Washington, DC--A US-Saudi arms deal has been raising question marks in Washington the past few weeks, most recently on Capitol Hill, where congressional leaders are asking the Obama administration to justify the agreement. The deal, which the Obama administration formally proposed to Congress last month, would allow Saudi Arabia to purchase $60 billion worth of arms, including 84 new F-15 aircrafts, 70 AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters, 72 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, along with missiles, bombs and other equipment. Recent news reports describe this arms deal as one of the largest in US history. According to Assistant Secretary of State for Political and Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro, the deal “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.” Last week, 198 US House members sent a letter to the secretaries of state and defense inquiring about the deal. The letter, which was made available on Foreign Policy magazine's weblog, requests a justification of the deal in light of U.S. foreign policy and national security commitments, but stops short of voicing opposition to the sale. Signatories on the letter included Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) outgoing chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) who is poised to lead the Committee in 2011. Besides inquiring about the policy goals that are advanced by this sale and the threats that it is intended to address, the letter voices concern about “aspects of Saudi regional policy”. “We have serious concerns about the nature of Saudi involvement in the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, particularly since the Saudis have failed to take steps toward normalisation of relations with Israel or to augment their financial support to the Palestinian Authority.” US lawmakers are also concerned about how this sale might affect “Israel's qualitative military edge.” The letter presses the secretaries of state and defense on the Kingdom's Iran policy, inquiring about what actions Riyadh has taken to address the prospect of a nuclear Iran. “For example, have the Saudis used their considerable leverage in the international oil market to diminish Iran's oil revenue?” Earlier this month, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a report outlining how this arms deal would help advance US national security interests. The report, titled “The Saudi Arms Sale: Reinforcing a Strategic Partnership in the Gulf” and authored by CSIS expert Anthony Cordesman, argues that the United States shares critical strategic interests with the Saudis and which “shape the proposed Saudi arms sale.” These interests include addressing Iranian threats in the region, securing Gulf energy exports critical to the US economy, and easing US defense burden in the region. The United States, he writes, needs allies who “can fight effectively along side the US, and that can ease the burden on the US by defending themselves.” Cordesman anticipates that the deal will give Riyadh a strong incentive to work with Washington for the next 15-20 years. “Saudi Arabia will need continuing support from the US during the entire life cycle of every major system sold, and no future Saudi government can ignore this fact.”
