Washington sells $11 billion worth of weapons to Qatar. -War is Boring

The signing of the deal. Defense Dept/War is Boring

America has signed an $11 billion weapons deal with the tiny Middle East kingdom of Qatar. -War is Boring The deal includes 24 Apache attack helicopters, 358 Patriot air defense missiles and 500 Javelin anti-tank missiles. This purchase follows a purchase in 2012 of even more weapons including billions on air defense systems. Qatar has a small population of natives, most of the countries 2 million people are foreign workers. This purchase is seen as both a deterrent to Iran and an effort to boost Qatar's internal security.

My Comment:

I'm guessing those weapons are more about internal security then Iran, at least for the Qataris. Qatar is a very segregated and stratified society with most of the oil wealth concentrated in a small group of very wealthy people. That combined with the fact that the majority of Qatar's people are not from the nation could spell disaster, especially considering the fact that there have been abuses in the past directed at the majority. How importing so many people into your country until you are a minority in your own homeland makes any sense at all is beyond me but Qatar seems determined to pull it off, and to do that they need the ability to put down any rebellions. These weapons should be a huge deterrence. 

Of course Washington isn't really concerned about the internal politics of Qatar, as long as it is an ally against Iran, they will look the other way. Plus they are making money on this deal, which is always a bonus. Should a war break out against Iran, and at this point it seems less likely, Qatar will play a major role, so this can also be seen as an investment for America. Should Obama ever decide to do something about ISIS in Syria and Iraq it might play a role as well.