A Leopard tank is displayed by tank maker Krauss-Maffei wegmann in the International Defense Exhibition 2009 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, Feb. 25, 2009. The International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) 2009, the ninth edition of the largest arms fair in the Middle East, opened here on Feb. 22 and attracted 897 companies from 50 countries and regions.( (Xinhua/Li Zhiping) From The Danger Room:
Iranian protesters defied Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s warnings of “bloodshed” and took to the streets over the weekend, to protest the country’s allegedly rigged election. Riots cops responded with batons, tear gas and water cannons. Earlier, hard-line Basji militias reportedly broke into protesting students’ dorms, to intimidate or even beat them.
No one knows how the escalating protests will play out, in the end. More broadly, regional worries over Iran have propelled a lucrative arms market, dominated by U.S. defense firms. While most countries cut back their military spending, due to the global recession, many of Iran’s neighbors are continuing years-long shopping sprees for high-tech arms, apparently aimed at building an iron wall around Iran. Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE account for the majority of sales, projected to total $70 billion, this year. The bulk of the sales are for fighter jets and missile defenses.
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My Comment: Regardless of what happens in Iran, procurement projects for many Middle Eastern countries have now been committed, and there is no turning back.