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Myth behind all those arms sales in the Middle East

"The Bush administration’s proposal to send $20 billion worth of arms and $43 billion in military aid to U.S. allies in the Middle East has been promoted by repeating a series of time-worn myths that should have long since been abandoned. With a shooting war in Iraq and a war of words with Iran well under way, the last thing the region needs is a new influx of high tech weaponry.

The suggestions of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates that this flood of armaments will be “stabilizing” in the short term while underscoring the U.S. commitment to “moderates” in the region over the longer term is a prime example of this historical amnesia."

So writes William D. Hartung, a director of the Arms and Security Project at the New America Foundation, on CommonDreams. Hartung's analysis is incisive and ought give pause for thought in what the US, misguidedly, is going to do with all those arms sales. Watch the balances in the Middle East tilt this and that way - apart from heightening tensions in the region.

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