Bloomberg: U.S. Offers Billions in Arms to Ease Mideast’s Iran Anxiety
An agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program could create a bonanza for U.S. defense contractors who already are benefiting as the Obama administration tries to assuage Israeli and Gulf Arab concerns by cutting deals for more than $6 billion in military hardware.
The details of a potential deal being negotiated between Iran and six world powers -- China, France, Germany, Russia, the U.K. and U.S. -- would determine what steps the U.S. takes to help its allies. A nuclear agreement is likely to prompt Mideast partners to seek improved defense systems from American contractors such as Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Raytheon Co. as well as weapons-makers in France and elsewhere.
“In theory, an Iran deal could lead to a reduction in tensions in the region that would reduce the demand for advanced weaponry,” said William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy in Washington. “In the short-term, a deal could actually boost the demand for arms.”
WNU Editor: Pouring arms and weapon systems into the Middle East has never bought any peace in the past, present, and I predict in the future. Unfortunately .... this is what passes for U.S. foreign policy for today.
" this is what passes for U.S. foreign policy for today."
ReplyDeleteTrue, but on the domestic side it does many things for the Administration. Side lines the defense manufacturer's lobby criticism by replacing business they lost to the shrinking domestic armed forces with foreign purchases. Gives foreign governments nearly state of the art merchandise at bargain basement prizes, thereby muting criticism there of a nuke deal. Allows the Administration to keep claiming the "no boots on the ground" mantra, while also seeming to do something.
Unfortunately, all of this is no solution, but merely adding fuel to the fire that has crept up very close to the main petroleum storage tanks and is ready to really become a conflagration.
Slowly but surely by taking measures that seem prudent and measured participants in the Mid East and Europe are forcing things to conclusions that are opposite to their stated intent, in other words, war real war, real big and very destructive in an old style way.
Not just that, but it gives the nations of the regiont he tools to fight it out amonst themselves, to kep US forces out of the area in large numbers, and allows the US to focus on what's important: dealing with threats to the US. Yes, it's a short-or medium-term strategy at best, but it's as good as you're going to get out of a US administration that is trying to overcome 15 years of wars in the region.
ReplyDeleteTrevor,
ReplyDeleteThe problem is it won't stay among the regional powers, they themselves will guarantee that.
Actually pouring arms into allies would have huge potential to bring about peace. Even if the US did not arm its allies, they'd get them from somewhere or they'd make their own. Furthermore even if the US does not arm its "allies" Russia and China are still going to be arming Iran.
ReplyDeleteTo illustrate the point, Israel supposedly has a strong military. If it did not, it would have been engulfed by its neighbors long, long ago. Keeping up capable armed forces is a must for any nation state that wishes to survive let alone thrive.
"...this is what passes for US foreign policy today." If these really are allies of which I'm skeptical, I don't see any valid alternatives here. The US cannot commit the forces necessary to provide for the defenses of these nations as it would hard pressed to defend America should it be attack let alone be expected to defend nations on the other side of the world. Furthermore I think the reality is probably sinking in among US and Gulf Arab state officials that Iran is going to get nuclear armed and the sanctions are going to be lifted in full sooner rather than later and they are trying as best they can for this eventuality.
With that said, while I can understand the position being taken by the US, I think it is unwise. The US military is already in a precarious position as it is. Any weapons the military industrial companies can manufacture need to be used for the American military at this juncture. Furthermore these US allies would just simply be routed by superior Iranian forces, Al Qaeda, ISIS, or perhaps an assortment of other groups and these weapons would simply end up in enemy hands to be used against us. Our best option would be a complete redeployment of our military to our borders and off our coasts to allow some reasonable chance of defending America.