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Saturday, July 28, 2007 - 4:00pm U.S. Giving Weapons to Six Middle East Countries In case you're wondering why there is violence in the Middle East, look no further than the arms sales from the United States government. The Bush Administration has decided to give Saudi Arabia and five other Persian Gulf countries $20 billion worth of weapons. The other nations set to receive arms are the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman.
Unfortunately, weapons sales from the U.S. have been going on for decades. Ronald Reagan gave arms to Saddam Hussein in the 1980's and to pretty much every other country in the world. Now it's George Bush's turn. Satellite guided bombs, naval vessels, and upgrades for Persian Gulf armies are just part of the arsenal the U.S. will provide. The line of reasoning is to bolster the military effectiveness of other countries in the region to protect themselves from Iran, but that short-sighted argument is the same exact one that President Reagan used when he handed over guns to Iraq. Now we are fighting against an enemy that is using U.S. weapons against our troops.
It is not out of the realm of possibilities that we will be fighting Saudi Arabia and these other nations down the road. They are not true allies of the United States. They appease us (and vice versa) because we buy their oil, but they don't care for America any more than everybody else in the Middle East. By supplying Saudi Arabia and others with weapons, we are assuring ourselves of future conflict.
The truth is that the Bush administration has very strong ties to the defense industry and they are intent on hooking them up. When the government allows weapons sales to other countries, these American defense companies make a fortune. In the end, that's all they care about.
It is up to Congress to stop this maniacal action from the Bush administration. Unfortunately, the Democrats are wimps who run away from any and all fights, so I guarantee that they will do nothing.
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