A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS

2014, Oil on Italian Linen, 120 x 100cm

Around since the 70’s, the Patriot anti-missile system never really worked and by the 1990’s had fallen on hard times. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the designated enemy had suddenly evaporated and politicians were talking about a notion of US ruled peace they coined the New World Order.

The Pentagon turned off the tap (or should we say faucet) to the Patriot program and its manufacturers, Raytheon, Hughes and RCA, and the other firms that comprised the Military Industrial Complex, were facing a bleak outlook. Luckily Kuwait slant drilled into Iraq to steal oil and somewhat miffed, Iraq invaded Kuwait.

Despite the US Ambassador saying they had no interest in the local dispute, the lure of creating a new global pariah proved irresistible. At a media conference the CEO of Raytheon was reported to have stood and toasted, declaring “Thank you Saddam Hussein.”

The tap was turned on again and has flowed freely ever since. Over 51 billion dollars worth of Patriot systems have been sold to eager customers around the world. And the crazy thing is the post war analysis revealed not one enemy missile was intercepted and destroyed, although they did manage to down two of their own planes. God Bless the free market.