fewer jobs per dollar invested than civilian industry.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said it was part of a broader U.S. strategy to destabilize the Middle East, to get countries afraid so that they’ll buy American weapons. In essence, this is all about money for war profiteers.
Bush has proposed to send tens of billions of dollars worth of advanced weapons to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, and five other states in the Persian Gulf. It’s part of a region-wide effort to build a buffer against Iran and terror groups. However, some wonder whether those weapons would eventually wind up in the wrong hands and end up destabilizing the Middle East region even further.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates will push Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to support the Iraq governments crack down on Saudi fighters joining the Sunni insurgency. They have propose a $20 billion arms sale of very sophisticated equipment, including warships, missiles and precision-guided bombs to sweeten the deal.
The Saudi deal is just part of a broader American effort over the next decade to sell more than $60 billion of arms across the Middle East, establishing a military hedge against Iran.
Furthermore, the Bush regime is considering arms deals with five other Gulf Arab states, and talks have begun with Egypt on a military assistance package totaling about $13 billion over the next 10 years. Israel is likely to receive a total of $30 billion in U.S. military assistance over the next decade.
These arms deal would have two predictable consequences: First, if and when war breaks out, the level of destruction will be greater. Second, weapons manufacturers with influence in Washington will reap billions of dollars in windfall profits. Military production creates fewer jobs per dollar invested than civilian industry.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said it was part of a broader U.S. strategy to destabilize the Middle East, to get countries afraid so that they’ll buy American weapons. In essence, this is all about money for war profiteers.
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