President Bush’s Visit To Middle East: The Purpose?
What is the purpose behind President George W. Bush’s visit to West Asia? There are many theories. To build up a front against Shia Iran by rallying the Sunni world. Promote democracy in closed societies? Or just to sell American weapons?
The Independent has this to say: “The difference between reality and the dream-world of the US government could hardly have been more savagely illustrated. As a bomb explodes in Beirut and Israel kills 19 in Gaza raids, Bush takes his Middle East peace mission to Saudi Arabia (and signs off $20bn weapons deal with repressive regime).
“After promising the Palestinians a ‘sovereign and contiguous state’ before the end of the year, and pledging ‘security’ to Israel – though not, Arabs noted, security for ‘Palestine’ – Mr Bush had arrived in the Gulf to terrify the kings and oligarchs of the oil-soaked kingdoms of the danger of Iranian aggression.
“As usual, he came armed with the usual American offers of vast weapons sales to protect these largely undemocratic and police state regimes from potentially the most powerful nation in the ‘axis of evil…”
