I'm John Bachelor with Gordon Chang, my colleague and friend, and we're joined by our colleague

Rick Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center to help us interpret a headline

in these last days that points to arms race in a desperate part of the world, Sudan, on the Nile

River Valley. But at the same time, part of an ongoing

civil war that has ripped apart the region and spills into Ethiopia, to Egypt, into the whole

horn of Africa. Rick, a very good evening to you. The headline is, Pakistan nears $1.5 billion deal to supply weapons and jets to Sudan.

How to interpret this? Is this fresh information? Does this help Pakistan in some fashion to arm rebel groups in Africa?

What does this mean about the Nile River Valley? Is it getting worse, not better?

Good evening to you, Rick.

Good evening, John. Good evening, Gordon. Definitely, John. This means that the war in Sudan is about

to get worse, and that behind all the veils, what we're seeing is China using Pakistan

to arm Saudi Arabia to help China create an alternative security structure in the Middle East to either strengthen

if the Iran regime survives or to supplant its power and influence in Iran should the Mullah

regime fade away in the very near future.

There are two major arms deals that China is behind going from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia.

The first and most controversial would be the sale to Sudan, arming the Sudan army.

But there's a second larger arms package of Pakistani Chinese JF17 fighters that could go from

Pakistan to Saudi Arabia,

strengthening the alliance between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia

established last September 17.

Gordon, you have a comment and question about,

for Rick, about this very large arms deal for Sudan.

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