On the one hand, the Bush administration can cite numerous instances of Saudi Arabia sabotaging our success in prosecuting the Iraq war and leaving behind an orderly, functioning society, including: Undermining prime minister Nuri al-Maliki by giving financial assistance to his political opponents, as well as to Sunni tribes; waging a months-long campaign to recruit other Persian Gulf countries to give financial aid to Sunni tribal groups; and looking the other way as some 60 to 80 foreign insurgents from Saudi Arabia enter the fray in Iraq each month.
On the other hand, the Bush administration plans to reward the duplicitous Saudis – as well as other Persian Gulf states that may be in cahoots with them - with a massive package of arms deals worth some $20 billion.
U.S. officials said the arms sales to Saudi Arabia are expected to include air-to-air missiles as well as Joint Direct Attack Munitions, which turn standard bombs into “smart” precision-guided bombs. Most, but not all, of the arms sales to the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman - will be defensive, the officials said
The proposed package of advanced weaponry for Saudi Arabia, which includes advanced satellite-guided bombs, upgrades to its fighters and new naval vessels, has made Israel and some of its supporters in Congress nervous. Senior officials who described the package on Friday said they believed that the administration had resolved those concerns, in part by promising Israel $30.4 billion in military aid over the next decade, a significant increase over what Israel has received in the past 10 years.
But administration officials remained concerned that the size of the package and the advanced weaponry it contains, as well as broader concerns about Saudi Arabia’s role in Iraq, could prompt Saudi critics in Congress to oppose the package when Congress is formally notified about the deal this fall.
Unnamed senior Bush administration officials tell The New York Times that the arms package to the six Persian Gulf nations is meant to counter the growing strength of Iran, and that the U.S. has not attached any conditions to the deal - not even specific assurances that recipients will support, not subvert, our mission in Iraq. The Bush administration is concerned that Saudi Arabia and the others will get this equipment elsewhere, reducing U.S. influence in the region.
These developments suggest that the U.S. doesn’t have much influence in the region – none of the Arab nations are even bothering with the usual doublespeak and politesse anymore.
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