08 July 2011

German Tanks to Saudi Arabia? Cue the Ignorant Commentary!

So the Germans are selling tanks to the Saudis. Big whoop. Oh, what's that? You're protesting? How about this, come up with a reasonable protest, instead of babbling like a reactionary moron.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing growing criticism from across the political spectrum here after news of a multibillion-dollar deal for the secret sale of 200 tanks to Saudi Arabia leaked from the national security council that approved it.

The government has responded with what the German news media have called an “iron silence,” which has fueled rather than dampened the furor over a sale that experts estimate would be worth roughly $2.5 billion.

Germany strained ties with its NATO allies when it abstained in the United Nations Security Council on the resolution authorizing military action to protect Libyan civilians. Now the government has approved the shipment of the 68-ton tanks to Saudi Arabia even as the image of Saudi tanks rolling into Bahrain to help suppress the protests there remains fresh in the public’s mind.

According to the Web site of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, which produces the tank, the latest version, the Leopard 2A7+, includes “nonlethal capabilities” and an “obstacle clearance blade” almost like a plow in the front that can clear debris and roadblocks.

“This would be a perfect tank to drive into Bahrain and crack down on any uprising,” said Jan Grebe, a researcher at the Bonn International Center for Conversion, a nonprofit research institute that deals with security and development issues. “It’s also a good tank to fight any demonstrations in Riyadh.”


"A perfect tank to drive into Bahrain and crack down on any uprising" eh? Really? You ever actually use a tank in urban combat? Ask the Russian how it worked out in Budapest in '56. Or better yet, ask them about Grozny. Go talk to the Americans, who quit shipping tanks to Baghdad and instead starting walking the beat. Ever notice that the only footage of tanks putting down the Tianenman Square uprising is a guy standing on a highway overpass blocking them? Did the French use them in the banlieus in '05?

Tanks don't work in cities, folks. They just don't. They can blow the shit out of a building and create a fantastic pile of rubble for someone else to clean up, but all that does is make it less likely they'll be used domestically, because someone (usually the government) still has to clean up the mess, and tanks make a big f'n' mess.

More likely, the Saudis are looking to put tanks to use in the desert, where you've got great fields of fire, long engagement ranges, sight lines, and plenty of space around you to keep some crunchy from popping up with a grenade or Molotov cocktail and ruining your day.

This isn't the "perfect tank to drive into Bahrain and crack down on any uprising". Why? Because there is no perfect tank to drive into Bahrain and crack down on any uprising. There are plenty of armored cars, APCs, and other lighter vehicles with smaller armaments and more crew members. But they aren't tanks. Nor will they be.

This level of reactionary hysteria is common among those who have no clue what the hell they're talking about, but are perfectly happy protesting for the sake of protest. Enough already.

By: Brant

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

see this before u judge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okVKSePVCUo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwnUQcKXmMM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALKEfN59GeI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kytDG_fdH4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEkOOd8z4KE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd9k2XGXHLQ

and there are more..

Brant said...

Just to see, I actually watched the videos. You know what?

NO TANKS.

That's right. None of the armored vehicles in there are tanks. They are M113-series armored personnel carriers. They are exactly what we said in the second-to-last paragraph:
"There are plenty of armored cars, APCs, and other lighter vehicles with smaller armaments and more crew members. But they aren't tanks. Nor will they be."

This doesn't mean they are aren't deadly to unarmed protesters - these things carry machine guns and lots of troops - but they aren't tanks.

Just because it has armor on the body and treads underneath doesn't mean it's a tank. There's a lot of different kinds of armored vehicles with treads: self-propelled howitzers, tanks, personnel carriers, maintenance vehicles, scout tracks, and rocket carriers.

It is the hysterical and uneducated that confuse them. Those of us who know a little something about military operations know the difference, can tell the difference, and understand why they are different.

It makes for great headlines to say something is a "perfect tank to drive into Bahrain and crack down on any uprising". But even the video evidence offered above shows NO TANKS, which indicates a reasonable amount of military expertise on the part of the operational planner, who are matching the right hardware (APCs) with the mission (urban operations).

NOTE THAT WE ARE IN NO WAY DEFENDING THE USE OF DEADLY FORCE AGAINST PEACEFUL UNARMED PROTESTORS.
We are simply drawing a distinction between the different types of equipment, and the hysterical over-reactions of the uneducated headline-chasers.

Anonymous said...

do u mind showing me how tanks looks like? I would like to know the difference

Brant said...

Start here:

Main Battle Tank at Wikipedia

Armored Personnel Carrier at Wikipedia