US Arms Industry Fishing in Troubled Waters (Nuclear-Capable F-16s)

[chlamor]

US arms industry fishing in troubled waters
By Ranjit Devraj

NEW DELHI - By offering nuclear-capable F-16 Falcon fighters to Pakistan and the even more advanced F-18 Hornets to India, Washington has shown a cynical readiness to profit from the long-standing rivalry between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors, say analysts.

"This is a bit like the Aesop's fable in which two cats fighting over a loaf take their dispute to a monkey for settlement," said P R Chari, research professor at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, a prestigious think-tank devoted to security in South Asia.

In an interview with Inter Press Service (IPS), Chari said what was happening was all too obvious: "The Americans must be laughing all the way to the bank."

Chari pointed to reports in the Washington Post on March 16 that claim the sale of F-16s to Pakistan may have saved 5,000 jobs in US President George W Bush's home state of Texas, where the planes' manufacturer, Lockheed Martin Corporation, is located.

Lockheed and other global defense manufacturers depend on sales of sophisticated military hardware to boost their profits. The F-16 deal was "likely to be as warmly greeted in Fort Worth as it is in Karachi", the Post said.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/GC30Df04.html