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Ear to the Ground

U.S. Is No. 1 in Arms Sales to Developing Nations

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Posted on Oct 1, 2007

Of all the ways to stand out on the world stage, this news about America’s global leadership surely does not represent the best possible distinction it could have earned: According to a congressional study released Monday, the U.S. beat out Russia and Britain to become the top seller of weapons to developing nations such as India and Pakistan in 2006.


The New York Times:

The report, “Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations,” was produced by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, a division of the Library of Congress, and presents a number of interesting observations linking arms sales and global politics. For example, Russia has been a major supplier of weapons to Iran in past years, including a $700 million deal for surface-to-air missiles in 2005.

But anxieties over Iran’s nuclear program can be seen as having deterred Moscow from concluding significant new conventional arms deals with Iran in 2006, deals that could be viewed as overly provocative while the Security Council debates new sanctions on Iran.

At the same time, though, Russia continues to nurture an arms-trade relationship that is deeply disturbing to the Bush administration, by signing weapons deals with oil-rich Venezuela and its anti-American leader, Hugo Chávez.

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By elizabethe, January 8 at 1:09 am #

Each state could have a site to direct upset voters to register a complaint letter to their local election commission where they are registered so that the numbers would prove a majority level of upset and the huge numbers due would be manageable.

I voted for Nader.  To me, I do not owe the complaint.  The Obama railroaded and deluded hype believers who voted for Obama should complain they do not want what he is actually intending to do.

He is following Bush’s offensive footsteps and is worse than Bush.

89$% said we are off track not on track during September in a Washington Post poll of independents.  The Post, however, failed to offer any candidate remedy of outside challenge, and intentionally refused the proper focus of domestic policy as the required duty to govern THIS country not the world, and the offensive military was their continued “offering” as if no change was possible, and they offered ONLY two choices to the polled respondents who were “independents”.  I wish they refused the ONLY TWO INCUMBENTS as choices, and I wish they had said NO, I am voting NADER, but given that the media refused to offer NADER, IT IS POSSIBLE THEY DID NOT KNOW HE WAS SERIOUSLY VIABLE AND ABLE TO WIN.

To me, it is common sense and obvious if there are four outside challenges to the incumbents in office, those four are VERY DUE the public presentation and the DEBATES were REQUIRED to show the contest and PROVE the public CAN vote and DECIDE at a majority INFORMED LEVEL TO NET A DEMOCRACY WHERE THE OFFENDERS IN OFFICE GET VOTED OUT, DECISIVELY AND HANDILY.

The media refused.

There is NO Two Party Majority!  Fact at registration.

We have 100 million non-partisan registered voters and 62 registered in the combined two parties, shown by a check of each state website of their elections data.

Report this

By elizabethe, January 8 at 1:07 am #

Each state could have a site to direct upset voters to register a complaint letter to their local election commission where they are registered so that the numbers would prove a majority level of upset and the huge numbers due would be manageable.

I voted for Nader.  To me, I do not owe the complaint.  The Obama railroaded and deluded hype believers who voted for Obama should complain they do not want what he is actually intending to do.

He is following Bush’s offensive footsteps and is worse than Bush.

usurping the U.S. Constitution as if the voters think he is smart with his complete incompetence and intended war instead of smart budget in the black and priorities on track to deliver the public interest democracy DUE minus the corporate corruption of two party rule against REAL CHANGE DUE with proper leadership.

89$% said we are off track not on track during September in a Washington Post poll of independents.  The Post, however, failed to offer any candidate remedy of outside challenge, and intentionally refused the proper focus of domestic policy as the required duty to govern THIS country not the world, and the offensive military was their continued “offering” as if no change was possible, and they offered ONLY two choices to the polled respondents who were “independents”.  I wish they refused the ONLY TWO INCUMBENTS as choices, and I wish they had said NO, I am voting NADER, but given that the media refused to offer NADER, IT IS POSSIBLE THEY DID NOT KNOW HE WAS SERIOUSLY VIABLE AND ABLE TO WIN.

To me, it is common sense and obvious if there are four outside challenges to the incumbents in office, those four are VERY DUE the public presentation and the DEBATES were REQUIRED to show the contest and PROVE the public CAN vote and DECIDE at a majority INFORMED LEVEL TO NET A DEMOCRACY WHERE THE OFFENDERS IN OFFICE GET VOTED OUT, DECISIVELY AND HANDILY.

The media refused.

There is NO Two Party Majority!  Fact at registration.

We have 100 million non-partisan registered voters and 62 registered in the combined two parties, shown by a check of each state website of their elections data.

Report this

By rodney, October 4, 2007 at 1:01 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

It’s not a matter of if, but when are we going to have to disarm the country we’ve just armed? How many American soldiers will, and are being killed by American arms? When you live by the sword you shall perish by the sword.

Report this

By Mariam Russell, October 2, 2007 at 1:09 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

The USA did not just this year become the arms dealer to the world.

If the people of the USA really cared about the carnage they would not sit still for their tax dollars paying the bill. You know, we give xgillion $ to Columbia or Israel as “aid” with the stipulation it be spent on American arms and other goods to fight the various and sundry “wars” we have dreamed up this year.

A bit late to wax all shocked and insulted Mr/Mrs Voter/Citizen.

Report this

By RAE, October 1, 2007 at 11:14 pm #

Can there be a more obscene hypocrisy than what lives and breathes in the American administration?

I’m SO ashamed to be an unwitting part of committing these crimes against humanity. If I could do anything to stop it, I would. All I can do is apologize.

Report this

By boggs, October 1, 2007 at 10:22 pm #

We are also the worlds #1 terrorist group.
All the countries that get accused of being part of the “axis of evil” could take lessons from Bush and Cheney.

Report this

By QuyTran, October 1, 2007 at 8:53 pm #

Communists and Imperialists are all SOBs !

Report this

By waxman, October 1, 2007 at 5:12 pm #

THIS WORKS YOU KNOW….WE SUPPLIED SADDAM WITH GAS, HE KILLS KURDS, WE SAY WHAT A DIRTY BAS##ARD, ATTACK AND KILL HIM…PAGE TWO OF BUSH/CHENEY BIO…...

Report this

By purplewolf, October 1, 2007 at 4:11 pm #

AND THE INSANITY MARCHES ON!

Report this

By Nancy Hatfield, October 1, 2007 at 3:31 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

The U.S. government feels arms sales are great for the U.S. economy. But the consequences are disastrous for the millions of innocent people brutalized by weapons of war sold to these countries. One trillion dollars of U.S. tax dollars go to support the military industrial complex each year.  It’s high time for change!!

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