War as a catalogue

The State Department approved and fast-tracked more than $16 billion in arms sales to the UAE, Kuwait and Jordan. The UAE will receive 10 anti-drone systems, long-range discrimination radars integrated with THAAD, F-16 munitions and upgrades, and 400 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, for an estimated total of $8.5 billion. Kuwait is buying air and missile defence radars for $8 billion. Jordan will make a smaller purchase.

The figures are notable not only for the amount but for the speed. The US arms sale process is normally bureaucratic and slow, with congressional reviews and regional impact assessments. In this case, it was fast-tracked, accelerated by the urgency of the conflict. The buyers are countries that have spent three weeks under Iranian drone and missile bombardment and are burning through interceptors at an unsustainable rate.

It is the logic of the military-industrial complex operating in real time. War creates demand. Demand justifies the sale. The sale funds the defence industry that produces the weapons for the next war. Iran attacks with $50,000 drones and the Gulf monarchies buy defence systems worth billions. The net result is a massive transfer of wealth from the Gulf's oil states to American defence contractors. It is not a conspiracy: it is how the arms market works. But the speed and scale serve as a reminder of who always wins, regardless of who loses.