Washington, Mar.16 : Stephen Cohen, a South Asia security and proliferation expert at the Brookings Institute, says Washington could disturb the already delicate regional dynamics in South Asia if it sells F-16s to nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.
Cohen’s comments came as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began talks with Indian leadership in New Delhi to promote expanding defense ties but officials have said that she will stop short of announcing fighter jet sales.
The U.S. government is considering selling F-16s to the neighbours, who have expressed interest in buying the American jets, but congressional and diplomatic sources said they had not been told of a firm Bush administration decision.
It seems to me that selling F-16s to two countries that are constntly battling each other is stupid. Instead of providing arms shouldn’t we just say no and let them turn to other countries for the military aid they need and set an example that we will not support violence? Or is the expected revenue just too great to turn away from? On one hand we want a peaceful world, on the other we want the revenue that selling weapons brings. Talk about schizophrenic foreign policies.
I’m so sick of arming the world, then sending troops over to destroy their f—ing arms, you know what I mean? We keep arming these little countries, then we go and blow the shit out of them. We’re like the bullies of the world, y’know. We’re like Jack Palance in the movie Shane, throwing the pistol at the sheepherder’s feet.
“Pick it up.”
“I don’t wanna pick it up, Mister, you’ll shoot me.”
“Pick up the gun.”
“Mister, I don’t want no trouble. I just came downtown here to get some hardrock candy for my kids, some gingham for my wife. I don’t even know what gingham is, but she goes through about ten rolls a week of that stuff. I ain’t looking for no trouble, Mister.”
“Pick up the gun.”
(He picks it up. Three shots ring out)
“You all saw him - he had a gun.”
We sell arms for the cash, and for the gesture it makes to a country. They’re going to buy weapons from someone, so if we arm both sides, we can, to a smal degree, control the balance between the countries. Additionally, if we sell arms to countries we operate with, it becomes that much easier to operate with them, because all the technology talks back and forth. There’s lots of reasons to sell arms to various countries. Obviously there are also lots of reasons not to. It’s all a balancing act.
Fake Trend: Russia, China, France and Germany are horning in on our racket. We gotta slash prices or something here.
Real Trend: Our enemies buy weapons from our enemies.
Real Trend: We fight in a lot of different places, but never in Africa.
Real Trend: Former communist countries (say what you want, China ain’t a real communist government) have impressive weapons production capabilities.
Real Trend: You left off all the other sales by all the Eastern Bloc countries, they still produce and sell weapons (lot’s of used tanks being sold out there).
And finally, I’d say we fight too damn much, and I’m not sure how high our win % is.
Russian stuff is cheaper , cruder , easy to fix , sometimes better.
US withholds parts to control ,aircraft use ,all over the world.
We GAVE a bunch of bell 204 -205 - Huey 14 seat helicopters to south america .
Most had worn out engines , junk transmissions , and Timed out blades & rotor heads , All for drug control
The source you cited says we were 1% of their weapons during the time period, so technically yes, we were a part of it. Just a very very small one, so I wouldn’t consider us worth putting in the list of major contributors. But I have read that Rumself went to personally speak to Hussein ~'83, but I don’t know what that talk resulted in (notes were taken by a diplomat that the FOIA brought to the public).
"We fight in a lot of different places, but never in Africa. "
I call racisim. No lie. Africa is a hot bed of ginaside and coruption but the UN and the US never seem to care enough to help out in any real way. I just think the world leaders see Africans as lesser people. If the slaughter took place in Europe of the US the world would be falling all themselves to stop it.
Africa is my number one argument why the UN is a joke and worthless and why US politicians are more worried about themselves than anyone else.
The ignoring of Africa is the biggest crime in the world today and everyone is guilty.
This is not a simple question. Lately, Pakistan has probably been our best ally in the war on terror. Both countries have backed way off the war talk now that they both have nukes. On balance, I really like the way that whole situation is going, really for the first time in my life.
Selling them a few F-16s might be a good idea.
Your concerns of a coup are obviously valid though. The aircraft sales might well help prevent one. On the other hand, it might strengthen Mussaraf (sp?) and delay the return to democracy.
Human life is the lowest commodity, it always has been. Making people is cheap and easy. I just laugh at the “civilized” world as we look the other way because the negros just don’t have what we want.
Like I said Africa proves the UN as nothing more than a parliment of whores who care nothing about people. Oh wait they are good with vaccines. Yeah that excuses them.
The US has just as much blood on their hands. Africa proved Clinton was a coward and is showing that Bush is just a big a political beast as Bubba.
It’s all a sick joke.
Of course I can also point out that Africa needs help coming out of the dark ages but that makes me a racist doesn’t it?
Africa is making no attempt to come out of the dark ages. Its a big petree dish of disease , for med. students to visit . You can get a shirt from Pakistan , Africa Nope. History there tells the tale
Equal rights in any country are a joke, your education – $$$ - family status, govern rights anywhere.
"A place where AIDS infected Blacks Inject whites with their blood ,in post offices , in line at stores , Hoping to even the AIDS infection rate.
Their urban myth is to have sex with a child to have the AIDS leave their body.
In countries with no money - oil - skilled labor force - Huuuuuum , Human live is the lowest priced commodity."
Heli, this post is super ignorant: How many whites have been infected that way? Tons, right? All these black guys with needles, roaming around: You read this where?
No one believes the urban myth about screwing children except ignorant foreigners who can’t understand Africa’s problems. Maybe some people beleived it at one time, but I don’t think most people do now … Human life is cheap all over the world, including here: Why are Americans smoking, eating and drinking themsleves to death?
I lived in Mozambique for 3 years, traveled though half of Africa and love it there: The continent has tons of natural resources, tons of space, and great people. People are survivors there who have been through more than most of us will go through: The place is still untapped: The global markets are only just beginning to figure this out.
Maybe this is also part of an “arms race” strategy similar to what Reagan did with the USSR? If India and Pakistan are always kept on equal military footing then the status quo breeds stability?
I don’t really believe it or buy it, or think it is an input to the sales, but just a thought.