Quote:
Originally posted by lovelyivy84
Dump the Leahy amendment? Are you serious?
The USA going into different countries and training various paramilitary factions is what got us into this mess in the first place. Pres. Bush senior worked with Osama Bin Ladin and his men extensively. Granted, ths was all during the cold war when we all assumed that we faced a much bigger threat in teh USSR, but we will be dealing with what came of that executive decision for decades to come.
And this is all not to mention the extreme damage that the USA did throughout Central America by using the same tactics- educating paramilitary groups which then turn around and either attack us (against which we retaliate) or against their own people (when we turn a blind eye as long as we get our oil and/or money and other goods).
The USA playing big brother might save us some short term strife, but in the long run I think it has been proven to be disastrou for all concerned.
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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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