From Daniel R. DePetris

...

Trump has talked rightly about war being the last thing he wants and has broached the idea of a bilateral negotiation with Tehran on issues of concern. Establishing more communication nodes with the Iranians is the correct approach.

More weapons in the hands of the Saudis, however, sends Iran the opposite message—that the United States is only interested in talking if the topic is full surrender. And if Iran remains resistant to the idea, Washington will sell munitions to its adversaries until it‘s ready to sign off like the Japanese in 1945. 

It should go without saying that this is not something the Iranians will respond kindly to. The administration is confident that maximum pressure will eventually frighten Iran to the table where it will give up everything. More likely is the opposite—the Iranians will stiffen their spines.

It’s not too late for President Trump to reverse a potentially calamitous decision. For the good of America’s security, one hopes he has second thoughts and recognizes that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia don’t always align.

Daniel R. DePetris is a columnist for the Washington Examiner and The American Conservative.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/trumps-decision-to-arm-...

Either way, the US will claim that Iran is a "rogue state"., while the USA has gone completely bonkers (way before Trump, mind you, as to a great extend the USA HAS ALWAYS BEEN BONKERS, despite appearances of peaceful middle class affluence). But we love bonkers, bullies, blotto, biffo better than peace, don't we? Now that Scummo-the-evangelist has become the leader of the heavenly Aussie rich, we can only go with the flow of the mad men who think plunder is a godly order. War leads to sainthood and the sooner the better for these idiots. And so spoketh democracy — the political game of dumb and dumber numbers. 

And by the way: ARMS MANUFACTURERS TELL INVESTORS THAT IRAN TENSION FUELS BUSINESS

DEFENSE EXECUTIVES FROM around the country crowded into Goldman Sachs’ glimmering tower in downtown Manhattan in mid-May, eager to present before a conference of bankers and financial analysts.

While much of the world was on edge over simmering tension in the Middle East, as the U.S. and its allies have stoked tensions with Iran, the businessmen at the conference talked of opportunity.

Eric DeMarco, the president of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, addressed the conference, arguing that his company is “very well-aligned” for the shift in the military budget away from asymmetrical fighting toward nation-state warfare.

The rising threat of war with Iran, Russia, and China, DeMarco continued, could threaten U.S. naval power, which could require ballistic missile threat upgrades, the type of systems Kratos Defense specializes in.

Large arms manufacturers from across the industry have similarly told investors that escalating conflict with Iran could be good for business.

Thomas Kennedy, the CEO of Raytheon, was asked in January about the “demand signals” that could shape the defense budget going forward. Kennedy, according to a transcript of the call, said the “major concern there is Iran.” The company, Kennedy added, had recently won approval to provide missile defense systems to Saudi Arabia, as the country has ramped up defense systems in preparation for potential war.

The following month, Kennedy presented at the Cowen Aerospace conference for investors, again focusing on how conflict with Iran will boost revenue. Kennedy said he had spent time on Capitol Hill discussing “all the information that we’re seeing from Russia and from China and to a certain degree even still North Korea and then what Iran is doing.” The discussions in Washington, D.C., he said, left him “pretty optimistic about the U.S. budget moving forward.”

Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson also discussed the rising threat from Iran during her company’s investor call in January. The Defense Department’s National Defense Strategy, a blueprint released earlier this year for military planning, said Hewson, focused on “great power competition with China and Russia, and also the other players like Iran and North Korea.” The strategy, along with “bipartisan support for defense spending,” favored her company moving forward, Hewson said.

Read more:

https://theintercept.com/2019/05/28/arms-manufacturers-investors-iran-bu...