Spring Break
Allies turn back on U.S. in arms deals
By: Michael B. Harris-Peyton
Issue date: 8/24/07 Section: Ed-Op
Originally published: 8/24/07 at 2:58 AM EST
Last update: 8/24/07 at 2:57 AM EST
Originally published: 8/24/07 at 2:58 AM EST
Last update: 8/24/07 at 2:57 AM EST
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Correct me if I'm wrong here, but aren't allies supposed to help each other out? This country seems to have picked up a few "allies" who are rather confused: Russia and France. It seems like they're rather unclear on the whole idea of not shooting your friends in the foot - almost literally - because they have the nasty habit of publicly selling guns, ammunition, and weapons to countries who consider the United States to be their primary enemy - countries like Venezuela, Iran and Syria.
As fun as it is to bash France, they're a rather minor, but exceptionally damaging, player in the arms market. As of Friday, August 3, the French government openly confirmed the sale of $405 million in weapons, anti-tank missiles, and military communications equipment to Libya.
For those of you who aren't aware, Libya is controlled via dictatorship by Muammar Gaddafi, a man who fancies himself a GQ model with a nation's wealth for his personal use. Although Libya has agreed to help the U.S. "fight terrorism" and all that good stuff, the fact of the matter is that the arms embargo on Libya was lifted only in 2004 after the U.S. threatened to unseat the Libyan government if they didn't start playing nice and quit funding terrorist groups.
Libya said they needed the anti-tank missiles to help fight domestic terrorism - yet somehow, I don't imagine terrorists to be riding conspicuously around the desert in tanks. Thanks France - you just handed an unstable Middle-Eastern dictatorship a whole bunch of fun military toys in exchange for enough cash to, maybe, repave some highways. Don't worry, France - we won't be angry when Libya sells the missiles to someone else or uses them against a U.S. interest. We'll blame someone who isn't in NATO.
As maddeningly absurd as France's arms deals seem (because this recent one wasn't the first), Russia takes the cake in selling their wares to anybody with enough cash, preferably in U.S. currency, to buy a case of Kalashnikovs. Heck, they'll even throw in free ammunition sometimes - see Lord of War; as Hollywood as that film is, it's eerily accurate. In the past two years, Russia (under Vladimir Putin, who's such a sweetheart of a guy, let me tell you) has sold technologically-advanced, highly effective weapons systems to Syria, Iran, and Venezuela, and enough AK-47s to make anyone dizzy.
As fun as it is to bash France, they're a rather minor, but exceptionally damaging, player in the arms market. As of Friday, August 3, the French government openly confirmed the sale of $405 million in weapons, anti-tank missiles, and military communications equipment to Libya.
For those of you who aren't aware, Libya is controlled via dictatorship by Muammar Gaddafi, a man who fancies himself a GQ model with a nation's wealth for his personal use. Although Libya has agreed to help the U.S. "fight terrorism" and all that good stuff, the fact of the matter is that the arms embargo on Libya was lifted only in 2004 after the U.S. threatened to unseat the Libyan government if they didn't start playing nice and quit funding terrorist groups.
Libya said they needed the anti-tank missiles to help fight domestic terrorism - yet somehow, I don't imagine terrorists to be riding conspicuously around the desert in tanks. Thanks France - you just handed an unstable Middle-Eastern dictatorship a whole bunch of fun military toys in exchange for enough cash to, maybe, repave some highways. Don't worry, France - we won't be angry when Libya sells the missiles to someone else or uses them against a U.S. interest. We'll blame someone who isn't in NATO.
As maddeningly absurd as France's arms deals seem (because this recent one wasn't the first), Russia takes the cake in selling their wares to anybody with enough cash, preferably in U.S. currency, to buy a case of Kalashnikovs. Heck, they'll even throw in free ammunition sometimes - see Lord of War; as Hollywood as that film is, it's eerily accurate. In the past two years, Russia (under Vladimir Putin, who's such a sweetheart of a guy, let me tell you) has sold technologically-advanced, highly effective weapons systems to Syria, Iran, and Venezuela, and enough AK-47s to make anyone dizzy.
Tony
posted 8/30/07 @ 1:09 PM EST
French anti-tank technology:
http://shock.military.com/Shock/videos.do?displayContent=125157
For some reason, I don't think we should be too worried. (Continued…)