Asia Times: US salvoes across South Asia (playing Pakistan vs India)

[lumberjack_jeff]

By Kaushik Kapisthalam
Aug 4, 2005

Even as an authoritative report from an arm of the US government warned of a potential nuclear war in South Asia triggered by an "arms race" between India and Pakistan, the George W Bush administration is working hard to complete arms sales and transfers of astronomical proportions to the two nations.

Congress report
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is part of the Library of Congress and provides regular, non-partisan research and analysis reports to members of Congress on policy issues. A recent CRS report on US-Pakistan relations stated, "US policy analysts consider the apparent arms race between India and Pakistan as posing perhaps the most likely prospect for the future use of nuclear weapons by states."

The report also noted that since Pakistan's decision to be part of the US-led coalition in the "war on terror" in 2001, the US has taken significant steps to provide military support to Islamabad. It noted that the March 25 decision by the Bush administration to release advanced F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan was just the latest in a series of major US weapons sales and grants to that nation.

The report added that between 2003 and now, the US had given to Pakistan six C-130 military transport aircraft ($75 million grant); six Aerostat surveillance radars ($US155 million sale); 12 radars and 40 Bell transport helicopters ($300 million sale); military radio systems ($78 million sale).

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

From the Asia Times

[Karenina]

1. Boys and their toys...

[bemildred]

2. Trying to shore up Mushhead, they are.

Like all the stuff they "sell" to the Saudis,
and they are going to be sorry ...