U.S. plans to sell Jet Fighters and Helicopters to Saudis

The Obama Administration notified Congress recently that they were planning to sell up to $60 billion in advanced weaponry to Saudi Arabia. This advanced weaponry would include Jet Fighters and Helicopters including Apaches, Black Hawks, and Little Bird attack choppers. Congress has just 30 days to block the deal to prohibit this sale, but if they decide to let it pass, then this sale could be the largest arms deal in American history. Even though the Obama Administration is awaiting the decision made by Congress, officials claim that they don't expect a lot of opposition to the proposal and are optimistic that the deal will pass Congress.

What type of weaponry does Saudi Arabia currently have? According to the New York Times article entitled, U.S. plans to sell Jet Fighters and Helicopters to Saudis, "State Department and Pentagon officials told lawmakers that the sales would include 84 new F-15 fighter jets, upgrades to 70 existing Saudi F-15s, 190 helicopters and a wide array of missiles, bombs and delivery systems, as well as accessories like night-vision goggles and radar warning systems." (The New York Times) This deal, if passed, has the potential of shifting the region's balance of power and authority on a global level.

If you are wondering why the United States is proposing to enter into such a deal, the answer is quite simple: it is intended to strengthen the defense forces of Saudi Arabia, which has been a long time ally of the United States. According to Andrew Shapiro (the assistant secretary of state for political and military affairs) another reason is, "It will send a strong message to countries in the region that we are committed to support the security of our key partners and allies in the Arabian Gulf and broader Middle East. And it will enhance Saudi Arabia’s ability to deter and defend against threats to its borders and to its oil infrastructure, which is critical to our economic interests.”(New York Times) The United States realizes that one of our major oil suppliers is Saudi Arabia, and protecting our allies that we benefit tremendously from is at the top of our agenda. With the events of terrorism on the rise against the United States, it is crucial that this country protect and defend ourselves from all aspects in order to secure this country's welfare.

The United States has deeply rooted connections in the Middle East in order to maintain and build a strong relationship with other countries because this relationship proves to be mutually beneficial. The public relations dealings is essential to continue to provide communication between the United States and the Middle East in order to satisfy the needs of both entities. To apply the readings this week in our book for class by Earl Babbie,there could be several methods of research conducted. One is ethnomethodology (which I don't recommend being done, but it would be interesting to see) "involves the intentional breaking of agreements as a way of revealing their existence (Babbie 325) To apply, in order to show the importance of having this relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, ethnomethodology suggests to break this deal of the $60 billion in weaponry by the U.S. to Saudi Arabia. There could also be focus groups brought in to examine the opinion of people that work for the Obama Administration to see what they think of this deal and how it will affect their relationship with Saudi Arabia. Until those 30 days are up, we will see how Congress decides.