Reference: US in push for foreign arms deals, Bangkok Post, September 15, 2008

The American installed government of Iraq summarily signed contracts to purchase $10 billion of armaments from the USA without transparent or competitive bids (US in push for foreign arms deals, Bangkok Post, September 15, 2008). The Americans defended the irregular nature of the deal as follows: "Such deals serve the interests of Iraq as they cut the risk of corruption and help Iraq in getting around bottlenecks in the acquisition process". I would like to note that all corrupt deals are justified in this manner.

It is also reported in the same story that by beating the drums of Shi'ite Iranian militancy, the Americans have scared rich Sunni Arab nations in the region into ordering more than $20 billion in arms and missile defense systems from the USA. American foreign policy appears to be shaped by the fight against evil and terrorism but a more sinister side reveals itself if you follow the money trail. The care and feeding of the military-industrial-complex requires a bogeyman. The Soviet Union served that purpose well during the cold war. Since then it's been an uphill battle to find a country, an individual, or an institution as scary as nuclear holocaust used to be.

Cha-am Jamal
Thailand