U.S. Plans New Arms Sales to Gulf Allies

[Tender Branson]

U.S. Plans New Arms Sales to Gulf Allies

$20 Billion Deal Includes Weapons For Saudi Arabia

By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 28, 2007; Page A01

The Bush administration will announce next week a series of arms deals worth at least $20 billion to Saudi Arabia and five other oil-rich Persian Gulf states as well as new 10-year military aid packages to Israel and Egypt, a move to shore up allies in the Middle East and counter Iran's rising influence, U.S. officials said yesterday.

The arms deals, which include the sales of a variety of sophisticated weaponry, would be the largest negotiated by this administration. The military assistance agreements would provide $30 billion in new U.S. aid to Israel and $13 billion to Egypt over 10 years, the officials said. Both figures represent significant increases in military support.

story continues ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/27/AR2007072702454.html?hpid=topnews

[AkSaber]

So we're just shelling out cash to nations who can afford to but their own weapons. Don't get me wrong, I think we should continue to be an ally of Israel. But they and Egypt can purchase plenty of weaponry on their own dime. I still don't understand why we should provide nations with military armament when they're perfectly capable of providing it themselves.

[Everett]

Apparently none of the 20 billion dollars' worth of weaponry sold to Saudi Arabia could possibly reach the hands of terrorists. Nope, forget about corruption and black markets; the Saudis claim to support the United States, which seems to be the only thing that matters. How shockingly convenient that Iranians are currently perceived as evil terrorists whilst the Saudis come across as being heroes for supposedly being pro-Western, even if only to continue lining their own pockets with oil money. We can easily justify anything and everything because the Iranians are evil. Meanwhile, as AkSaber pointed out, why should we give Israel and Egypt free rides when they are capable of purchasing arms themselves?

These deals reek of corruption. Let's just keep producing more weapons. Eventually world peace shall be achieved, though unfortunately that might only be possible after everyone has bombed everyone else into oblivion.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Saudi Arabia is a bastion of freedom because it doesn't allow women to drive, unlike Saddam's Iraq. Also, 15 none of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, compared to the 0 lots from Iraq. Bin Laden himself was from Saudi Arabia Iraq.

[Beet]

Saudi Arabia is a bastion of freedom because it doesn't allow women to drive, unlike Saddam's Iraq. Also, 15 none of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, compared to the 0 lots from Iraq. Bin Laden himself was from Saudi Arabia Iraq.

If we don't do the Kingdom's bidding they....

*drumroll*

TURN. OFF. THE. SPIGOT.

DUN DUN DUN DUUUNNNNN!!

(woman screaming in horror)

[Silent Hunter]

Saudi Arabia is a bastion of freedom because it doesn't allow women to drive, unlike Saddam's Iraq. Also, 15 none of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, compared to the 0 lots from Iraq. Bin Laden himself was from Saudi Arabia Iraq.

Ahem. While I don't agree with selling arms to Saudi full stop, ATM, the second part of your argument leaves something to be desired. 15 9/11 terrorists and Osama bin Laden from Saudi Arabia does not equal Saudi Arabia is a terrorist state.

[nlm]

If we don't sell them means to defend themselves somebody else will. It's in our national interest at this point to do so - and there really isn't a down side to this (it's not like we are going to embargo Russian weapons from reaching Saudi ports if they buy them from the Russians). Everybody wants to talk about what bad folks the Saudi's are, but that really has nothing to do with this - unless of course you think we should remove all our interests from the middle east.

[Wakie]

Saudi Arabia is a bastion of freedom because it doesn't allow women to drive, unlike Saddam's Iraq. Also, 15 none of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, compared to the 0 lots from Iraq. Bin Laden himself was from Saudi Arabia Iraq.

If we don't do the Kingdom's bidding they....

*drumroll*

TURN. OFF. THE. SPIGOT.

DUN DUN DUN DUUUNNNNN!!

(woman screaming in horror)

Yeah, how horrible ... I guess we'd just have to buy our oil elsewhere and they would have to sell their oil elsewhere.

Sadly we keep throwing money at the Saudi's because if we don't keep our dictatorship in place an anti-American Islamic state similar to Iran could spring up.  Sadly enough supporting a dictator is how we ended up with the anti-American Islamic state in Iran ....

[12th Doctor]

Hmmm... "Allies"... right

[Eraserhead]

YAY! More weapons for everyone!

[Angel of Death]

Saudi Arabia is a bastion of freedom because it doesn't allow women to drive, unlike Saddam's Iraq. Also, 15 none of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, compared to the 0 lots from Iraq. Bin Laden himself was from Saudi Arabia Iraq.

Ahem. While I don't agree with selling arms to Saudi full stop, ATM, the second part of your argument leaves something to be desired. 15 9/11 terrorists and Osama bin Laden from Saudi Arabia does not equal Saudi Arabia is a terrorist state.

But it's one hell of a contrast with Iraq, which was effectively wiped off the face of the earth after the American public got whipped into a frenzy as a result of Dubya mentioning it in every odd sentence and 9/11 in every even one, but of course carefully not explicitly making the connection in order to maintain plausible deniability after it served its purpose.
Americans can be so gullible. I wonder whether any future President will ever apologize for the war, but considering the culture it would probably be seen as a sign of weakness and so won't happen.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Saudi Arabia is a bastion of freedom because it doesn't allow women to drive, unlike Saddam's Iraq. Also, 15 none of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, compared to the 0 lots from Iraq. Bin Laden himself was from Saudi Arabia Iraq.

Ahem. While I don't agree with selling arms to Saudi full stop, ATM, the second part of your argument leaves something to be desired. 15 9/11 terrorists and Osama bin Laden from Saudi Arabia does not equal Saudi Arabia is a terrorist state.

Well, it would have made more sense for the US to invade Saudi Arabia than Iraq. They're so fundamentalist, they don't even allow women to drive.

[2952-0-0]

Glad to see the efforts of Lockheed Martin lobbyists bearing fruit again.

[Smash255]

Absolutely disgraceful.