The privatisation of war is a growing phenomenon across the world. It’s rarely examined (Jeremy Scahill is a notable and noble exception). And now here’s David Ignatius in the Washington Post on the brave new world of killing “terrorists” and not telling anybody about it: A new arsenal of drones and satellite-guided weapons is changing…
Showing all posts tagged arms industry
2SER Radio interview on US/Saudi arms deal
The proposed arms sale by the US to Saudi Arabia of $60 billion worth of death is a huge story that hasn’t received the attention it deserves. I was interviewed on the weekend by Sydney’s 2SER Radio about it:
What good friends do for each other; sell death
I‘ve written before about the massive US arms deal to Saudi Arabia (US$60 billion). Now it’s been officially approved by the powers that be in Washington, so see how the State Department defends the weapons to one of the most brutal regimes in the world.
How to source more drones for killing is a full time job
What’s the best way the US can worsen its image in the Muslim world, kill more civilians and utterly condemn itself to further defeats against a rag-tag army of Taliban fighters? More murder from the air: The U.S. military is secretly diverting aerial drones and weaponry from the Afghan battlefront to significantly expand the CIA’s…
Privatisation for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Are there limits to privatisation or should we just consider asking multinationals to sell babies to the highest bidder? A private company in Maryland has taken over public libraries in ailing cities in California, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas, growing into the country’s fifth-largest library system. Now the company, Library Systems & Services, has been hired…
Now Washington can sell Australia far more deadly weapons to liberate Muslims
Boys who like to play with deadly toys, your wishes have come true: After some behind the scenes wrangling, the Obama administration and Congress agreed this week on terms for new defense trade agreements that will allow freer movement of military goods with two of its top allies. The Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties, which were…
What’s the best to bring reform in Saudi; Washington sells weapons of death
The $60 billion arms deal between the US and fundamentalist Saudi Arabia is the largest single foreign arms deal in history. Democracy promotion at work.
Finding arms deals in the strangest of places
A fascinating and murky tale of alleged arms dealer Viktor Bout who clearly was the best friend of anybody who paid, not least the US: Accused of a 15-year run as one of the world’s biggest arms traffickers, Viktor Bout is thought to be a consummate deal maker. Now his future may hang on whether…
Hello merchant of death, can I please bribe you?
Can we dream of a world where the arms industry simply doesn’t exist? The close ties between the upper echelons of the Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems, Britain’s biggest arms company, have come under the spotlight after new documents showed how the multinational firm has regularly wined and dined mandarins and senior military officers.…
How ANZ bank is backing cluster bombs
Just one more reason to dislike the banking industry: A postcard produced by campaigners shows six-year old Abdullah, pictured with his left arm missing above the elbow. It explains the Iraqi boy was sleeping in his home in 2003 when a cluster bomb came through his window, the shrapnel blowing off his arm and tearing…