In Arms

 JEFFREY ST. CLAIR

+ A Wall Street Journal piece on the ravenous global demand for weapons profiles a missile manufacturer in Kongsberg, Norway, that is running its factories around the clock—and wait times for its NASAMS interceptor missile remain years long. “I’ve never seen anywhere near so much demand,” said Eirik Lie, president of the defense division of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

+ Israel bombs Beirut and Biden bombs Baghdad in the same week–both illegal assassination strikes with collateral damage. It sure looks like the wider Middle East war Israel (and John Bolton) wanted has begun. Mike Knights of the Washington Institute: “If Iraqi PM Al Sudani doesn’t chuck the US out this time, I predict he’ll get a nice state visit to DC this quarter.”

+ Someone also bombed Iran, killing more than 100 people attending a memorial for Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the former leader of Iran’s Quds Force who was assassinated by a U.S. drone strike exactly four years ago.

+ Rep. Ilhan Omar has introduced legislation to block the Biden administration’s attempt to sell $582 million in arms to Saudi Arabia.

+  The combined defense budgets of the 54 countries supporting Ukraine far exceed $100 billion per month. However, the current level of support for Ukraine costs those states less than $6 billion monthly.

+ Provide ballistic missiles to countries that are waging war on civilian populations? Who would do such a thing?