Despite Atrocities, US Approves $1.29 Billion Deal to Re-Arm Saudi Arabia

[eridani]

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/11/17/despite-atrocities-us-approves-129-billion-deal-re-arm-saudi-arabia

The Pentagon announced on Monday that the U.S. has approved a $1.29 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, despite widespread mounting evidence of the country's mass atrocities and possible war crimes in neighboring Yemen.

The U.S. State Department on Friday approved the sale of over 10,000 bombs, munitions, and weapons parts produced by Boeing and Raytheon. This includes 5,200 Paveway II "laser guided" and 12,000 "general purpose" bombs. "Bunker Busters," also included in the deal, are designed to destroy concrete structures.

"The proposed sale augments Saudi Arabia's capability to meet current and future threats from potential adversaries during combat operations," the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Defense, said in an announcement of the deal released Monday.

But Raed Jarrar, government relations manager for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), told Common Dreams: "Sending additional weapons to the Middle East will not stabilize the region or put an end to violence and extremism. Supporting proxy wars, interventions, and military occupations will only add fuel to the fire."

"It's also illegal under US and international law to transfer weapons to human rights abusers, or to forces that will likely use it to commit gross violations of human rights," Jarrar continued. "There is documented evidence that such abuses have been committed by almost all of U.S. allies in the region."

[tazkcmo]

1. Follow the money.

IMHO, money is the whole purpose as well as "culling the herd". There's just too many of us commoners for the wealthy to be comfortable enough.

[cpwm17]

2. The US sure knows how to pick'em. n/t

[Scuba]

3. This is what happens with Big Oil is in charge of our foreign policy.

[get the red out]

4. Disgusting

The Saudi Government is a nasty bunch of monsters; so lets arm them to the teeth.

[phantom power]

5. Good time to re-link to this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027345290

It's time for this to stop. It's time to be pitiless against the bankers and against the people who invest in murder to assure their own survival in power. Assets from these states should be frozen, all over the west. Money trails should be followed, wherever they lead. People should go to jail, in every country in the world. It should be done state-to-state. Stop funding the murder of our citizens and you can have your money back. Maybe. If we're satisfied that you'll stop doing it. And, it goes without saying, but we'll say it anyway – not another bullet will be sold to you, let alone advanced warplanes, until this act gets cleaned up to our satisfaction. If that endangers your political position back home, that's your problem, not ours. You are no longer trusted allies. Complain, and your diplomats will be going home. Complain more loudly, and your diplomats will be investigated and, if necessary, detained. Retaliate, and you do not want to know what will happen, but it will done with cold, reasoned and, yes, pitiless calculation. It will not be a blind punch. You will not see it coming. It will not be an attack on your faith. It will be an attack on how you conduct your business as sovereign states in a world full of sovereign states.

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a39727/paris-attacks-middle-eastern-oligarchies/

[Orrex]

6. This is how we "take care of our own people first," I guess.

That's been the objection I've heard again and again when calling out the xenophobes who can't stand the thought of the US taking in refugees.

"We need to take care of our own first," they say. "We need that money for our veterans first."


I'll bet that $1.29B would do a lot of good for "our own." Other nations in that geographic region likewise enjoy generous aid from our government; perhaps we could pare that back as well.

[valerief]

7. Empire is what Empire does. nt

[odd_duck]

8. All for the continued illegal bombing of Yemen

[polly7]

9. Yes, and it sure isn't important news in the media at all, is it. Yemen is being destroyed. nt.

[librechik]

10. see? nothing will ever change

no matter who we vote for. Because the people who make policy aren't elected and we don't
even know their names.


http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/10/18/vote-all-you-want-the-secret-government-won-change/jVSkXrENQlu8vNcBfMn9sL/story.html?event=event25