Saudi Billions in Sales: Sealed With a Kiss, Hand Shake, or Congress OK

The way to seal an arms deal

(In 2017) 

Or seal an arms deal this way

(In 2008)

When President Donald Trump closed a nearly $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia on Saturday, his deputies’ spirits soared:

1.  Jared Kushner high-fived NSC Adviser H. R. McMaster as he entered the room where they held talks with Saudi officials.

2.  Aide Gary Cohn told pool reporters the deals represented “a lot of money. Big dollars. Big dollars.”

Background about this deal which BTW must be approved by Congress (was once and vetoed by Mr. Obama) – thus must be approved above IAW law:

This sale is one of the largest in history

It totals close to $110B in tanks, artillery, radar systems, armored personnel carriers, and Blackhawk helicopters.

It also includes ships, patrol boats, Patriot missiles, and THAAD (the anti-missile defense system – like the one recently installed in South Korea).

Impact of this deal:

1.  Much of that military hardware will likely be pressed into service in the Saudi fight against its neighbor Yemen – the place where more than 10,000 people have been killed in more than two years of heavy airstrikes and fighting.

2.  Those Saudi airstrikes have hit numerous schools, hospitals, factories, and other civilian targets – all leading to well-documented allegations of war crimes by human rights organizations.

3.  That has pushed much of the country to the brink of starvation, with more than 17 million people facing famine, according to the U.N.

“There’s a humanitarian aspect that tends to be ignored. This is something that will come back to bite the Saudis as well, and by implication the Americans, because we’re the ones providing the bombs and bullets. The implication is not necessarily that these are war crimes, but it is a stain on the reputation of both the Saudis and potentially the Americans to continue this kind of bloodshed with indiscriminate attacks on civilian populations,” said Robert Jordan, former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia appointed by George W. Bush in a telephone interview with TIME.

Irony: Trump says this deal is a step that will boost Saudi security and the help our economy with “Saudi investments.” (I note: So, the Saudis will help our growth)?

However, this agreement is also exactly the sort of decisive, business-oriented deal on which Trump bases his personal brand.

Still, this deal further entangles us in a political and humanitarian crisis that threatens to spiral out of control.

So, seal the deal – art of the deal as it were, um? Sealed with a kiss or a hand shake or whatever?

Final Note: In most situations like in Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East, greetings between men are often accompanied by kisses and hand-holding.

At first it is uncomfortable for Americans, but it is the local custom. Some people advise our leaders to adapt and adopt those customs saying it goes a long way to building trust and rapport.

Noteworthy: Japanese and Korean officials and indeed most Asians bow rather than shake hands like Americans do. So, if they refuse our shake our hand, we consider doing what: Nuke ‘em? Oops.