The United States government has a long history of backing “friends” who later turn out to be enemies of the worst sort, providing ample modern weaponry, missiles, aircraft, etc. in order to achieve a short-term goal that later backfires. Evidence of this can be seen with the Iran Contra affair, Syrian rebels (terrorists) and even all the way back to Al Qaeda, whose creation was aided by our very own CIA to battle the russians in Afghanistan. And yes, Osama Bin Laden was there.

The first of 36 new Lockheed-Martin F-16 fighters will be shipped through to Iraq (via Pentagon contract), which hasn’t had a real air force since the US wiped it out a decade ago. From Reuters:

Lockheed is building the F-16s for Iraq under a contract from the Pentagon that also includes mission equipment and a support package provided by Lockheed and other companies. Iraq also plans to buy Boeing Co Apache helicopters and other weapons from the U.S. government as it assumes responsibility for its own defense and counterterrorism efforts.

While I acknowledge that helping to arm a nation that was decimated by our own attacks (under false pretenses and without a formal declaration of war) is different than arming a known terrorist force in the effort to depose a different terrorist or “undesirable” force/leader, it’s still worrying and shows a lack of historical awareness by those in positions of authority. Iraq is a nation that was utterly destroyed by our country and while efforts have been underway for years to rebuild (at the cost of US taxpayers), there is no doubt deep ill will still exists towards the United States among the populace there. Down the road, the odds of powers coming into office that aren’t US-friendly are pretty damn good, and should a conflict arise our fighters will be looking down the noses of weapons we provided.

It would also be shameful not to point out the element of crony capitalism inherent in the relationship between the military, the military tech manufacturers and the government. More planes to our “allies” means more money in the pockets of the military industrial complex, its hundreds of lobbyists, and the politicians they so lucratively support. For more on the topic, take a listen to the Lions of Liberty Podcast with Hunter Lewis.

Zero Hedge sums up the cycle:

Smart: first the US wipes out a country’s air force, then it sells it its new air force. Rinse. Repeat. And just to make sure that Iraq is well-armed and believes it has a fighting chance, the US earlier in March provided Iraq with some 100 Hellfire missiles as well as assault rifles and other ammunition. Then in April the US sent more arms, providing Iraq with 11 million rounds of ammunition and other supplies.

One can’t fault Iraq in any of this of course. As an independent nation, they would naturally desire to protect their country and its borders. Iraq has also made military contracts with Russia and the Czechs, which will make for a fun showdown as the new Cold War that Obama and Putin are fostering comes to fruition.

If there is one thing that you can credit the US Government with, it’s that it is consistent above all else. Unfortunately that consistency typically ends in blowback, bloodshed and massive expenditures that are pushed back on the taxpayer.

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