Help je met een wapenembargo naar Saoedi Arabië de Jeminieten of is het politieke show, zo vraagt schrijver Murad Abdo van het Chinese persbureau Xinhua zich af. Een relevante vraag. De afgelopen week besloot Italië de leveringen aan de Emiraten en Saoedi's te stoppen en de VS om door Trump beloofde leveringen eerst te onderzoeken. Mogelijk volgt meer restrictief Amerikaans beleid zoals donderdag (4/2/21) is aangekondigd, maar daavan zijn de kleine letters nog niet bekend.
De VS steken dan ook regelmatig een handje toe bij de oorlogsvoering. Die steun totaal afbreken, is welkom, maar zou een flinke breuk met decennia beleid van Washington inluiden. daarop hoeven we dan ook niet te rekenen. Saoedi Arabië wordt door Biden tot een pariah gemaakt, aldus de Washington Post, maar wel tot een begunstigde pariah. de tweeledige politieke inzet druipt er vanaf. Niet zo vreemd dat beide partijen zijn stappen toejuichen, ook de Saoedi's.
Misschien is die militaire steun wel belangrijker dan de leveringen. Abdo schrijft dan ook dat de VS de leveringen niet terug zullen draaien, omdat ze Riyad daarmee in de handen van Moskou en Beijing jagen. De stop is vooral routine en heeft nog geenszins een permanent karakter.
Het bewind van Boris Johnson klip en klaar als het gaat om de leveranties te legitimeren en stelt dat Saoedi Arabië een militaire bondgenoot is waarmee getraind wordt en dat wordt geholpen bij het verdedigen van de nationale soevereiniteit.
Saoedi Arabië probeert zijn zuiderbuur weer onder de knoet te krijgen en schuwt hard optreden niet. De voorbeelden van aanvallen met burgerslachtoffers zijn legio. Er wordt met betrekking tot de oorlog om Jemen regelmatig gesproken over de grootste humanitaire ramp van het moment, veroorzaakt door mensen. Je moet na vijf jaar oorlog oppassen dat de betekenis van dergelijke woorden door blijven dringen en geen cliché worden.
Zo moet je ook oppassen met de antwoorden op juiste vragen uit Chinese hoek. Het land heeft het niet zo op opstandige bevolksgroepen, dat is vooral binnenlands zo, maar het principe wordt in de buitenlandse politiek doorgetrokken.
Het klopt dat voor een vredesregeling meer nodig is dan een wapenembargo. Maar in de geschiedenis zijn veel politieke impasses vlot getrokken nadat een wapenembargo strijdende partijen aan tafel dwong.
Ook praktisch heeft het stoppen van wapenleveranties wel degelijk betekenis. Het stoppen van wapenleveranties op de wat langere termijn, een stop op de levering van munitie al sneller. Nog deze week liet de directeur van het Jemenitische Mine Action Center (YEMAC) weten dat de Saoedische coalitie 3.179 cluster bommen op het land gooide sinds 2015. De bommen komen uit de VS, het VK en Brazilië. Gevechtsvliegtuigen uit het Westen. Het zou de zaak ten minste niet verslechteren als die aanvoer stopt.
Het heeft geen zin als het beleid er is voor een paar weken of een paar maanden. Dan wachten de generaals tot de bui is overgewaaid en komt vrede inderdaad geen stap dichterbij. Mensen in het Westen moeten hun regeringen dwingen de leveringen te stoppen. Nederland heeft al lang een restrictief beleid (al kan dat beter m.n. voor Thales tankapparatuur, leveringen componenten*).
Politieke druk op de Westerse regeringen om wapenleveranties en militaire samenwerking te stoppen totdat een werkende vredesregeling van kracht is, dat zou onze bijdrage moeten zijn. Het
stoppen van wapenleverantis is een belangrijke stap in een politiek
proces, dat solidariteit van buiten een wezenlijk drukmiddel geeft. Het stoppen van wapenhandel loszingen van andere politieke vraagstukken leidt uiteindelijk tot weinig vooruitgang. Zonder die druk wordt de cynische bewering uit het Xinhua artikel waarheid, men keert terug naar machtspolitieke uitgangspunten en de bevolking van Jemen zal de dupe zijn.
De
VS is de belangrijkste eindbestemming voor wapenexportvergunningen in
2019 (€ 271 miljoen) met vooral vergunningen voor toeleveranties
aan de producenten van militaire vliegtuigen. De verzamelpost
EU/NAVO+ (€ 18 3 miljoen) komt op de tweede plaats. Onder deze post
vallen globale vergunningen die het toestaan om componenten van
(vooral) militaire vliegtuigen of militaire voertuigen te leveren aan
meerdere bondgenoten, meer in het bijzonder EU-lidstaten,
NAVO-bondgenoten, alsook aan Australië, Nieuw-Zeeland, Japan en
Zwitserland. (p. 16)
*** Boeing
gets US government nod to offer F-15EX jet to India.
In April 2019, the IAF issued a request
for information to acquire 114 jets at a cost of around $18bn, which
is billed as one of the world’s biggest military procurements in
recent years
*** Foreign
firms chant Make-in-India mantra, but participation dips 53% in Aereo
India. Firms from 13 countries, including Ukraine, Taiwan, Japan,
Austria, Belarus and Bulgaria, will take part.
https://aeroindia.gov.in/Home/exhibitorlist
Indian Fokker Elmo (part of GKN
structures) e.g. participates.
2019 #EU military spending
at its highest in 15 years, a 5% increase with 2018. And many
countries already announced further increases in following years,
amid the pandemic and health sectors facing severe lack of
ressources.
*** Under Biden?
The US military is exploring the possibility of using a Red
Sea port in Saudi Arabia and an additional two airfields in the
kingdom amid heightened tensions with Iran, the military said
Tuesday.
*** Many Western
governments are at least sympathetic to the thought the Arab world
isn't ready for democracy. They embrace autocrats and theories of
authoritarian stability, while financing and arming many of the worst
violators."
*** Military
aeronautic companies named in report on charge in Indonesian bribe
scandal against former of PT Garuda, technology director Soedigno:
Airbus/EADS, Roll-Royce & Bombardier Canada.
*** Retweet
@SadetKarabulut: De oorlog in
#Jemen duurt na bijna zes jaar nog voort. Waarom? Het Westen verkoopt
flink veel wapens aan Saudi-Arabië, dat ze inzet tegen Jemenieten.
Raytheon bijvoorbeeld, een Amerikaans bedrijf, gevestigd op de
Zuidas. NL belastingparadijs ook voor Amerikaanse wapenbedrijven.
*** NATO has
selected Thales to provide the 1st certified defence cloud solution
that can be deployed in the theatre of operations in less than 24
hours. As military operations become increasingly data-driven, access
to critical data & applications is crucial.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210125005006/en/
*** Rare-earths
mining company Lynas closer to becoming supplier to the US military
industry (amid ongoing tensions with China) after it agreed to build
a $US60m processing plant to produce for US strategic stockpiles,
with US MoD to pay for ½ of the facility.
https://www.mining.com/lynas-shares-jumps-on-deal-for-us-rare-earth-plant/
*** It
isn't yet clear how far Biden will go in halting arms sales to
Saudi's. US campaigners, like Codepink & Win Without War could
have real influence here. It is important others support their calls
and put pressure on their government to act too.
https://caat.org.uk/news/will-president-biden-end-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia/
Abu Dhabi has spent
millions of dollars bankrolling Haftar, breaching an UN arms embargo
on Libya to provide Haftar with Chinese, Russian, & South African
weapons & drones, & paying the salaries of Russian
mercenaries, Sudanese militias, & Chadian rebels.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/analysis/analysis-new-balances-in-libya-crisis/2119185
*** The
Security Council members took note of the request of the CAR
authorities to lift the arms embargo. They reiterated their readiness
to review the arms embargo measures, through suspension or
progressive lifting, in the light of progress achieved.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-01/23/c_139690793.htm
*** Outside
Powers Are Making the Conflict in the Central African Republic Worse
*** Russia
is set to supply Myanmar with Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and
gun systems, Orlan-10E surveillance drones and radars. The deal was
signed during Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu’s visit to the
country on Thursday.
https://www.rt.com/russia/513296-russia-myanmar-missiles-drones/
January
22
*** French
arms company Thales has failed to overturn the charges against it in
the Thales-Zuma bribery & corruption case. They may still appeal
this decision, but we are a step closer to seeing Zuma & Thales
facing a criminal trial in April.
Retweet @CAATuk250+ organisations from 17 countries have signed a
call to action against the war on Yemen. On Jan 25th they'll be
joining the #WorldSaysNo to War on #Yemen Global Online Rally. Be
part of it: http://bit.ly/StopTheWarYemenCantWait
#DayofAction4Yemen #YemenCantWait
*** Daniel Cornet
can't believe it, ING bank no longer wants him. The problem is his
job.
“The ING group no longer accepts
clients involved in the production or sale of small arms #SAWL to the
private sector," ”says Joëlle Neeb, spokesperson for ING
Belgium.
Laut
dem für Rüstungsexporte zuständigen Wirtschaftsministerium wird
die Technologie hinter der neuen Zusatzpanzerung bisher "von
türkischer Seite geheim gehalten".
*** Dutch
Ministers of FA are of the opinion recent sales of naval technology
to Turkey to be asembled on warships for Pakistan and the deliverance
of warships to Pakistan by Damen is in conformity with the arms
export criteria.
*** MOTION
4 A RESOLUTION on Human rights situation in Turkey. 14 Calls on the
Council to agree on an EU-wide arms embargo on Turkey; also calls on
the EU & its Member States to ensure that no jobs will be lost as
a result of the implementation of this embargo
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2021-0072_EN.html
*** The
Indian Ministry of Defense announced that the Indian Army and the
Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) have jointly
developed India’s first indigenous 9 mm machine pistol.
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1688547
*** Roemeense
Romania Libera verwijt Mark Rutte hypocrisie, aan de ene kant
protesteren tegen corruptie. Aan de andere kant Damen bijspringen in
Roemenië.
Rutte face trafic de influență pentru
DAMEN, dar la ieșire se declară nemulțumit de lupta anticorupție
*** Egypt’s
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi reviewed cooperation frameworks
between Egypt and the German shipbuilding company Lürssen, as he met
on Wednesday with the company’s CEO Peter Lürssen, presidential
spokesman Bassam Radi said.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/398794.aspx
Article remembers me to watch: China
not our enemy by CODEPINK. (That is however on Okinawa or Lewchew. And I think the repressive and occupational behaviour of the US and Japan are not directly related to the US-China Cold War.)https://youtu.be/HRvWkEcr16o
This was much more interesting concerning China and war, especially the Bello and Klare part:
European Commission
selected major European launcher & satellite manufacturers,
operators & service providers, policy & legal institutes to
study & provide guidelines & recommendations on Space Traffic
Management. #IIASL at Leiden University is
one of them
https://universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2021/01/iiasl-to-study-space-traffic-management
Addition:Other members are: Airbus, Arianegroup, Deimos Engineering and
Systems, European Space Policy Institute, Fondation pour la Recherche
Strategique, Indra Sistemas, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Leuven
Centre for Global Governance Studies at KUL, OHB System, EU Satellite
Centre, Thales Alenia Space, Telespazio. Arianespace and Deimos Space
are also involved as third parties to this project.
January
15
*** A New
Estimate of China’s Military Expenditure by SIPRI
The Stockholm International Peace
Research Institute estimates in a report published Jan 15, that
Chinese military expenditures for 2019 were 1,803 billion yuan or
$261 billion.
*** US DoD weapon
tester wants to improve how Pentagon assesses tools &
capabilities for offensive cyber ops that disrupt or destroy enemy
data systems.
*** As long as
they are not held accountable for their actions, arms-exporting
States will simply accept the risk that their arms could be used for
human rights abuses. https://cbap.cz/archiv/4626
*** Kenneth
Roth, HRW, in Foreign Policy: "Biden should insist that, absent
major improvements, he will curb military aid or arms sales to
abusive friendly governments such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United
Arab Emirates, and Israel."
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/13/biden-human-rights-washington-trump/
*** EP
Greens/ALE insists on the need of a truly EU defence industrial base
through collaboration projects on R&D, acquisition &
maintenance that include EU strategic autonomy, allowing the EU to
promote a more integrated internal market for defence equipment.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2020-0266-AM-001-005_EN.pdf
January
13
Retweet @GKNAeroDYK @GKNAero holds the military type certificate for
the remarkable RM12 engine? RM12 has powered the JAS 39 Gripen
throughout the 310,000 flight hours this aircraft has achieved. The
RM12 delivers the highest operational effectiveness with the most
favourable life-cycle cost.
*** On-site
inspections of exported military materiel enables an exporting
country to verify that the materiel is still present in the country
of destination & at the authorized end user. An increasing number
of EU countries are conducting on-site inspections.
https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2020-12/bp_2012_post-shipment_controls.pdf
*** On
January 10, the Swiss French language daily Le Courrier published an
article entitled “The Israeli-Swiss Weapon of Azerbaijan”,
referring to the Israeli UAVs, outfitted with Swiss electric motors,
used by Azerbaijan in the recent war against Artsakh.
https://hetq.am/en/article/126189
*** Israel's
Elbit Systems stated that its UK daughter, was awarded a contract
valued at +/- $166m from the UK MoD for the navy Future Naval
Training Program (incl establishment of the Future Submarine School)
as part of a consortium led by UK company Capita.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3887059,00.html
*** Do
all (European) participants delivering components agree? Or do they
just follow Trump?
Contract for the sale of F-35 fighters
to the UAE is likely to be inked before the end of the Trump
administration, according to a top US State Department official.
Addition: By
the way in answer to questions on the deal, Dutch Minister of FA Kaag
stated that the 'Report on Arms export: implementation of Common
Position' (aka the Hannah Neumann report) refutes claims the Egyptian
is involved in Human Rights violations in Yemen.
https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/kamervragen/detail?id=2020Z14089&did=2020D31774
*** According to
reports in the Indian media, India will sign an agreement with Israel
in the early part of this year for the supply of an additional amount
of Harop loitering munitions manufactured by Israel Aerospace
Industries (IAI). https://israeldefense.co.il/en/node/47634
Helin Evrim Sommer,
an MP for Die Linke, said that her party has called for sanctions on
Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP), but rejected
general economic sanctions that would affect the people as well.
*** The German
government was allowed to refuse the export of submachine guns to
South Korea. This has been decided by the Berlin Administrative
Court. The lawsuit brought by the manufacturer Heckler & Koch,
failed the small arms producer.
https://taz.de/Verwaltungsgericht-zu-Ruestungsexporten/!5742206/
*** Star Wars
back! European MBDA has its own take on it with a space based
endo-atmospheric interceptor against maneuvering ballistic missiles
with intermediate ranges, hypersonic gliders, anti-ship missiles &
conventional targets such as fighter aircraft.
https://asiatimes.com/2021/01/race-is-on-for-hypersonic-weapon-supremacy/
*** Spanish
Universidad Publica de Navarra
Dutch TNO
German Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur
Forderung...
France based Thales; Tematys;
Ultimetas; & Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches
are contracted by EDA on Hybrid
Multifunctional Metamaterials for Defence Applications #HiMMODA
*** Italy based
National Research Council secured a contract from European Defence
Agency #EDA for Service Framework Contract for the Provision of
Services in the Area of 'Quantum Technologies for Defence with
Application to Optronics- #Quando. The amount of contract isn't
disclosed.
Addition: Netherlands
based Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research #TNO
has secured contract from #EDA for Service Framework Contract for the
Provision of Services in the Area of 'Quantum Technologies for
Defence with Application to Optronics. Amount of isn't disclosed.
Addition: France
based Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aerospatiales secured
a contract from European Defence Agency for Service Framework
Contract for the Provision of Services in the Area of Quantum
Technologies for Defence with Application to Optronics. Amount isn't
disclosed.
Addition: France
based #Thales has secured contract from EDA for Service Framework
Contract for the Provision of Services in the Area of 'Quantum
Technologies for Defence with Application to Optronics'. The contract
is valued approximately € 500 000.00.
As is Spain based #Tecnobit Sl
*** Arguing as if decades of debates
on German, EU and global arms export policy did not happen.
*** Built by
#Airbus D&S with significant Turkish contributions, the Turkish
5A satellite will provide Ku-band television broadcast services over
Turkey, the Middle East, Europe and Africa."
https://www.samenacouncil.org/samena_daily_news?news=82538
*** Easy for China to counter US
argument it is endangering international global peace and stability.
"On arms control and non-proliferation, [the US] pulled out of
the JCPOA and the INF Treaty, unsigned the Arms Trade Treaty,
announced its withdrawal from..."
https://fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/t1844368.shtml
Le Monde
Diplomatique on Saudi war on Yemen, supported by Western powers, in
particular by their exports of weapons, find themselves associated
with a war that is as dishonorable as it is ineffective.
https://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2021/01/BERNIN/62670
*** Arianespace
launches French militaryCSO-2 spy satellite on Soyuz rocket to cap
2020 for the French CNES space agency and DGA military procurement
agency (Direction generale de l'armement), on behalf of the French
MoD.
https://www.space.com/arianespace-soyuz-rocket-launches-cso-2-satellite
