US sparks Middle East arms race
Recently the US government announced its intention to sell $73 Billion worth of weapons hardware to the Middle East and now the Australian government wants a slice of the pie. The US deal will see armaments sold to Saudi Arabia and other gulf states, with the aim providing a strategic counter balance to Iran. However, part of the deal also involves ongoing support for Israel’s defence force. Over the weekend it was revealed that the Department of Defence intends to launch the Defence Export Unit, a new group tasked with selling Australian defence hardware to regions like the Middle East. Dr Ron Huiskens, senior fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies centre at the Australian National University, discussed just how big the US’s deal with its Middle East allies is.