Quote:
Originally posted by Arya
There is an outright ban on all arms trading, from bullets to F-16. Boeing and Lockheed could have avoided downsizing if not for the LEahey Amendment. SO, instead, the Indonesian government bought their arms from the Russians and the European. We lost billion in arms trade. And thisi s not a para-military organizaton, this is the armed force of a nation that have always supported us. Sure they are going through rough time, but we need them to be stabilized because:
(a) Indonesia is right in the middle of the world economy, 76% of the world economy uses the sea lane that goes through the region.
(b) a stable Indonesia is a stable S.E. Asia. And trust me, you do not want a destablize S.E. Asia.
(c) Indonesia could be the holy grail when it come to having a legitimate democratically elected government where the population are Muslim. (Indonesia is a democratic government)
(d) The Commender of the Pacific fleet himself says that Indonesian armed forces need the military hardware because many of their planes, tanks and boats are running down and they can not buy replacement.
(e) I'm not alone in this regard, CATO, Henry Kissinger (sure I don't like him, but you got to make pact with the devil some time), US Dept. of Defense and other want to restart the different training and selling of weapons to their armed forces.
(f) We have little or no influence on the military right now because of the LEahey AMendment. If we returned to normality, we have better influence
No more rhetoric, it's time to practice real politik.
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I don't think that I am giving in to rhetoric, just observing the effects of former policy.
There may seem to be a number of great reasons (all of the ones you listed are compelling) but in the long run I think it will be a mistake. It is always a mistake. Once America involves itself in the affairs of any given foreign country, it generally takes a war and a couple of billion dollars spent before we get out of it again (Vietnam, Korea, Phillipines, Central America, The Middle East have all proven costly in manpower as well as capital).
As for providing arms, that would spur American industry, and then in 20 years when tht country is financially unstable from the various wars amongst the political factions that we armed, or who received the arms through corrupt dealers, and the country has split into several deadly factions resulting from the weakened centralized government that the people lost faith in when the officials 'betrayed' them by giving in to the American dogs, and they have massacred their own people and want to unify themselves as a country again, who becomes the Enemy? Us. Who is subject to a fresh wave of terrorist acts? Us.