<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif"><b>The Institute for Ethics in Public Life presents "US Arms Exports and Military Assistance," a hybrid forum (in-person and on Zoom) on Wednesday, April 3 at 3:30pm.</b></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif"><b><br></b></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif">
<span>Most
Americans have paid little attention to US arms sales and foreign
military assistance programs since the end of the Cold War. During the
Cold War there was more controversy over US arms exports and military
assistance programs because some recipient governments were brutal and
repressive dictatorships, but the end of that conflict also ended most
of those relationships (along with many of those regimes). </span><br><span></span><br><span>The
war in Ukraine started to raise awareness about the US role as a major
arms exporter, but the issue had little political salience because the
vast majority of Americans across the political spectrum supported
military assistance to Ukraine. While some isolationist and/or
pro-Russian members of Congress have been able to delay a new aid
package to Ukraine, they represent a relatively small minority of
Americans.</span><br><span></span><br>
<span>The war in Gaza has changed this dynamic. Until 2022,
Israel had been the #1 recipient of US foreign aid for decades,
receiving $3.3 billion annually in foreign military assistance (far more than any
other country until Ukraine). Israel also imports a significant
quantity of US ordnance (shells for artillery and tanks, bombs for
aircraft, anti-tank missiles, etc.). This has become a significant
political issue in the US in the wake of the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
In response to those attacks, Israel has waged full-scale war against
Hamas in an effort to completely destroy the organization. Israel's
counterattack against Hamas has destroyed most of the buildings and
infrastructure in Gaza and caused tens of thousands of Palestinian
civilian casualties. The extensive use of American weapons to do this has raised
many important questions about US foreign military assistance and arms
exports.</span>
<br><span> </span><br><span>Topic: Hybrid forum on US foreign military assistance</span><br><span>Time: Apr 3, 2024 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)</span><br><span></span><br><span>Join Zoom Meeting</span><br><span><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/92208343515&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1711298505586429&usg=AOvVaw0x470gFCG6UZb0EcvHGeTl" target="_blank">https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/92208343515</a></span><br><span></span><br><span>Meeting ID: 922 0834 3515</span>
</div><br><div><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><b><font size="2">Daniel Lake</font></b></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">(pronouns: he/him/his)<br></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">Assoc. Prof. and Chair of Political Science</font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">Director, Institute for Ethics in Public Life<br></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">Hawkins 149E</font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2"><a href="https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">101 Broad Street</a></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2"><a href="https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Plattsburgh, NY 12901</a></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">(o) <a href="tel:(518)%5645830" value="+15185642217" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">518-564-5830</a></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><b><font size="2"><a href="http://plattsburgh.edu/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">plattsburgh.edu</a></font></b><br></p></div><div dir="ltr"><img src="https://web.plattsburgh.edu/files/914/images/SUNY-Plattsburgh-Email-Logo-2018.jpg"><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>