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We can exhibit international leadership by opposing the policies of human rights abusers, not rewarding them with weapons.
We call on our elected officials to:
Talking Points:
1. US troops die for the failures of policy makers. War with Iraq will mark the seventh consecutive time that US troops have been sent into battle against opposition armed with US weapons. Prior to war and/or military intervention, the US provided arms to Iraq, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Haiti, Somalia and Panama. In each case, these countries were seen as potential allies or clients. In each case they were human rights abusing governments or dictatorships or both.
2. Arms sales and military training programs backfire. The pattern speaks for itself. It is an indisputable fact that we armed and trained Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and Manuel Noriega. The past approach of "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" has consistently failed our nation. We armed and trained bin Laden on the theory that this was a necessary price to fighting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. We armed and trained Hussein on the theory that he was a bulwark against Islamic fundamentalism. We armed and trained Noriega on the theory that he was a strong anti-communist.
3. Arms sales threaten our nation. The proliferation of high tech weapons through military assistance programs poses a threat to the American people. Shoulder held, surface to air missiles are available in Afghanistan for as little as $1,000. Automatic weapons, explosives and missiles from the US are available on the black market worldwide. These weapons can be used for attacks on civilian targets such as airliners.
4. Our policies should reflect our values, not offend them. Democracy and human rights are ideals that the American people hold dear. They are our core values. Sadly, however, our elected officials have betrayed these values. The US currently leads the world in arms sales to human rights abusing governments and dictators. When we provide weapons to governments that are hated by their own people the result is bitter anti-American sentiment. We should never provide military aid to governments whose jailed political prisoners include democracy activists
5. Arms sales and military training programs create regional instability. Iraq used US weapons to invade Kuwait The US lifted a high tech weapons ban to Latin America, encouraging a regional increase in military spending. . Regional rivals Argentina and Chile are both re-arming with US weapons. A growing arms race is underway in Southeast Asia. In each case, our armaments create instability. They also take vital funds away from needed development programs worldwide.
