Kepentingan Politik Domestik Pemeritahan Obama dalam Penjualan Senjata pada Arab Saudi

ALMANAR, Adila Inal , Rochdi Mohan Nazala

2013 | Skripsi | Ilmu Hubungan Internasional

The Obama administration notified congress that it is to sell arms worth $60 billion to Saudi Arabia in late 2010. The package which includes fighter jets and missiles is the biggest single arms sale in the United States history. While there is much debate on the strategic calculation, little is known about the political calculation of the arms sale. Yet there are many indications that political calculation play major role. This study explores the political calculation of the Obama administration as the broker of the sale. The purpose of this study is to examine how the arms sale to Saudi Arabia can serve as a tool for domestic political interests of the Obama administration. By analyzing existing literature on the topic, this study shows that the arms sale can be a tool for at least three domestic political interest of the Obama administration: help stimulating the economy in times of recession, attracting voters in swing states for the 2012 election, and denying opposition’s rhetoric about the administration being weak on defense policy. Therefore, the arms sales to Saudi Arabia can be seen as a political move of the Obama administration that utilizes a strategic policy instrument for political purpose. Keywords : Obama, arms sales, domestic politics, United States, Saudi Arabia

Kata Kunci : Politik US