Posted on 09/04/2005 3:32:08 AM PDT by F14 Pilot
Egypt has become the developing world's third largest buyer of weapons over the last four years, according to a leading US official research service.
According to the annual report issued by the Congressional Research Service, a division of the Library of Congress, only China and India recorded more arms transfer agreements, thus making Egypt the principal arms buyer in the Middle East.
The report issued last week in Washington said Egypt recorded $6.5 billion worth of weapons purchases from 2001 to 2004. Israel bought $4.4b. during the same period and Saudi Arabia recorded $3.8b.
For Egypt, which receives $1.3b. in annual US military grants, most of its weapons were purchased from the United States ($5.6b.). Most of this has been for military platforms and weapons, including advanced attack helicopters and fast missile vessels.
The report, entitled "Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations," said Egypt outspent the traditional heavy buyers of Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
The main reason for the heavy Egyptian arms purchases is its ambitious modernization program.
"This is worrisome and something that should be addressed," said Hillel Frisch, a senior researcher and expert on the Egyptian military at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
Frisch said that the arms purchases added up to over a $1b. more than the amount of military grants Cairo received from Washington.
"This is surprising since it comes at a time when the long-term Egypt economy has been in decline. It is clearly that Egypt doesn't have any other enemies [than Israel]. It might have a problem with an atomic Iran, but a conventional system isn't going to have much of an impact there," Frisch said.
In general, the Egyptian army has undergone a transformation from its last defeat by the IDF. Since the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty it has undergone a dramatic Westernization. It has acquired American Abrams tanks, F-16 fighter jets, Apache attack helicopters, and a state-of-the-art navy.
"The worse thing about all of this is what are they amassing all this kind of weapons for? The critical question is maintenance. Do they have the capability of maintaining all these systems?" Frisch asked.
Israel has long pressed Washington not to disturb the promise to maintain the qualitative edge it gives Israel over weapons it sells other Middle Eastern countries. In general this has been kept, but the United States has sold some weapons to Egypt of superior quality than it has sold to Israel, such as the Harpoon II missiles.
The report said that China ranked first among developing countries in arms buying from 2000-2004, concluding $10.4b. in arms purchasing. India followed China with $7.9b. in arms purchases.
The United States remained the leading arms supplier in the world with its biggest market in the Middle East. The CRS defines developing countries as every country except those in North America and Europe, Russia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
In general, the report found that $37b. in arms sales in 2004 marked the first time this decade that total arms sales had increased. It also marked the first time sales to Asia surpassed the Middle East.
Considering a *large* chunk of Egypts annual
budget comes from the coffers of the US Taxpaers
I find it disconcerting that Egypt is such a large
arms buter, wgile it's peoples have limited horizons,
and the only "real( "enemy" one might see Egypt having,
is Israel...Are we not making anotherr Middle East Wat inevitable?
I don't believe they're worried about maintenance...They're looking at a 'one shot' operation and it won't be too much further down the road...
Probably worried about an invasion from Troy
Yea, that's gotta be it...
I am reminded of a public promise Egypts government
made to Palestinians to help them regain every bit of "occupied territory"...made not more than two weeks ago...
My little theory.
Israel is expecting a regional war in 2006.
--> These are MY opinions only, and should not be mixed up for opinions held by experts who know what they are talking about!<--
I think it will go like this..
Secret alliances were made a few years ago. Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanese terrorists, and the palestinians. High level ministers have been jetting to secret "trade meetings" for a few years now.
The pals can field a 40,000 man light infantry. They will move first. Boiling forth from the occupied territories, killing everything that moves, and forcing the bulk of the IDF to contain them. (there is a reason for the walls!)
With Israel's army othwise occupied, the other nations move to invade en masse! Hoping an unexpected sudden movement will place their armies withing Israel's borders before she can act with nukes. I honestly think these muslim idiots think they will be nuke proof this way.
Israel will have been watching all this from afar. And will be ready. The opposing forces will be nuked while still in their hosting countries, along with their major cities. And the PA military will be wiped out and the palestinians will be forced out of Israel.
Europe will be outraged. There will be no proof that will satisfy the EU. The EU will be unable to believe that an arab invasion was imminent. And forcing the pals out of the country will only make matters worse.
The US will be Israel's only trading partner.
Israel, seeing it cannot grow any more evil in the world's eyes will annex land from defeated Syria and Jordan and grow bigger.
Turkey will annex northern Syria.
Isaiah 17:1 will be fullfilled at long last. (Again, my opinion)
I have NO idea what this will mean for our troops still in Iraq. But it won't be good. God bless and protect our boys.
Once they feel secure that Israel's hands are securely tied by the west
And all their muzzie brethren are committed to piling on
imo
..........................................
"The United States remained the leading arms supplier in the world with its biggest market in the Middle East. "
Not very smart of us is it? Aside from Israel who in the ME is truly our friends?
Puts Israeli desire to sell to the Chinese market in a different perspective.
Call me a prophet of doom, but I've never agreed with the USA selling all its best goodies to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc. I've always had a bad feeling that doing so would come back to bite us. Our policy makers just cannot (sadly) get the clue that all of Israel's neighbors want her out - one way or another. IMO, that includes those that signed "treaties" with Israel. The "treaties" are just a lull until they feel ready to abrogate them and try and attack Israel. In a WW2 analogy, it would be like us selling P38s and F6Fs to both Great Britain and Germany.
We don't give them top of the line technology! ;-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.