One has to wonder what the Russian involvement is in this: ---- Saudi Arabia was the top recipient of American-made arms from 2011-2015, followed closely by the United Arab Emirates, according to research compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which has been analyzing international arms transfers since 1968. The rest of the top 10 included Turkey, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan, India, Singapore, Iraq, and Egypt. Experts believe the Middle East will remain a top destination for weapons for some time -- it currently accounts for about 40% of U.S. arms exports -- especially given the rise of ISIS <http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/08/world/isis-fast-facts/index.html>. "The dynamic of the [falling] oil prices has been overwhelmed by the deep insecurity these countries are currently feeling and the insecure future they feel they face," Andrew Hunter of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told CNN. Hunter, the director of the defense-industrial initiatives group, said that the countries in the region were "prioritizing defense" over other spending. The American exports include everything from small arms to fighter jet aircraft and tanks, to Patriot Missile batteries. Several Asian countries are also represented high up on the arms sales list, reflecting ongoingtensions with North Korea over its nuclear and missile <http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/17/asia/north-korea-missile-launch/index.html> programs and China's stepped up military activity in the South China Sea. The tightening of U.S.-Vietnam relations comes as Vietnam has protested China's actions in its nearby waters, including an incident where China stationed an oil rig in disputed waters off of Vietnam's coast in 2014 <http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/19/world/asia/china-vietnam-islands-oil-rig-explainer/index.html>, an event that sparked anti-China riots in Vietnam. The day after the US. announced it would lift its arms embargo against Vietnam, Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that Vietnam needs the military equipment it will get in order to defend itself. Will U.S. lifting Vietnam arms ban raise South China Sea tensions? <http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/23/politics/vietnam-arms-ban-south-china-sea/index.html> While most of the top importers use their own money to buy arms from the U.S., the U.S. also provides some countries with grants and loans -- separate from the arms sales -- to purchase defense equipment from American manufacturers, as part of a program called Foreign Military Financing. The State Department's 2017 budget request includes approximately $5.7 billion for Foreign Military Financing. In the proposed budget, the top five recipients of American foreign military financing will beIsrael ($3.1 billion), Egypt ($1.3 billion) <http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/11/politics/us-foreign-aid-report/index.html>, Jordan ($350 million), Pakistan ($265 million), and Iraq ($150 million). While Israel is supposed to spend this money on U.S. arms, some of that country's most expensive purchases, like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, have yet to be delivered and are therefore not reflected in SIPRI's statistics. While the Middle East tops the list, funding for African armies in 2017 will more than double from last year, likely a consequence of increased terrorist activity <http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/10/politics/africa-terror-isis-boko-haram/index.html> in places like Mali, Somalia, and Nigeria. Hunter said that U.S. defense companies were explicit in their desire to boost international exports in the wake of recent defense budget cuts. At a media day event in March, the CEO of U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin, Marillyn Hewson, said, "One area where we expect the majority of our growth potential to come from in the years ahead is our international customers." Opinion: 'Sham democracy' is fueling Africa's terrorism <http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/10/opinions/africa-terrorism-democracy/index.html> Other major arms exporters after the U.S. include Russia, China, France, and Germany. While Hunter said Russia will always have a market for its "cheaper" arms exports to countries that are accustomed to Soviet-era weaponry, he sees China as being increasingly active in the international market. "You are seeing more and more Chinese at arms shows trying to compete with the U.S. <http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/22/news/china-arms-exports-rising/index.html>," he said. China has upped its share of global arms exports by over 60% compared to the 2006-2010 period, according to SIPRI. One area where China has been particularly active is drone technology, with reports of China exporting drones <http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/01/opinions/china-drone-sales-kreps/> to Nigeria, Iraq, and Pakistan. He added that China was facing challenges to growing its market share due to increased tensions over competing claims in the South China Sea, as many of the countries in the region, like Vietnam, are also amongst the fastest-growing markets for arms exports.
On Friday, July 15, 2016 at 4:21:43 PM UTC-5, KeithInTampa wrote: > > Wow......One has to wonder what the Russian involvement is in this: > > > http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160715/1043073272/turkish-pm-military-coup-attempt.html > > 23:07 15.07.2016(updated 00:10 16.07.2016) Get short URL > 8 > <http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160715/1043073272/turkish-pm-military-coup-attempt.html#comments> > 18542519 > The Turkish military claims it has taken over the government and seized > all power in the country. > > In a statement read on television, Turkish General Staff announced that > "Turkish Armed Forces took full control of power." Earlier in the day, > military vehicles, soldiers, and security forces were deployed on the > streets of Istanbul and the capital of Ankara. Military jets and > helicopters were seen flying over both major cities. Gunfire has been > reported in the capital of Ankara. Bridges leading over the Bosphorus > out of Istanbul have also been closed. A blast has been heard in Ankara. > > A curfew has been put in effect across the country. > > The Turkish military is currently led by General Hulusi Akar, however > Turkish Anadolu news agency reports that he has been taken hostage by the > military. > [image: Turkish Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar] > © WIKIPEDIA/ > Turkish Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar > > According to Justice Minister Bozdag, the government prosecutor's office > in Ankara and Istanbul has opened an investigation into the actions of the > rebels. > > "I consider it necessary to reassure our citizens that the government has > taken and continues to undertake all necessary steps," he said. > > Prime Minister Binali Yildirim went on national television to stress that > some elements in the military attempted to overthrow the government, but > "the government elected by the people remains in charge.This government > will only go when the people say so." > > "Some people illegally undertook an illegal action outside of the chain > of command," Prime Minister Yildirim added. > > It is unclear who is currently controlling the situation in the country. > President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is reportedly on holiday in the Turkish city > of Bodrum. Erdogan is reportedly en route to the international airport > in Istanbul. His residence in Istanbul is under heavy guard, with the > street blocked off on both sides. > > "This is a mutiny attempt. We will not let this attempt win. We will > uphold democracy," he said on Turkish NTV. > > In a statement, the Turkish military claims that it has taken over and > that all international relations will be maintained. The government denies > these claims. > > A number of ambulances are en route to the Army General Headquarters > building in Ankara. > > Tanks have been spotted at Ataturk airport in Istanbul. All flights > leaving the airport have been cancelled. A number of flights bound > for Turkey have been diverted. > > The military has reportedly stormed local television stations. Facebook, > Twitter, and YouTube access was severed earlier. > > DETAILS TO FOLLOW > -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PoliticalForum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
