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