Bush’s Containment Dilemma

Matt Dupuis, writing over at FPW, argues that the President’s containment strategy for Iran has not been well-received in the Arab world. Although the Bush administration is eager to build an alliance to check the Shiite nation’s rising regional clout, Sunni states are having none of it. In fact, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have recently been making direct overtures to Tehran in an effort to ease tensions and improve relations!

5 Responses to “Bush’s Containment Dilemma”

1. Rudi says:

   January 14, 2008 at 3:40 pm

   Thanks for the posting, only the arms dealers profit from this policy. For all our sales, I doubt if any Sunnis countries have the backbone for a fight. Pat Lang laughs that all these weapons just collect dust in the desert. The Saudis and others lack the training and will to fight.
   http://www.tau.ac.il/jcss/menl121004.html
2. DLS says:

   January 14, 2008 at 6:55 pm

   The arms sales, including today's announcement of smart-bomb sales to the Saudis, tell the real story.
3. StockBoySF says:

   January 14, 2008 at 9:47 pm

   And wherever those weapons rust, American defense contractors- all Republican supporters- reap the financial rewards. What else is Saudi Arabia supposed to spend their money they collect from $100/bbl oil?

   Seriously- when I first read about the arrangement my initial reaction was, “Is there a plan to keep these weapons from falling into terrorists hands?”
4. Jeb says:

   January 14, 2008 at 9:48 pm

   Nice to hear from you all. Rudi – thanks for the link. I'm going to give it a careful read later this evening.
5. Rudi says:

   January 14, 2008 at 11:43 pm

   StockBoy – As I understand these are smart bombs and other such armaments, they won't be used by terrorists. I believe this is just a continuation of sales that originated during the latest Lebanese War. Hamas weapons are smuggled(suposedly) through Egypt.
   I found this:
   http://asia.news.yahoo.com/080114/ap/d8u5qvc00….
   

   New US Weapons Sale for Saudis

   The Bush administration on Monday officially notified Congress of its intent to sell sophisticated precision-guided bomb delivery systems to Saudi Arabia as part of a multibillion-dollar arms package to bolster the defense of U.S. allies in the Gulf.

   Timed to coincide with President Bush's trip to Saudi Arabia, the notification opens a 30-day window during which lawmakers can object to the sale, which envisions the transfer of 900 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, to the Saudis, the State Department said.

   The proposed deal, worth $123 million, follows notification on five other packages to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, and brings to $11.5 billion the amount of advanced U.S. weaponry, including Patriot missiles, provided to friendly Arab nations under the Gulf Security Dialogue, spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

   Administration officials say the total amount of sales as part of the dialogue is estimated at $20 billion, but they also have cautioned that the figure is subject to what equipment the receiving countries actually purchase.

   Here is another source on the sale, though somewhat biased:
   http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38791
   

   Last week, the administration of President George W. Bush ran true to form when it announced its decision to simultaneously sell arms both to Israel and seven Arab nations: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

   The package, which is also expected to include one set of weapons to counter the other, includes equipment worth some 20 billion dollars to Saudi Arabia and five other Gulf states, plus 30 billion dollars in military assistance to Israel, and 13 billion dollars in similar grants to Egypt, mostly for purchases of U.S.-made weapons systems.

   Here is what Haaretz has to say:
   http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/850746.html

   I cannot find anything at this time, but I swear talk of these sales started after the 2006 Lebanon War.

   Jeb – The TAU site has many similar articles, but the site went through a recent redesign.