Eh-hum # 190
Hmmmm...
Why do I have the feeling that the Bush Administration's new Middle East policy is not such a good idea. I am trying to connect this to what happened in Afghanistan, wherein the US' CIA provided "secret" aid to the mujahideen and the opponents of the pro-USSR regime in Kabul during the Cold War (here's an interesting online article about this), and look what happened afterwards. Moreover, it might instigate an arms race in the region. Below is an excerpt from the International Herald Tribune, regarding the said policy.
U.S. arms plan for Mideast aims to counter Iranian power
By Mark Mazzetti and Helene Cooper
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
WASHINGTON: The Bush administration said Monday that its plan to provide billions of dollars in advanced weapons to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel over the next 10 years was intended in part to serve as a bulwark against Iran's growing influence in the Middle East.
The White House plan must overcome opposition from lawmakers who are skeptical that the weapons will have any effect in blunting Iran's nuclear ambitions, and who worry that a flood of new weapons could ignite a tinderbox in the region.
In closed briefings last week on Capitol Hill, participants in the sessions said, some lawmakers had asked pointed questions about why the White House was using the Iranian threat to justify the arms sales. They expressed doubt that the new weaponry, which includes satellite-guided bombs, missiles and new naval vessels, could deter Iran from proceeding with its nuclear program.
Read the rest of the article here.
Why do I have the feeling that the Bush Administration's new Middle East policy is not such a good idea. I am trying to connect this to what happened in Afghanistan, wherein the US' CIA provided "secret" aid to the mujahideen and the opponents of the pro-USSR regime in Kabul during the Cold War (here's an interesting online article about this), and look what happened afterwards. Moreover, it might instigate an arms race in the region. Below is an excerpt from the International Herald Tribune, regarding the said policy.
U.S. arms plan for Mideast aims to counter Iranian power
By Mark Mazzetti and Helene Cooper
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
WASHINGTON: The Bush administration said Monday that its plan to provide billions of dollars in advanced weapons to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel over the next 10 years was intended in part to serve as a bulwark against Iran's growing influence in the Middle East.
The White House plan must overcome opposition from lawmakers who are skeptical that the weapons will have any effect in blunting Iran's nuclear ambitions, and who worry that a flood of new weapons could ignite a tinderbox in the region.
In closed briefings last week on Capitol Hill, participants in the sessions said, some lawmakers had asked pointed questions about why the White House was using the Iranian threat to justify the arms sales. They expressed doubt that the new weaponry, which includes satellite-guided bombs, missiles and new naval vessels, could deter Iran from proceeding with its nuclear program.
Read the rest of the article here.
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