America's mideast policy, in two paragraphs

From the end of a NYTimes piece announcing that the U.S. plans to give $20 billion worth of military hardware to Saudi Arabia and its allies:

In defending the proposed sale to Saudi Arabia and other gulf states, the officials noted that the Saudis and several of the other countries were in talks with suppliers other than the United States. If the packages offered to them by the United States are blocked or come with too many conditions, the officials said, the Persian Gulf countries could turn elsewhere for similar equipment, reducing American influence in the region.

The United States has made few, if any, sales of satellite-guided munitions to Arab countries in the past, though Israel has received them since the mid-1990s as part of a United States policy of ensuring that Israel has a military edge over its regional rivals.

We insist on selling arms, for fear of losing our influence, yet risk our reputation by selling arms. So, we end up funding both sides of an arms race. Whatever makes Raytheon, Lockheed, Boeing et al happy, I guess.