The Weapons Business Is Booming

U.S. plans to sell more arms to Saudi Arabia are causing concern in Israel. That’s at least the assertion being made by the Wall Street Journal in its latest Sunday edition. The newspaper is a mouthpiece for both the U.S. pro-Israel lobby and neo-conservatives. Neither of these groups had previously expressed any concern over the matter, and neither had their congressional representatives nor the Israeli government voiced any objection to the deal. The WSJ report was based solely on anonymous sources and appears to be motivated by special interest groups.

According to the WSJ, the U.S. government intends to sell 84 Boeing F-15 fighter jets to the Saudis. This model was first put into service in 1976, so it’s basically aircraft that is being replaced by more advanced aircraft, though it has been modernized and improved over the years. The WSJ says the 84 planes are part of a 10-year upgrade program worth $30 million in total. Saudi Arabia will probably also purchase several dozen UH-60 Black Hawk attack helicopters as well. The newspaper reports that Israel expressed concern about the planned sale of the F-15 fighters and was successful in preventing the Saudis from gaining access to the most advanced version of the fighter — especially one with long-range missile capabilities.

The concept of weapons sales to the Saudis and other nations in the Arabian Peninsula was started by George W. Bush, and it has been continued by his successor. The impetus behind this policy is the supposed threat posed to the region by Iran, whose armed forces have no meaningful offensive capabilities. The planned deliveries, which have already begun, mean a win-win situation for the U.S. armaments industry: according to agreements already long in effect, the United States unconditionally and perpetually guarantees Israeli military superiority in the region. The deals with Arab states, therefore, automatically assure that Israel will receive additional counterbalancing weaponry, a part of which is paid for by American taxpayers.

In reality, it appears the reports were instigated by the WSJ in order to provide Israel justification for its own armaments wishes. Israel had planned to buy 75 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters — a model already superior to the most modern version of the F-15 — but, because of the high cost, currently it can only afford 20 of these aircraft. By publicizing the deal, the WSJ could be trying to toss a monkey wrench into the machinery so that Israel gets a larger number of F-35 aircraft, free of charge.

Official American and Israeli war propaganda is based on the supposedly widespread fear the “moderate Arab” states have of Iran. The latest opinion polls show that this myth is supported only by the attitude of Arab countries, not one of which is legitimized by a democratic government. The survey was conducted by the American Brookings Institute in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed even said they would view a nuclear Iran to be a positive development for the region. One year ago, only 29 percent held that opinion, and where 40 percent then believed that increased pressure on Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions was the best way to go, only 20 percent now hold that opinion.