Military-Industry-Democracy Complex

The US wants to sell us arms and get a pie of the $40 billion we give away to other countries currently. But they have to clothe the whole desire in the garb democracy:

"By reaching out to India, we have made the bet that the planet's future lies in pluralism, democracy and market economics," said Nicholas Burns, the State Department's No. 3 official, "rather than in intolerance, despotism and state planning," an apparent reference to communist-ruled China.

No, Mr Burns, you have made the bet that there is no way China is going to buy any arms from you, and that India, on the other hand, will quite possibly do so. Especially as you have so many levers to manoeuvre us into doing so. Russia at least talks only about friendship when it sells us its wares. No hypocritical statement linking everything to the chimera of democracy.

And look at this:

"A significant Indian defense purchase from the United States ... would be a great leap forward and signal a real commitment to long-term military partnership," he added in the November/December issue of the journal Foreign Affairs.

A real commitment won't do, we need to show them some moolah too.