SENATE BILL: No UAE Arms Sales Act (Tabled)

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

A BILL
To bar the United Arab Emirates from getting military aid.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of Atlasia in Congress assembled,

Section I. Title

1. This bill may be known as the No UAE Arms Sales Act.

Section II. Content

1. All Military Aid, including both lethal and non-lethal supplies to the United Arab Emirates shall be suspended. This ban shall only be lifted after a majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
2. Any arms, aerospace or other company providing Military equipment, logistical support or defense personnel to the United Arab Emirates will not be allowed to bid for future contracts with the Government of Atlasia.

Section III. Action

1. This bill shall take effect immediately after the President signs this.

Passed 4-3-2-0 in the Atlasian House assembled

Sponsor: Spark
Senate Designation: SB30:20

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Sponsor advocacy and response time.

[Dr. MB]

Maybe take the quotes out before you post it here? I’ve gotten 4 or 5 notifications like this so far.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Maybe take the quotes out before you post it here? I’ve gotten 4 or 5 notifications like this so far.

This place has post notifications?

[SevenEleven]

Maybe take the quotes out before you post it here? I’ve gotten 4 or 5 notifications like this so far.

This place has post notifications?

Yes, you don't get any from me quoting you now?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Maybe take the quotes out before you post it here? I’ve gotten 4 or 5 notifications like this so far.

This place has post notifications?

Yes, you don't get any from me quoting you now?

Where would I get them?

[SevenEleven]

Maybe take the quotes out before you post it here? I’ve gotten 4 or 5 notifications like this so far.

This place has post notifications?

Yes, you don't get any from me quoting you now?

Where would I get them?

They show up below your PMs. There is also an "alerts" button on the topbar.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Maybe take the quotes out before you post it here? I’ve gotten 4 or 5 notifications like this so far.

This place has post notifications?

Yes, you don't get any from me quoting you now?

Where would I get them?

They show up below your PMs. There is also an "alerts" button on the topbar.

Don't get PMs and I have never clicked this "alerts" button that I can recall.

[SevenEleven]

Maybe take the quotes out before you post it here? I’ve gotten 4 or 5 notifications like this so far.

This place has post notifications?

Yes, you don't get any from me quoting you now?

Where would I get them?

They show up below your PMs. There is also an "alerts" button on the topbar.

Don't get PMs and I have never clicked this "alerts" button that I can recall.

There's an option to disable it so maybe you have done that at some point. Alerts are used for when you are involved in a back and forth discussion like this one. I get an alert that shows me you have responded, indicating that I might want to respond to that post.

[Continential]

Maybe take the quotes out before you post it here? I’ve gotten 4 or 5 notifications like this so far.

This place has post notifications?

Yes, you don't get any from me quoting you now?

Where would I get them?

They show up below your PMs. There is also an "alerts" button on the topbar.

Don't get PMs and I have never clicked this "alerts" button that I can recall.

There's an option to disable it so maybe you have done that at some point.

I joined in 2018, and until I enabled it, I didn't have so I guess that's why Yankee doesn't have the "alerts" button.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Maybe take the quotes out before you post it here? I’ve gotten 4 or 5 notifications like this so far.

This place has post notifications?

Yes, you don't get any from me quoting you now?

Where would I get them?

They show up below your PMs. There is also an "alerts" button on the topbar.

Don't get PMs and I have never clicked this "alerts" button that I can recall.

There's an option to disable it so maybe you have done that at some point.

I joined in 2018, and until I enabled it, I didn't have so I guess that's why Yankee doesn't have the "alerts" button.

I probably disabled it back in like 2009 or something and that's why I don't remember it.

[SevenEleven]

Anyway, regarding this particular bill, I am uncertain how to vote. I would rather wait on this decision until I become President and receive adequate counsel from the National Security Council.

[Senator Spark]

It is clear that supplying arms to other countries is bringing us closer to something we would rather avoid, a war. It is vital to our national security interests to not engage Atlasia in endless wars. In addition, funding for these supplies can be redirected to other pertinent areas. Selling arms is bound to infuriate those in the region, and it is simply not worth the cost of that perception.

[Blair]

I don't support providing arms to UAE.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

It is such a fantasy that we could properly compete with China and Russia on the world stage and simultaneously ban arm sales to key regional powers in various parts of the globe. What have we to offer the world's governments? This not only is bad for Atlasian industry and jobs, it also is bad for our global standing. If you want to compete, you have to play by the rules. Willingness to export arms is part of those rules.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

It is myopic thinking to believe that we can optimally hold off Russia and China (and thus defend our values on the world stage by proxy) by only treating as potential security partners those who share those same values. A prosperous Atlasian economy relies on links to the world, and a prosperous Atlasian economy is needed for us to be able to assert an authorative voice on the world stage (making use of power both hard and soft).

[Blair]

There comes a time when you have to choose between the short term economic value of arms sales to our economy (and no-one here is saying that we shouldn't be selling arms to our allies who don't bomb weddings, funerals or ports) & the wider moral implications.

Countries like the UAE will never change if they they keep getting unconditional aid & are allowed to do whatever they want without any consequence.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

There comes a time when you have to choose between the short term economic value of arms sales to our economy (and no-one here is saying that we shouldn't be selling arms to our allies who don't bomb weddings, funerals or ports) & the wider moral implications.

Countries like the UAE will never change if they they keep getting unconditional aid & are allowed to do whatever they want without any consequence.

Our foremost geopolitical priority isn't to, futily, try to change the UAE's governmental practices, it is to do what is best for Atlasian prosperity and interests. If that means helping the UAE, so be it.

[S019]

Tim's concerns are quite valid, and for anyone looking for other reasons that this is a bad idea see my posts in the House thread. TL;DR is that abandoning the region will increase Iran's influence there, which will inevitably help militant extremist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. This bill is good for no one except Iran and its allies Russia and China.

[Blair]

Wasn’t this the same argument that justified arms for apartheid South Africa?

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Wasn’t this the same argument that justified arms for apartheid South Africa?

This was broadly the same argument used to justify helping arm Japan during the Cold War. It's been used in a broad range of contexts.

In any case, I don't think we can act on the assumption we have enough leverage to change the UAE's behavior in substantiative way. If we want to withdraw from providing arms and trash our relationship with our only remaining Middle East security partner, then they will just deal more with Russia and China instead. They aren't going to prostrate before us, most likely. They are filthy rich - they can pick and choose and bribe if need be.

I certainly wouldn't gamble our Middle East position on a chancy-at-very-best proposition reliant on the idea that others will hold our stances to be 100% necessary to follow when they likely would just get what they want from other sources. If there was enough money in it for them, it's possible that trusted allies would just sell more arms to them and profit off our lack of interest, all while Atlasian business loses money and Atlasian workers lose jobs. And what do we gain from that? What would we have accomplished? Cloistering ourselves from most of Asia, the largest continent on Earth?

We've became better at jettisoning allies and helping the opposing blocks come together against us than Kaiser Wilhelm was. Let that sink in.

[Pericles]

I'm inclined to support this in principle, but I don't want to bind the President-Elect. The NSC should consider this carefully. So unless Sev gives us the go ahead, I won't support a final vote on this bill.

[Blair]

I'm inclined to support this in principle, but I don't want to bind the President-Elect. The NSC should consider this carefully. So unless Sev gives us the go ahead, I won't support a final vote on this bill.

This is my position too; the next senate and administration can deal with this better (but you can guess what I’ll say when it is taken up!)

[Blair]

Motion to table

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Motion to table

Seconded I guess.