Who armed Saddam?
Dennet | 14.03.2003 07:15
This also explains why all Saddam's tanks are ex-Soviet T-class and all his helicopters and fighters are ex-Soviet MIGs.
Supplies of arms and oil revenues
From Professor Andrew J. Hamilton
The Times (London), 14 March 2003
Sir, I have often heard the claim that “we armed Saddam”. Thankfully A. H. Cordesman, in his 1998 report on the Iraqi military for the Center for Strategic & International Studies, has enlightened me.
In the key period between 1973-91 the US exported a mere $5 million of weapons to Iraq; more reprehensibly the UK sold $330 million-worth of arms. Of much greater interest are the arms export totals to Iraq of the four countries most against military action: Germany with $995 million, China $5,500 million, France $9,240 million, and the Russians a massive $31,800 million. So the claim that we armed Saddam has to be treated with a degree of care, particularly by those who would award the moral high ground in this debate to the leaders of nations such as Germany, France and Russia.
I remain your obedient servant,
ANDREW HAMILTON,
Dermatology Laboratory,
Thomas Guy House, Guy’s Hospital,
St Thomas’ Street, SE1 9RT.
March 10.
Supplies of arms and oil revenues
From Professor Andrew J. Hamilton
The Times (London), 14 March 2003
Sir, I have often heard the claim that “we armed Saddam”. Thankfully A. H. Cordesman, in his 1998 report on the Iraqi military for the Center for Strategic & International Studies, has enlightened me.
In the key period between 1973-91 the US exported a mere $5 million of weapons to Iraq; more reprehensibly the UK sold $330 million-worth of arms. Of much greater interest are the arms export totals to Iraq of the four countries most against military action: Germany with $995 million, China $5,500 million, France $9,240 million, and the Russians a massive $31,800 million. So the claim that we armed Saddam has to be treated with a degree of care, particularly by those who would award the moral high ground in this debate to the leaders of nations such as Germany, France and Russia.
I remain your obedient servant,
ANDREW HAMILTON,
Dermatology Laboratory,
Thomas Guy House, Guy’s Hospital,
St Thomas’ Street, SE1 9RT.
March 10.
Dennet
Comments
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There is no moral high ground
14.03.2003 07:48
The key point is that if it is criminal for Saddam to have these weapons, then knowingly supplying him is an even more criminal activity.
Not one of the former UK ministers implicated in this export, Paul Channon, William Waldegrave, etc., has ever been prosecuted. That means that further arms dealing by future members of the British elite has not been discouraged. They are doing it now, and doing it again.
If we did not make these exports we'd have removed the log from our eye enough to speak out about the mote in our brother's.
goatchurch
Not true
14.03.2003 11:21
Ynot
better than 1000 words
15.03.2003 08:39
better than 1000 words
eb