This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Russia will sell warplanes to Egypt
- Pakistan will sell warplanes to Saudis, denies nuclear cooperation
- France sending more troops to Central African Republic
Russia will sell warplanes to Egypt
Russia will sell $3 billion in weapons systems to Egypt after anagreement was reached during a visit to Moscow by Egypt’s defenseminister and likely new president, Field Marshal Abdel al-Fattahal-Sisi. The weapons include MiG-29M/M2 Fulcrum fighter jets, airdefense missile complexes, Mi-35 helicopters, coastal anti-shipcomplexes, and light weapons and ammunition.
Russia was Egypt’s main arms supplier in the 1960s and early 1970s.Egypt is returning to Russia now because of military aid cutbacks bythe United States following the military coup that ousted presidentMohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood government. Ria Novosti and Al Ahram (Cairo)
Pakistan will sell warplanes to Saudis, denies nuclear cooperation
Pakistan announced that it plans to sell JF-17 Thunder combat jets andother aircraft and equipment to Saudi Arabia. The JF-17 was developedjointly by China and Pakistan. This announcement comes days afterreports that Saudi Arabia is asking Pakistan to send 30,000 troops to Saudi Arabia. Pakistan andSaudi Arabia are signing defense cooperation agreements because of therise of Iran.
Saudi Arabia is also very concerned that Iran is developing a nuclearweapon, and some reports are suggesting that Pakistan is also planningto sell nuclear weapons technology to the Saudis. However, Pakistan’sforeign minister is denying this:
We have a nuclear weapons program which is adeclared one. We have extensive security regimes. Our civiliannuclear program is under the [International Atomic EnergyAgency] safeguards and it is meant to provide energy and it isalso used in agriculture and medical fields.
The IAEA and other organizations have listed Pakistan as a modelcountry with regard to the security mechanisms that we have inplace.
Saudi Arabia is thought to be turning to Pakistan because itsrelationship with the United States has been souring. The News (Pakistan) and Indian Express
France sending more troops to Central African Republic
France said on Friday that it plans to send 400 additionalpeacekeeping troops to the Central African Republic (CAR), making atotal deployment of 2,000 troops working with the African Union forceof 6,000 peacekeepers. The troops are being sent because a wave ofmass atrocities are being committed by Christian tribes in retaliationfor last year’s attacks on Christians by Muslim Seleka militias.( “8-Feb-14 World View — Central African Republic: Christians aim to get rid of all Muslims”)
From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, the CAR conflict isspiraling into a full-scale generational crisis war, despite increasinglydesperate international efforts to prevent it. CAR’s lastgenerational crisis war was the 1928-1931 Kongo-Wara Rebellion (“Warof the Hoe Handle”), which was a very long time ago, putting CAR deepinto a generational Crisis era where a new crisis war is increasinglylikely. CAR is geographically the size of Texas, with over 500million people, and so 400 additional troops will make no differencewhatsoever. Reuters
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Russia, MiG-20 Fulcrum, Egypt,Mohamed Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood, Abdel al-Fattah al-Sisi,Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, JF-17 Thunder,France, Central African Republic,Kongo-Wara Rebellion, War of the Hoe Handle