Abu Dhabi Arms Fair Markets Death, Destruction

[KansDem]

Abu Dhabi Arms Fair Markets Death, Destruction
by Peter Kenyon

Morning Edition, February 20, 2007

An arms trade fair in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf, is expected to be the most successful yet.

Persian Gulf states, led by Saudia <sic> Arabia, will be embarking on a buying spree, analysts say, fueled in part by growing fears in the region about Iran's influence.

More than 850 manufacturers — makers of everything from micro-surveillance cameras to massive battleships — are hawking their wares. And they're drawing interest from about 90 official delegations, including Gulf states with treasuries bulging with petroleum wealth.

Analysts say it's not clear that many of the high-tech weapons purchased this week will ever need to be used, but what is certain is that at this point in the 21st century, death and destruction are still very big business.

--more--
NPR

It appears "fear" makes for a very lucrative selling-point.

[acmavm]

1. Why spend you money on food and health care for your people

when you can buy guns, bombs, and bullets?

[CJCRANE]

2. Money trumps peace n/t

[maddezmom]

3. exhibitors from 50 countries...including the US, UK, France, Italy...etc

exhibitors from 50 countries, including the United States, France, Britain, China, Italy, Turkey, Russia and South Korea.
No information has been disclosed about possible armament contracts which would be concluded during the five-day exhibition. In July, the Pentagon in the United States notified Congress of possible sales valued at around $3.3 billion to Saudi Arabia - the biggest spender on armament among counties in the Gulf.
http://www.7days.ae/en/2007/02/19/abu-dhabi-arms-fair-open-for-business.html?comment_add=1

[jaksavage]

4. Another day in paradise

We make guns , sell guns, use guns, capture guns, make guns, import guns, export guns, worship guns, and until we do that with peace we won't end our corpwarcracy. Which means we'll never have the resources to stop global warming, address over population or social equity.

[gratuitous]

7. Yep

And yet this administration and the media bulldogs all profess profound ignorance about how all those nasty insurgents and terrorists come by their bang-bangs, when the answer is staring right in their insipid faces.

[stillcool]

5. I visualize a fashion show...

with models strutting their stuff down the runway showing all the latest hardware and gadgetry, while the sheiks observe while eating caviar, smoking cigars, and drinking champagne...or cognac. Not much American media influence there eh?

[KansDem]

6. The final paragraph says it all...

As with any trade fair, the trick is to match the right buyer with the right seller. At one booth, two Southeast Asian military officers listened to a manufacturer sing the praises of a holographic gunsight, which was mounted on a plastic model weapon. When he paused for breath, one of the officers gently tapped the plastic and asked: "Where can we buy the real guns?"

"Yeah, you're holographic gunsight is nice, but we want the guns!"