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U.S., the Biggest Global Arms Dealer

We're leaders in everything, from outsourcing to having the highest rate of child poverty among industrialized nations. We are also, according to a Congressional Service Research (CRS) report released yesterday, the top seller of arms to the developing world, followed by Russia and Great Britain. Its biggest recipients are Pakistan and India.

With this $28.8 billion market, the U.S. is effectively fueling a long standing rivalry between two nuclear states on the Indian subcontinent by arming both sides and pushing along a regional arms race. By selling F-16's to both sides, the Bush administration claimed back in 2005, it was "trying to...solidify and extend relations with both India and Pakistan, at a time when we have good relations with both of them...and at a time when they have improving relationships with one another."

This is certainly nothing new: the U.S. doesn't hesitate to arm both sides of a conflict. Let us remember Turkey and Greece, as well as Iran and Iraq.

—Neha Inamdar

Posted by Mother Jones on 10/02/07 at 5:18 PM | Comments (1) | Email | Print

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