Follow us on social

Shutterstock_1330695797-scaled

Biden to move ahead with $23B weapons sale to UAE

A boon for weapons companies, the sale of F-35s, drones, and bombs is controversial but not enough to keep it from happening.

Analysis | Middle East

According to a State Department spokesperson, the Biden administration has taken the hold off a controversial sale of F-35's, drones and bombs — $23 billion worth — to the United Arab Emirates. The $23 billion sale was first crafted by the Trump administration as a sweetener for the monarchy's agreement to normalize relations with Israel.

Another Trump-era package — $8 billion worth of weapons for UAE and Saudi Arabia approved by Congress in late 2019 under an emergency declaration, is still under review.

The news won't be welcome in quarters where the weapons are seen as a reward for the UAE's human rights violations, externally in the Yemen War and in the fighting in Libya, but also at home, against its own people. They are also considered a tether between the United States and the Gulf state, at a time when Washington is supposedly seeking ways to extricate itself from the region and begin to let these Arab states — long seen as dependents — to start managing their own security.

Most importantly, critics which include members of Congress as well as human rights groups, have been waiting for real action when it comes to Biden's pledge to help end the war in Yemen. While the UAE claimed to withdraw its forces from Yemen at the end of 2019 it has continued to occupy key ports, airports, and infrastructure, while also funding separatist fights. “If the Biden administration is serious about addressing the factors driving violence in Yemen, the role of the UAE cannot be ignored,” Annelle Sheline, Quincy Institute Middle East expert, has pointed out.

“The weapons we sold to Saudi Arabia and UAE have been used to kill schoolchildren, transferred to extremist militias, and fueled a dangerous arms race in the Middle East," tweeted Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy back in January when members were trying to actively stop the sales.

Despite it's dark role in the region's violence — another reason why we are anchored there interminably — the UAE has made some 39 deals with the United States since 2009, bringing the total of all its weapons sales, including the pending agreements, to $59 billion, according to researcher William Hartung at the Center for International Policy.

But don't worry, the State Department says the new weapons won't be delivered until after 2025 and until then "we will also continue to reinforce with the UAE and all recipients of US defense articles and services that US-origin defense equipment must be adequately secured and used in a manner that respects human rights and fully complies with the laws of armed conflict.” 


Tucson, USA — March 2, 2018: A U.S. Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (Lightning II) jet at Davis Monthan Air Force Base. This F-35 is assigned to Luke Air Force Base. (Michael Fitzsimmons / Shutterstock.com)
Analysis | Middle East
Venezuela regime change means invasion, chaos, and heavy losses
Top photo credit: U.S. Marines infiltrate the beach head as part of an amphibious demonstration at Hat Yao Beach, Kingdom of Thailand, during Cobra Gold 2014, Feb. 14 (US Marine Corps photo)

Venezuela regime change means invasion, chaos, and heavy losses

Latin America

Maximum pressure has long been President Donald Trump’s stance towards the government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela — he slapped crippling sanctions on the country during his first term — but in recent days the administration has pushed the stakes even higher.

The Caribbean is currently hosting an astonishing quantity of American naval and air assets, including four Arleigh Burke–class destroyers, a guided missile cruiser, an attack submarine, a Marine Amphibious Ready Group, and a flight of F-35 multirole fighters.

keep readingShow less
Syria’s ticking time bomb
Syrian security forces walk together along a street, after clashes between Syrian government troops and local Druze fighters resumed in the southern Druze city of Sweida early on Wednesday, collapsing a ceasefire announced just hours earlier that aimed to put an end to days of deadly sectarian bloodshed, in Sweida, Syria July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

Syria’s ticking time bomb

Middle East

In March of this year, Laya’s world came crashing down.

Following a series of skirmishes in the coastal region of Syria, the country’s transitional government had mobilized forces to put down what it saw as a brewing rebellion among Alawites, a minority offshoot of Shia Islam and the religion of former President Bashar al-Assad. The operation quickly turned into a bloodbath.

keep readingShow less
Israel wants to pay US pastors a stipend to spread the word
Top image credit: Shutterstock AI

Israel wants to pay stipend to US pastors to spread the word

Washington Politics

A newly-created firm called Show Faith by Works is embarking on a “geofencing” campaign to target Christian churches and colleges across the American Southwest with pro-Israel advertisements. The pastors and congregations themselves are seemingly unaware of this campaign, and some have concerns with Israel’s methods to target Christians.

According to the firm’s filing under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Show Faith by Works will “geofence the actual boundaries of every Major (sic) church in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Coloardo (sic) and all Christian Colleges during worship times” and then “track attendees and continue to target [them] with ads” on behalf of Israel. The geofencing campaign is part of a larger $3.2 million contract that also includes trying to hire celebrity spokespeople and paying pastors to produce content.

keep readingShow less

LATEST

QIOSK

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.