Sir, – Without any sense of irony, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson proclaims that Iran is on notice and that the era of “strategic patience” is over. Meanwhile it is business as usual with Saudi Arabia, with both Theresa May and Donald Trump busying themselves courting the House of Saud for arms sales. This in the state where the biggest donors to Sunni terrorist groups, such as Islamic State, reside.
Of course, with Mr Trump’s promise of an additional $100 billion per annum to the Pentagon, there is a ravenous military industrial complex to feed, from an unaudited budget.
Indeed it was recently reported that an investigation outlining $125 billion of waste at the Pentagon was buried.
The recent activities of the North Korean regime and the continued demonising of the Iranian bogeyman has been a boon to international arms industry.
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The politics of fear allows the US arms industry to feed from the trough of the taxpayer while social infrastructure is eroded. The proposed increased Pentagon budget will come at the expense of items such as social security and healthcare.
Michael Jansen's excellent review of the chequered history US interference in the Middle East ("US intervention in Middle East has a long, difficult history", Opinion & Analysis, April 19th), along with the dubious credentials of the Trump regime, can only leave one assuming the worst. – Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Blackrock,
Cork.