Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!
- Sir Walter Scott

It's a two billion dollar deal or better.  Brasil is shopping for 36 jet fighters.  The contenders are:




The French Rafale (Squall) by Dissant. US$82.3 million


Swedish JAS 39 Gripen (Griffin) by SAAB. US$40-61 million.


F/A-18E/F Super Hornet by Boeing. US$54.7 million

It seems like eliminating the French fighter on the basis of price tag is a slam dunk, yet Brasil is leaning in that direction.  Purchasing hi tech war machines is a tangle web, however.  A big issue, for example, is technology transfer.  In France, for further example, unions are trying to nix the deal between Lula da Silva and French President Sarkozy, because the aircraft workers see loss of jobs down the line.  Why?

Dassault designed and builds the Rafale fighter-bomber which France is prepared to sell to Brazil.

On signing a major military hardware agreement with French president Sarkozy, Lula da Silva said he was inclined to choose the French fighter Rafale because France is prepared to transfer sensitive technology and would also allow them to be assembled in Brazil.

I'm knowledged challenged about these kinds of thing - I just want to map out the complexity of military hardware sales between nations, especially how that "tangled web" plays out in the context of international diplomatic missions.

When first we practise to deceive!

Boeing has been jumping up and down to assure its shareholders that business is great; they have a large backload of orders to keep them busy for the next several years, yadda yadda yadda.  Yet Boeing recently laid off over 4K workers, and posted a larger than expected loss of $1.6 billion, and cut its 2009 profit estimate.  Airliner sales, which has sustained many of the world's aircraft manufacturers, have fallen off sharply due to the recession, and the focus is now on military aircraft.  I would think that being nice to Lula da Silva would be a top priority of our State Department, including sending one of State's top negotiators to Brasil, Tom Shannon.

Biography

Thomas A. Shannon, Jr.
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
Term of Appointment: 10/07/2005 to present

Thomas A. Shannon was confirmed as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs on October 7, 2005.

A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Mr. Shannon served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council from 2003 to 2005. From 2002 to 2003, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the Department of State, where he was Director of Andean Affairs from 2001 to 2002. He was U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) from 2000 to 2001.

He served as Director for Inter-American Affairs at the National Security Council from 1999 to 2000; as Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela from 1996 to 1999; and as Regional Labor Attaché at the U.S. Consulate General in Johannesburg, South Africa from 1992 to 1996.

During his career as a Foreign Service Officer, Mr. Shannon also served as Special Assistant to the Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil from 1989 to 1992; as Country Officer for Cameroon, Gabon, and Sao Tome and Principe from 1987 to 1989; and as the Consular/Political Rotational Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, Guatemala from 1984 to 1986.

Mr. Shannon holds a Doctorate and a Master's degree in politics from Oxford University, and a B.A. in Government and Philosophy from the College of William and Mary.

ring...ring..."Secretary Clinton"

"Madame Secretary, Jim DeMint here."

"How can I help you, Senator?"

"Well, how about recognizing the elections in Honduras without Mel being reinstated, for starters?"

"I can't do that.  The Accord clearly states that Zelaya must be reinstated.  That's been our policy all along."

"Are you kidding me?  With all due respect, the Accord is so ambiguous and fuzzy We can read anything into it that we want.  Are you on board?

"Where is this going, Jimbo?"

"OK, tell you what.  You tell me you'll recognize the elections no matter what, and I'll lift my hold on Valenzuela and Shannon.  It's a good deal.  I know you're anxious to get your boy down to Sambalandia, right?"

"Unnggg....good deal?  Hmmmm, well, OK." [hangs up phone]

So Valenzuela gets confirmed Thursday evening.  DeMint is a man of his word.  Next on the agenda, Thomas Shannon.  But the Republican Party is out of control - fractured, headless, no sense of reality.  Enter freshman Senator George LeMieux - you know, resigned Florida Senator Mel Martinez' appointed replacement - and sabotages DeMint's deal with Clinton. 
The Cubans in Florida are really pissed off at Shannon for his role in the Cuba OAS resolution.

This is just a off-the-top example of the complexity of US/Latinamica policy - there are several other burning issues informing the Obama Administration's Laninamerican policy.  But it seems to me that Republicans are playing too large a role in determining this policy.  DeMint's recent Honduran adventure is yielding GOP paydirt.  That's not a good thing.  The Obama Administration has sunk a few notches in reputation in Latinamerica, and the State Department is looking downright incompetent.