Posted on 11/15/2006 3:47:42 AM PST by darkness78
Shipments grow to unstable areas/ The United States last year provided nearly half of the weapons sold to militaries in the developing world, as major arms sales to the most unstable regions -- many already engaged in conflict -- grew to the highest level in eight years, new US government figures show. According to the annual assessment, the United States supplied $8.1 billion worth of weapons to developing countries in 2005 -- 45.8 percent of the total and far more than second-ranked Russia with 15 percent and Britain with a little more than 13 percent. Arms control specialists said the figures underscore how the largely unchecked arms trade to the developing world has become a major staple of the American weapons industry, even though introducing many of the weapons risks fueling conflicts rather than aiding long-term US interests. The report was compiled by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. "We are at a point in history where many of these sales are not essential for the self-defense of these countries and the arms being sold continue to fuel conflicts and tensions in unstable areas," said Daryl G. Kimball , executive director of the nonpartisan Arms Control Association in Washington. "It doesn't make much sense over the long term."
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
how about telling us the nations where US military items are actually fueling the conflict, instead of juxtaposing US military sales and developing nations conflict
Somebody has got to help them defend themselves.
"From Angola, Chad, and Ethiopia, to Colombia, Pakistan, and the Philippines, transfers through the two largest US arms sales programs [Foreign Military sales and Commercial Sales] to these conflict nations totaled nearly $1 billion in 2003," the report found.
Meanwhile, more than half of the countries buying US arms -- 13 of the 25 -- were defined as undemocratic by the State Department's annual Human Rights Report, including top recipients Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.
The agreement last year to sell F-16s to Pakistan underscores the larger trend, according to Wade Bouse , research director at the Arms Control Association.
"F-16s with advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles are not for fighting Al Qaeda," Bouse said. "They are for fighting India."
And India, which has fought three wars with Pakistan, is considering a US offer to sell the country F-16s. "We are creating our own market by selling to both sides of regional conflicts," Bouse said.
Supplying weapons to defenceless people who are being wiped off the face of the world by the ongoing Islamic crusades is not a crime.
So typical of MSM to NOT show the major arms supplier (Iran) who is buying from China, France, Russia, Germany and arming Allah's peaceful cult all over the world.
Angola, Chad, Ethiopia ????
Pakistan ?
When we're the ones selling arms, we don't worry about the trade imbalance.
"F-16s with advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles are not for fighting Al Qaeda," Bouse said. "They are for fighting India."
xactly...
No it's not. We supply arms to Pakistan, to attack India.
We supply arms to Eqypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan to attack Israel. And give them away to the palestinians.
To the slaughtered in Sudan we supply, nothing.
Defense sales are an ugly fact of life, not "aid" to defenceless people.
High volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel, WOT
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We should stop selling to Pakistan and then sell 100 F-16's to India. We should also sell India F/A 18 Hornets for their carrier fleet.
India would use those aircraft against us in a heartbeat. I'm fond of individual Indians, but their governments aren't fond of anyone else. If you recall, they threatened military action against anyone sending aid into the parts of India affected by the 2004 tsunami. Honestly, I'm not a fan of any government in that region.
The thing that really suprises me is that India is warming up to the Dragon to the north and closer to Russia. They could form a trans-asian axis against us.
Threatened military action against whom???
1.The US???WEll Im not a big fan of the Indian government,but they ain't suicidal fools.
2.Japan???Well I hope the US promised to supply B-52 bombers & 2 aircraft carriers,complete with escorts to make it to Japan.
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