Arms Deal is Bad News Bears
We unveiled a new arms sale yesterday with Saudi Arabia.
To preface this, at first glance it may seem that the people really outraged by this are were the same people opposed to the Dubai-ports deal from last year (which I was ambivalent, if not in favor of). This is completely different. The chasm between Dubai and Riyadh today is about as wide between the Athenians and the Spartans of old.
Not only could this hurt the troops in Iraq if the weapons get funneled to Sunnis in Iraq (not as remote a possibility as it should be), but this is also going to increase tensions in the reason.
I consider Saudi Arabia anything but an ally. They are the ones funding rampant Wahabbism with their petrodollars.
So why is the Administration doing it?
Looks to me that we're doing it so that if the President in 2009 withdraws from Iraq, and the mess in Iraq turns into an all out sectarian war (with Iran and the Saudis using Iraqi proxies) then the Saudis will be reasonably prepared to prevent an outright genocide of Iraqi Sunnis by factions like the Mahdi Army.
But that still doesn't make it a good idea.
Related (more on Saudis/Wahabbism): Bernard Lewis ISI Dinner
To preface this, at first glance it may seem that the people really outraged by this are were the same people opposed to the Dubai-ports deal from last year (which I was ambivalent, if not in favor of). This is completely different. The chasm between Dubai and Riyadh today is about as wide between the Athenians and the Spartans of old.
Not only could this hurt the troops in Iraq if the weapons get funneled to Sunnis in Iraq (not as remote a possibility as it should be), but this is also going to increase tensions in the reason.
I consider Saudi Arabia anything but an ally. They are the ones funding rampant Wahabbism with their petrodollars.
So why is the Administration doing it?
Looks to me that we're doing it so that if the President in 2009 withdraws from Iraq, and the mess in Iraq turns into an all out sectarian war (with Iran and the Saudis using Iraqi proxies) then the Saudis will be reasonably prepared to prevent an outright genocide of Iraqi Sunnis by factions like the Mahdi Army.
But that still doesn't make it a good idea.
Related (more on Saudis/Wahabbism): Bernard Lewis ISI Dinner
Labels: Blame it on Bush, Iraq, Islam
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