US to sell $26 billion worth of weapons to debt-hit Iraq

[sabra]

Source: ibtimes

It's payback time for Iraq. After the U.S. spent hundreds of billons of dollars on the Iraqi occupation, the hunt of Saddam, the institution of a fledgling democracy and then on rebuilding the war ravaged, strife-torn country, the Iraqis are now buying weapons worth $26 billion from the U.S.

A Baghdad-based newspaper, Al-Ittihad, said in a report the heavily indebted country will now buy warplanes, helicopters, tanks and other armored vehicles, warships and missiles from the U.S. in two phases.

Mohammed al-Askari, spokesman of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, told the newspaper that Baghdad has already signed a contract worth $13 billion under which weapons will be bought before 2013. A similar sum will be spent on U.S. weapons subsequently.

With Iraq coughing up billions of dollars on weapons, the external debt of the country will further inflate, it has been pointed out. According to Exotix, a London-based frontier market debt trading firm, Iraq's external debt was between $103 billion and $129 billion.

Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/100240/20110112/us-to-sell-26-billion-worth-of-weapons-to-debt-hit-iraq.htm

[DrDan]

1. but who will get the bill

[cbdo2007]

6. What bill?? They don't have any money. It's just "debt" just like our "debt".

Nobody is responsible for it cause it's the whole country.

[DrDan]

10. my point was that I am confident that the U.S. taxpayer will pay

[freshwest]

20. They don't need money. They have oil. Barter.

[SpiralHawk]

2. "We're also running a special on whiskey and pistols." - War Profiteers, Inc.

[nyc 4 Biden]

3. Mission Accomplished!

Now we can finally fly that banner.

[boomerbust]

4. This is stunning

By 2020 we will have to go to war against an Iraqi dictator because He has weapons of mass destruction.:scared:

[Skink]

5. Nothin left to do but move the weapons.

[SemperEadem]

7. didn't our government already try that tack back in the 90's?

and if Iraq is in debt, then where are they getting the $$ to buy all this stuff?

[faz]

8. It's Déjà vu all over again

President Saddam Hussein just sent in a telegram of congratulations !

He said, why killed me while I could pay more of your weapons!

[Hulk]

9. This is all we export anymore....

We are the world's manufacturer of weapons. It's ALL we make in this country to export, of any substance.

We are a nation of war. It's what Eisenhower warned us of. It's come to pass....way back at the Vietnam war onward. The military complex runs this country. We all think of oil...but these guys make oil corporations look like kid's play.

[dmallind]

17. Bullshit

Here are top US exports by final use code in $000 for 2009. The first military category ranks 57th!

2009
TOTAL 1,056,042,963
(22090) Civilian aircraft, engines, equipment, and parts 74,755,438
(40100) Pharmaceutical preparations 46,122,661
(21320) Semiconductors 37,487,996
(21180) Industrial machines, other 30,876,273
(30230) Other parts and accessories of vehicles 30,131,644
(21400) Telecommunications equipment 28,683,134
(30000) Passenger cars, new and used 27,501,371
(21610) Medicinal equipment 26,879,276
(20005) Electric apparatus 26,062,564
(12500) Plastic materials 25,543,801
(21301) Computer accessories 25,402,179
(12540) Chemicals-organic 24,602,598
(11110) Fuel oil 23,670,220
(60000) Minimum value shipments 22,610,420
(21100) Industrial engines 21,916,203
(11120) Petroleum products, other 21,731,464
(12550) Chemicals-other 20,785,260
(12770) Other industrial supplies 17,932,452
(21160) Measuring, testing, control instruments 16,939,642
(00100) Soybeans 16,905,202
(41050) Other household goods 16,629,750
(12260) Nonmonetary gold 13,932,512
(12300) Finished metal shapes 13,091,337
(30100) Trucks, buses and special purpose vehicles 12,472,506
(21300) Computers 12,314,744
(00300) Meat, poultry, etc. 12,056,081
(21000) Drilling & oilfield equipment 11,467,010
(12430) Newsprint 10,759,362
(42100) Gem diamonds 10,483,995
(20000) Generators, accessories 10,296,288
(41120) Toys/games/sporting goods 9,839,225
(21030) Excavating machinery 9,810,299
(21170) Materials handling equipment 9,722,423
(00200) Corn 9,680,733
(30200) Engines and engine parts (carburetors, pistons, ri 8,775,176
(21600) Laboratory testing instruments 8,693,696
(12000) Steelmaking materials 8,548,322
(40120) Toiletries and cosmetics 8,436,427
(00360) Other foods 8,116,537
(12270) Precious metals, other 8,007,692
(21190) Photo, service industry machinery 7,888,360
(12100) Iron and steel mill products 7,063,152
(12510) Chemicals-fertilizers 7,034,570
(00320) Fruits, frozen juices 6,888,310
(41320) Artwork, antiques, stamps, etc. 6,861,140
(12420) Pulpwood and woodpulp 6,848,862
(41310) Jewelry, etc 6,807,589
(00220) Animal feeds, n.e.c. 6,350,471
(21200) Agricultural machinery, equipment 6,253,057
(12530) Chemicals-inorganic 6,018,503
(40140) Writing and art supplies 5,942,634
(41030) Household appliances 5,919,684
(12290) Nonferrous metals, other 5,825,561
(60010) Miscellaneous domestic exports and special transac 5,799,825
(12200) Aluminum and alumina 5,691,779
00000) Wheat 5,515,311
(50070) Parts for military-type goods 5,481,298
(12110) Iron and steel products, other 5,412,567
(21120) Metalworking machine tools 5,298,367
(40110) Books, printed matter 5,183,642
(00330) Vegetables 4,942,980
(40000) Apparel, household goods - textile 4,767,587
(12620) Manmade cloth 4,743,467
(11010) Metallurgical grade coal 4,455,228
(00340) Nuts 4,183,367
(01000) Fish and shellfish 4,088,512
(12210) Copper 4,085,511
(00350) Bakery products 4,057,777
(41220) Records, tapes, and disks 4,035,140
(12760) Mineral supplies-manufactured 4,027,656
(41200) TV's, VCR's, etc. 3,904,324
(13100) Logs and lumber 3,523,549
(21140) Wood, glass, plastic 3,414,628
(10000) Cotton, raw 3,368,670
(13210) Shingles, molding, wallboard 3,341,640
(11200) Gas-natural 3,286,064
(41000) Furniture, household goods, etc. 3,221,439
(50050) Tanks, artillery, missiles, rockets, guns and ammu 3,121,615
(21500) Business machines and equipment 2,973,575
(12750) Industrial rubber products 2,864,700
(11130) Natural gas liquids 2,803,344
(12700) Synthetic rubber-primary 2,792,362
(10130) Agric. industry-unmanufactured 2,781,143
(30220) Automotive tires and tubes 2,768,978
(21110) Food, tobacco machinery 2,722,159
(00110) Oilseeds, food oils 2,525,373
(22100) Railway transportation equipment 2,500,782
(50000) Military aircraft, complete 2,381,208
(10140) Agric. farming-unmanufactured 2,358,184
(21150) Pulp and paper machinery 2,311,204
(11300) Nuclear fuel materials 2,283,340
(00010) Rice 2,274,187
(40030) Apparel,household goods-nontextile 2,117,895
(12600) Cotton fiber cloth 2,115,630
(41140) Musical instruments 2,108,088
(10150) Agriculture-manufactured, other 2,087,976
(12640) Finished textile supplies 2,072,266
(11020) Coal and fuels, other 2,066,459
(41110) Pleasure boats and motors 2,050,067
(21040) Nonfarm tractors and parts 2,048,417
(50020) Engines and turbines for military aircraft 1,912,519
(00310) Dairy products and eggs 1,880,555
(41210) Stereo equipment, etc. 1,786,163
(10120) Hides and skins 1,465,990
(13200) Glass-plate, sheet, etc. 1,344,362
(00370) Wine and related products 1,273,536
(01020) Nonagricultural foods, etc. 1,270,889
(22220) Marine engines, parts 1,188,961
(01010) Alcoholic beverages, excluding wine 1,169,517
(10100) Tobacco, unmanufactured 1,133,193
(21010) Specialized mining 1,123,268
(13110) Wood supplies, manufactured 1,014,437
(50030) Military trucks, armored vehicles, etc. 1,012,332
(11100) Crude oil 972,228
(21130) Textile, sewing machines 965,597
(41040) Rugs 849,025
(41020) Cookware, cutlery, tools 840,518
(00210) Sorghum, barley, oats 728,478
(12765) Tapes, audio and visual 696,209
(12650) Leather and furs 568,783
(11400) Electric energy 561,929
(40130) Tobacco, manufactured 533,247
(40050) Sports apparel and gear 520,298
(12630) Hair, waste materials 488,015
(12720) Nonmetallic minerals 481,209
(50010) Aircraft launching gear, parachutes, etc. 452,002
(50060) Military apparel and footwear 434,997
(13220) Nontextile floor tiles 425,461
(42000) Nursery stock, etc. 405,493
(41010) Glassware, chinaware 395,705
(22210) Commercial vessels, other 395,242
(41300) Numismatic coins 282,087
(30210) Bodies and chassis for passenger cars 65,257
(22300) Spacecraft, excluding military 48,362
(22200) Vessels, excluding scrap 22,016
(50040) Military ships and boats 0
(60040) Undocumented exports to Canada 0

Source (because I know pissy ignorant claims never backed up themselves always result in indignant claims for back up when corrected):

http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/product/enduse/exports/c0000.html

[conspirator]

11. Basically Iraq will pay with the oil. This is plundering that would make the

vikings envious.

[Canuckistanian]

13. I knew they'd get that oil money somehow

They simply launder it through weapons sales.

[dixiegrrrrl]

14. Remember when Bush & Co. said the war would pay for itself in Iraqi oil?

There wasn't gonna be a cost to the war, they promised.

NOW we are selling them weapons?????
After dropping tons of weapons ON them, we are selling them weapons when they are in debt....

Wonder how much that comes to for every dead military person?
Not to mention dead Iraqi civilians.

I am nauseated at this moment.

[defendandprotect]

12. But we're only doing this because we're fighting for democracy and PEACE in the world... right?

[Cal Carpenter]

15. And in 10 years we'll use those weapons as a justification

to bomb the shit out of them again (or still, as the case may be)

WAR IS A RACKET

[Javaman]

16. Like the world bank, we are the weapons bank for poor nations...

the world bank has been criticized for lending money to poor nations which only puts them into perpetual debt.

Now it seems as if the US is doing the same thing. Selling huge amounts of weapons to be paid off through a loan.

Perpetual servitude, that is until the citizens get tired of the BS and throw off the US shackles.

Life at the end of empire.

The US, when it collapses, and it eventually will, will pay long and hard for the evil it spreads.

[Devil_Fish]

18. I thought we were trying to get wepons out of Iraq... What am I missing? NT

[unkachuck]

19. the chimps' war....

....a gift that keeps on giving....

[daleo]

21. Blow the place up, install a friendly government

Then "sell" it weapons. Quite a business plan.

[bhikkhu]

22. Wow. Think of all the Peace $26 billion in weapons can ensure

...the world is feeling safer already, I'm sure. :sarcasm: