There’s been some concern expressed by the Bush Administration of late about some of Venezuala’s overseas purchases. To wit: they’re a bit on the naughty side:

Indianapolis Star: Venezuela’s AK-47 deal concerns Rumsfeld

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Wednesday criticized Venezuela’s reported efforts to purchase 100,000 AK-47 assault rifles from Russia, suggesting that Venezuela’s possession of so many weapons would threaten the hemisphere.

“I can’t understand why Venezuela needs 100,000 AK-47s. I personally hope it doesn’t happen. I can’t imagine if it did happen it would be good for the hemisphere,” the defense secretary said.

Scoop: Having it both Ways – US On Arms Sale to Venezuela

On March 29, Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez announced that a $1.7 billion (€1.3 billion) sale of vessels and airplanes is currently being negotiated. This deal, which will involve coast guard boats, frigates and aircraft, had officials in Washington muttering under their breath.

Chaves has also signed a deal to buy ten Russian military helicopters for $120m.

Which is why page 210-211 of the Foreign Office’s fourth quarterly Strategic Export Controls Report for 2004, released yesterday, should make for interesting reading at the Pentagon.

Among the items the FCO granted companies permission to export to Venezuela under Open individual Export Licences last year were:

components for naval electronic warfare equipment, components for naval mines, components for torpedoes, components for submarines, components for aircraft carriers, components for combat aircraft, components for combat helicopters, components for heavy machine guns, components for surface to air missile launching equipment, components for guided missile decoying equipment, components for weapon control systems, components for naval light guns, components for anti-ship missiles, components for surface to air missiles, components for anti-submarine rocket launching equipment, components for depth charges, components for heavy machine guns

What are Donald and Condie going to say when they see that little lot? Here’s another taste of what Rice has had to say about Hugo Chavez, this time speaking to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in October 2004:

We haven’t yet gotten to the discussions of political liberalization in Libya, but in international politics it’s always important to say, “Is the trend positive or is the trend negative.” Here I think the trend is probably positive.

In Venezuela, I can’t make that argument. I think President Hugo Chavez is a real problem. I think he will continue to find ways to subvert democracy in his own country. He will continue to find ways to make his neighbors miserable. He will continue his contacts with Fidel Castro, maybe giving Castro one last fling to try to affect the politics of Latin America, which is not a good thing. He’s involved in ways in Colombia with the FARC (Marxist rebels) that are unhelpful.

The key there is to mobilize the region to both watch him and be vigilant about him and to pressure him when he makes moves in one direction or another. We can’t do it alone. This is a region where if we try to do it alone, we actually probably strengthen him. But the OAS (Organization of American States) can do a lot. We’re hopeful that the recognition that he’s not following a democratic course will help mobilize the OAS to do that. They have done it before — with Peru they did it. Watching his activities and making it costly at least politically for Chavez to carry out anti-democratic activities either at home or in the region is really about where we are.

This Chavez guy sounds pretty dangerous. And he’s sitting on a sea of oil. He’s clearly planning for acts of external agression. The argument that he might by shoring up his defences in the face of US sabre-rattling is ludicrous*. Why are we selling him weapons components?

The Foreign Office’s Strategic Export Controls Report for 2004(PDF, 685KB) as a whole makes for gripping reading - some of you won’t be surprised to hear that we sell all kinds of unpleasant items to all kinds of unpleasant people.

Consider this the first in an occasional series.

*I’m being sarcastic.