Russia Says It's Ready to Arm Saudi Arabia

[CHIMO]

Moscow is preparing its first major defense contract with Saudi Arabia, the world's largest arms buyer that has traditionally spent its petrodollars on U.S.-made weapons.

The deal is part of a strategy aimed at diversifying Russia's arms buyers away from China and India, Sergei Chemezov, general director of state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport, told reporters Wednesday.

Chemezov refused to give any details, but said that Russia is stepping up negotiations with Middle Eastern countries for jointly developing air defense systems on the basis of the domestically produced S-300, Buk and Tor-M1 systems.

"If a contract with Saudi Arabia is signed, it will be a landmark event in Russian arms exporting," said Marat Kenzhetayev, an expert with the Center for Arms Control.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/10/043.html

[paineinthearse]

1. Frontline - House of Saud

I hope everyone had a chance to watch "House of Saud" last night on PBS. If not, watch for re-broadcasts.

Saudi Arabia became a US base of operations during the cold war to counter-balance Soviet alliances with Syria and Egypt. Now we're coming full circle.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

10. Perhaps the ruling class in Saudi Arabia isn't interested in becoming one

of shrub's projects. I remember seeing (on the telly) a meeting of Arab leaders... and they were yelling something like "we're next!!!", this after the Iraq reinvasion. No wonder they are sidling up with the bear.

[w4rma]

2. Ugh. (nt)

[fujiyama]

13. I know what you mean

Putin makes me sick...He's got the Bush like authoritarian mindset.

It doesn't surprise me that Bush "looked into his soul" and saw a "good man".

[Anakin Skywalker]

3. All Right! Nice to Know

the forces of FREEDOM and CAPITALISM are working. :)

[pinto]

4. BushcoCondiCorp, Inc. must answer this threat!

(sarcasm?, yes, yet - I still think Condi's been hired to help stem Russian interests in the Caucasus on behalf of the "Homeland" and Bush's "Greater Middle East" ...)

There's an Arms For Oil meme here somewhere, but I'll leave it for now. UGHHH.

[Igel]

9. Russia doesn't need Sa'udi oil.

Or did I misunderstand you?

[pinto]

11. yep, doubt they need it, too. I think it's the Caucasus access, in part,

and a game about influence in the Mid East arch. And pipelines.

Russia has enourmous natural gas reserves that need an outlet.

And, their own take on what "security" means in the world picture.

(on edit to add) The Saudi deal isn't strictly about oil. It's about influence, a presence and rubles.

[NNN0LHI]

5. This comes as quite a shock n/t

[reprobate]

6. GWB. Has one man ever screwed up so badly so many times?

The man adds new meaning to the term 'failure'. Nothing he has EVER done has been a success.

One has to wonder: Is it intentional? It certainly couldn't be accidental. That would be stretching coincidence beyond credulity.

[htuttle]

7. I wonder which prince they've been talking with?

I bet it's someone in Prince Nawaf bin Abdul-Aziz's camp, former head of the kingdom's intelligence service. He wasn't fond of the US and Bush in particular. Abdul-Aziz survived a brain hemorrage in 2002, but I'm not sure how active he has been. Perhaps one of the many princely allies.

Either that, or Prince Abdullah is hedging his bets...

:shrug:

[quaoar]

8. This sale seems to be

restricted to air defense missile systems.

[Kokonoe]

12. I wonder who they would stop from using their airspace. N/T

[TygrBright]

14. Whoa.... Wait a sec....

... aren't the Chechen "terrorists" Muslims?

Don't the Chechens get support from the House of Saud?

Isn't Russia desperately worried about Islamic influence in the former Soviet Republics?

I think my head is exploding, here...

baffledly,
Bright

[happyslug]

15. S-300, Buk and Tor-M1

S-300, Buk and Tor-M1

More on the S-300 (Also known as the S-300PMU, SA-10 GRUMBLE and SA-N-6 GRUMBLE): (This is the Russian Long Range Missle, Considered by the Russian equal to the American Patroit System):

http://fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/airdef/s-300pmu.htm

The Buk (Also known as the SA-11 GADFLY, the 9K37M1 BUK-1M) is a Medium Range Anti-Aircraft Missle:
http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/sa-11.htm

The product Improve Buk (Also known as SA-17 GRIZZLY. Buk-M1-2, SA-N-12 GRIZZLY, Yezh and HQ-16):
http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/sa-17.htm


The Tor (Also known as the 9K331 Tor, SA-15 GAUNTLET, SA-N-9 and the Q-17): This is a low to medium Anti-aircraft missle:
http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/sa-15.htm

[applegrove]

16. Great! The arms race has started again. Everyone is afraid of the USA

Great! The arms race has started again. Everyone is afraid of the USA! Someone please tell me this was not all in the plans! That the nasty buggers who sell arms didn't sit around after 1990 and go "we need a few wars and we need a bully to scare everyone into buying arms".

When people spend money on arms and not other things - the people loose out.

Pretty soon all that will be left of the USA government will be 1) arms 2) oil reserves 3) soldiers. And that is it!!!

[Nihil]

17. Really?

> ... Saudi Arabia, the world's largest arms buyer ...

WTF do they do with it all then?

I would have thought that the jolly old US of A would be top (or doesn't
it count if you buy from your own people?). How about China? Are their
soldier just trained to shout "Bang! Bang!"? (or "Tank! Tank!" as the
old joke goes).

A lot of America's arms purchases (made from around the world) are on
show in Iraq and Afghanistan these days ... where are the Saudi testing
their weapons?