Deadline arrives for US Congress to vote UAE arms sales resolution
The US Congress faces its deadline today to vote on resolutions aimed to block new arms sales to the UAE.
House Democrats have opposed the $23 billion deal, with a few Republicans joining the opposition. They cites the UAE’s poor human rights record, its bombing campaign in Yemen and its history of funneling US weapons to militias. The proposed arms deal comes only a few months after a groundbreaking normalisation agreement between Israel and the UAE, which has removed Israeli opposition to UAE militarisation.
Expect the House to achieve the simple majority needed to block the sale, though the potential to amass the required two-thirds majority to overturn an expected presidential veto is unlikely. As President Donald Trump tries to push the deal through before his successor’s inauguration on January 20, the process is likely to fuel tensions in an increasingly unstable Middle East. Viewed primarily as a counter against heightened threats from Iran, the passage of the deal could be met with a retaliatory expansion by Tehran. Already proficient in the promulgation of proxy conflicts, deteriorating Lebanon and already war-torn nations like Libya and Yemen could see increased funding for belligerent forces from both Tehran and Abu Dhabi.
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