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| Arabia |
| Saudis amass U.S. weapons to confront Iran |
| 2010-09-01 |
| A proposed $60 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, one of the largest-ever U.S. weapons sales, marks the consolidation of America as the kingdom's main arms supplier after years of strain following 9/11. The deal, which includes Boeing F-15SA Strike Eagle fighters, also underlines Riyadh's determination to confront the threat it perceives from Iran, Saudi Arabia's rival for regional supremacy and leadership of the Muslim world. The Pentagon advised the U.S. Congress of the proposed multi-layered deal, which is expected to win approval in September. That's because the administration of President Barack Obama, committed to ensuring that its ally Israel retains its long-held qualitative military edge in the region, has assured Israeli leaders the Saudis won't receive cutting-edge technology, particularly long-range missiles. Significantly, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the powerful pro-Israel lobby in Washington, has raised no public objections to the proposed deal with Riyadh. If that remains the case, pro-Israeli lawmakers will likely wave the deal through Congress. There are other considerations. Saudi Arabia and Israel have found themselves linked by their deep fears of a nuclear-armed Iran. This hardly makes allies out of these longtime foes. But, in a changing world, the Israelis appreciate that the more able Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf Arab states are stand up to Iran, and support U.S. forces in the region, the better off they will all be. Word of the massive arms deal was first reported Aug. 13 in Washington. "Contacts for the deal were conducted secretly due to Saudi sensitivity," said Israeli analyst Yiftah Shapir of the Institute for National Security Studies. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #3 Like giving a Corvette to a ten year old... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-09-01 17:27 |
| #2 I hope they both lose. |
| Posted by: Hellfish 2010-09-01 14:46 |
| #1 Alternate headline: "A lot of US weapons are awaiting Iranian pickup.". |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2010-09-01 13:43 |