Iraq: U.S. definitely was NOT out for oil.

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Originally Posted by henners88

The US do have quite an extensive customer list:

Taiwan
Australia
UK (although we contribute too)
Israel
Uzbekistan
Singapore
Japan
Saudi Arabia
Egypt
Kuwait
United Arab Emirates
Algeria
Pakistan
India
Afghanistan
South Africa
Brazil
Chille.. etc etc I won't list them all...

It has been confirmed that the US supplies arms to 18 countries out of the 25 major conflicts occurring around the globe at present.. :)

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Canada buys arms from the US. We use the M1 carbine now and have F-18's and build the armoured cars the Marines use as well as using them ourselves. Lets be realistic here. The US makes this stuff, nations buy it, the same way other nations buy arms made in Russia, China, the UK, Japan and others. Weapons are a commodity that is sold and traded much the same as any other conusmer product. THe only difference is how nations use them. THAT is where you hold nations accountable, those who use the weapons in unethical conflicts...

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Originally Posted by henners88

Russia and the US are the biggest arms exporters in the world no doubt. The US is still leads the market by a considerable margin. According to some sources they have a 41% market share... :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arms_industry

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/R40796.pdf

http://www.globalissues.org/article/...s-big-business

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IT should be noted, that is capitalism. American arms companies are going to sell their product until the government tells them not to. Ditto for the Russians. Since buying arms now is more of a situation of capitalistic sales and less a state policy now than it was, it is only natrual the Americans are better at this arms sales game than the Russians. They have better toys and the companies are better at making sales obviously.

Look..selling arms is part of the world's commerce. To say to the US, you shouldn't sell arms is silly. A lot of nations sell arms, a lot of the time to parties to just HAVE arms. It doesn't have to be afor a political reason, just to arm one's military. The fact some nations are not ethical with their use of arms, or terrorists gain access to them doens't change the fact that arms sales of many products are legal. There isn't some hidden agenda here...

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Originally Posted by henners88

Russia and the US are the biggest arms exporters in the world no doubt. The US is still leads the market by a considerable margin. According to some sources they have a 41% market share... :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arms_industry

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/R40796.pdf

http://www.globalissues.org/article/...s-big-business

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I always loved those charts because they always talk in Dollars not in Material.

When the US sells a M-4 Carbine for close to $1,000.00 wholesale and the Russians sell Ak's for under $100 or less the what do you expect?

Also the US tends to sell more Big Ticket Items(Planes, Radars systems, Tanks...ect) than the Russians.

US weapons rarely are sold to insurgents or rebels. They can't afford them

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Originally Posted by anthonyvop

I always loved those charts because they always talk in Dollars not in Material.

When the US sells a M-4 Carbine for close to $1,000.00 wholesale and the Russians sell Ak's for under $100 or less the what do you expect?

Also the US tends to sell more Big Ticket Items(Planes, Radars systems, Tanks...ect) than the Russians.

US weapons rarely are sold to insurgents or rebels. They can't afford them

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But then you are answering the statement Ike made when he said: "beware of the miltary industrial complex"......

I am agree with you Tony, but it does lend credence to the faint idea that the military equipment lobby wants wars to sell more toys...I am sure no one on the Boeing board was going to show up at an anti-war rally....