Week 12 in #wapenhandel25tweets

(Gaarne 'liken' of delen als je het nuttig of interessant vindt.)

Onder de volgende tekst – waarin één of meer tweets zijn verwerkt –

staan de 25 tweets van deze week.

Half januari schreef ik over de coalitie onderhandelingen in Duitsland en de aandacht voor wapenexportcontrole daarbij:

“Dat ze in het Oosten van Duitsland al bezig zijn met het bedingen van een uitzondering voor militaire scheepsbouw op de Peene-werft is voor de regionale pers. Bovendien heeft de SPD een recente geschiedenis van veel beloven en minder geven als het op wapenexportbeleid aankomt. Maar dat geeft dan weer voer voor artikelen en reportages.”

Inmiddels is het leveren aan Riyad nieuws voor de landelijke pers en reageren Die Linke en Groenen furieus.

Het is een terugkerend verschijnsel. Wapenexportbeperkingen worden toegejuichd en steeds weer blijkt dat de regels even gemakkelijk geschonden worden. De dominante stroming voor wapenexportcontrole bepleit daarom al drie decennia steeds weer verdere aanscherping van de regels op Europees niveau.

Een kritische vleugel gaat uit van het bestrijden van de wapenexporten zelf, omdat regelgeving altijd multi-interpretabel zal zijn. Het dichttimmeren ontneemt overheden immers de vrijheid in de buitenlandse en defensie politiek. Je kan daarom maar beter direct via publieke opinie en politiek de leveranties zelf bestrijden en geen valse hoop wekken dat wapenhandel bij nauwkeuriger regels onder controle zal staan. Je komt dan telkens van een koude kermis thuis. 

Activiteiten tegen leveranties aan landen kunnen beide scholen bij elkaar brengen. In deze verzameling tweets veel aandacht voor leveringen aan Turkije en ook aan India, maar vooral aan Saoedi-Arabië. 

Tweet 12 toont aan dat rabiate mensenrechtenschenders wapenexportcontrole fora ironisch genoeg ook kunnen misbruiken om de eigen politiek gewicht bij te zetten.

Jordanië zien we niet bij deze verzameling, maar afgelopen week heeft Nederland wel een nieuwe overeenkomst (MoU) tot militaire samenwerking gesloten. Premier Rutte wees erop in zijn toespraak tot de Jordaanse Koning. Tot welke gekunstelde constructies dit soort militaire samenwerking leidt als het gaat om leveringen van wapens is al eerder gebleken.

Nederland (zie 19, 20, 21)

EUROPA (zie ook 17-18)

1 – 230318: IISS-blog - War in Yemen: European divisions on arms-export controls https://www.iiss.org/en/militarybalanceblog/blogsections/2018-f256/march-af87/war-in-yemen-european-divisions-on-arms-export-controls-fed4

Duitsland (zie ook 5-7, 23)

2 – 240318: German opposition is outraged because of the license. Anton Hofreiter, Grünen, said the government “contributes to the war in Yemen.” Die Linke stated the sale expands the opportunities for war in contrast to the interests of the population. https://www.wiwo.de/politik/deutschland/ruestungsexporte-deutsche-patrouillenboote-fuer-saudi-arabien-trotz-jemen-kriegs/21108722.html

3 – 240318: What went wrong? This deal was part of the Groko from the beginning, despite the nice words on an arms embargo. Words many were applauding months in advance, instead of looking what was going on in reality. http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/waffenexporte-bundesregierung-rechtfertigt-patrouillenboote-fuer-saudi-arabien-1.3919033

Frankrijk

4 – 210318: To be followed: France faces legal risks over Saudi, UAE arms sales: lawyers https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-france/france-faces-legal-risks-over-saudi-uae-arms-sales-lawyers-idUSKBN1GV2ME

Turkije

5 – 190318: Grünen-Chefin Annalena Baerbock verlangte den Stopp deutscher Rüstungsexporte in die Türkei. Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock @ABaerbock demanded a stop to German arms exports to Turkey. https://www.abendblatt.de/politik/deutschland/article213748927/Baerbock-fordert-Stopp-aller-Ruestungsexporte-in-die-Tuerkei.html

6 – 210318: Fear for a massacre [in German] Since 2016 when the EU has agreed a refugee deal with Turkey arms exports to Turkey have continued to increase. Kurdish media reports that Turkey also uses weapons from Germany in Afrin. http://www.taz.de/!5490049/

7 – 220318: First criticism of Merkel on Turkey since Turkish intervention into Syria. But in the last two months 20 deals to Ankara, value € 4.4 million, were licensed by Berlin. Short article [in German]. http://www.fnp.de/nachrichten/politik/Kritik-an-der-Tuerkei;art673,2940682

VK (zie ook 10)

8 – 190318: Saudi-UK agreement gives Eurofighter a boost http://aviationweek.com/defense/saudi-uk-agreement-gives-eurofighter-boost… via @aviationweek

Zwitserland

9 – 220318: The Swiss daily Handelszeitung reported the prosecutors are investigating secretive business deals and possible bribery payments in connection with arms deals to Putin's entourage. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/putin-link-cited-as-swiss-lead-raids-in-defense-deal-probe/2018/03/22/656f9236-2df0-11e8-8dc9-3b51e028b845_story.html?utm_term=.acca260e8428

REST VAN DE WERELD

Midden-Oosten

10 – 240318: Britain's arms sales to Middle East human rights abusers an overview based on information provided by CAAT. http://www.alsiasi.com/en/world-news/31543-britain-s-secret-arms-sales-to-middle-east-human-rights-abusers.html

Australië

11 – 230318: Australian activists from the Wollongong Undergraduate Students' Association (WUSA) say the Government's plan to give $3.6 billion in taxpayer funding to weapons companies is being paid for by "ripping off students". http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/5299761/uow-student-activists-call-on-turnbull-to-fund-books-not-bombs/?cs=300… via @illawarramerc

Bahrein

12 – 210318: Bahrain's Permanent Representative at anti-illicit arms trade conference: "Some governments [Ssst Qatar] seem to be resorting to equip terrorist groups with weapons or finance them to prolong arm conflicts and achieve political objectives." http://bna.bh/portal/en/news/831813#.WrI_c1q6iI4.twitter

Egypte

13 – 230318: TI says Egypt's military received financial aid & security assistance from Western states and arms companies. It helped the military to consolidate its political power & expand its economic ambitions. It is "a largely opaque and unaccountable institution." https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/watchdog-nations-helped-egypts-military-consolidate-power/2018/03/23/fab2c562-2e67-11e8-8dc9-3b51e028b845_story.html

India

14 – 190318: Guns Kill! : Cedric Prakash: That India is spending so much money on ‘defense’ is a scandal of the highest proportion for a country, where millions go to bed without a square meal, have no access to primary health care or elementary education. http://indiancurrents.org/guns-kill-2042.php

Israël

15– 200318: Is the Joint Fight Strike fighter or F-35 for the first time used in conflict by Israel? https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/israel-keeps-quiet-over-f-35is-combat-debut-446817/

16 – 240318: Three senior Israel Shipyards figures were arrested in Haifa on 18 March on suspicion of bribing a Nigerian official in exchange for supplying patrol boats. They are suspected of bribery, fraud, money laundering, tax offenses and breaching export laws. http://disq.us/t/30okjo4 

Filipijnen (zie 21)

Jemen (zie ook 1, 2-3, 4, 8, 17-18)

Saoedi-Arabië (zie ook 1, 2-3, 4, 8)

17 – 190318: Explain please: “... challenges and initiatives—particularly Brexit and the increased interest in consolidating the European defence industry—may serve to remove some of the obstacles that have previously blocked the adoption of more far-reaching proposals.” https://www.sipri.org/commentary/essay/2018/conflict-yemen-and-eus-arms-export-controls-highlighting-flaws-current-regime

18 – 190318: Biggest challenge isn't mentioned: KSA = ally of the West. EU members fight with it in Iraq/Syria, some even Yemen. Friction between arms control & foreign policy = major political obstacle. How to target it is a strategic question, not an juridical persé. https://www.sipri.org/commentary/essay/2018/conflict-yemen-and-eus-arms-export-controls-highlighting-flaws-current-regime

DEFENSIE-INDUSTRIE

Damen

19 – 240318: Emerging German-Dutch naval tie-up has industry abuzz https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2018/03/23/emerging-german-dutch-naval-tie-up-has-industry-abuzz/

Fokker

20 – 190318:More #Fokker in Papendrecht (Netherlands) takes 1.9% of latest F35 US$ 482 million contract for USAF, US-marines, participants, and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. Only other foreign company is BAE Sstems (with 7.2 % participation) https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1467606/

Thales

21 – 200318: Now the CEO of Thales Nederland Gerben Edelijn is involved in Philippine CDS for Navy frigates. Rejected Dutch supplier writes to Alejano http://www.rappler.com//nation/198530-navy-frigates-thales-ceo-letter-alejano … via @rapplerdotcom

WAPENS

22 – 200318: Scifi or future reality? DARPA wants to connect human brains and machines https://www.c4isrnet.com/it-networks/2018/03/19/darpa-wants-to-connect-human-brains-and-machines/

F-35 (zie ook 15, 20)

23 – 190318: The Chief of the Luftwaffe is to leave his position in large part due to his support for a German procurement of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), Jane’s has learned. http://www.janes.com/article/78644/luftwaffe-chief-dismissed-over-f-35-support#.Wq9tK7NXLb4.twitter

Kleine wapens (zie 12)

Satellieten

24 – 200318: Make America great again may backfire on military space industry. Export Control Reform at Risk of Reversals http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2018/3/16/export-control-reform-at-risk-of-reversals#.WrDG416IwJ4.twitter

25 – 210318: For satellite imagery to thrive, industry wants reforms https://www.c4isrnet.com/intel-geoint/2018/03/19/for-satellite-imagery-to-thrive-industry-wants-reforms/

OVERIG

Corruptie (zie 9, 16, 21)

Onderzoek en activisme

26 – 230318: The myth of U.S. military spending: The "guns versus investment" argument focuses on the negative consequences of financing military spending through debt and borrowing. http://www.tampabay.com/article/20180321/ARTICLE/303219590/2312

This is a selection from a larger amount of tweets. Tweets with a relation the Netherlands, arms trade and defence-industry weight heavier in the selection. If you want to have them daily see http://twitter.com/martinbroek