The Obama administration recently concluded a deal to sell $30 billion in sophisticated weapons to Saudi Arabia, including 84 F-15 fighter jets. Not to be left behind, British Prime Minister David Cameron made his first visit to Saudi Arabia to win lucrative weapons deals valued at $23 billion.

These deals have been presented as useful arrangements to promote stability in a Middle East, allegedly threatened by Iran’s ambitions. However, seen through a different lens, it appears that arms-producing nations such as the United States and the United Kingdom are using Saudi Arabia as an automated teller machine, from which billions of dollars can be secured to bolster their troubled economies.

It is unfortunate that the U.S. Congress did not seize the opportunity to block the F-15 sale on the grounds that arming the Arab world is in the best interests neither of the region nor of the U.S. or the West in the long run. As the Arab Spring had made abundantly clear, every corner of the Arab world faces daunting and diverse challenges. Economic stagnation, the rise of fundamentalism, terrorism and the denial of personal liberties are among the more pressing issues.

Despite the record rise in the price of oil, the economic wellbeing of most Arabs is worsening. If oil and natural gas were excluded from the economies of the Arab nations, which together have an estimated 400 million inhabitants, their cumulative gross domestic product would amount to less than that of Finland, with a population of just over 5 million people. With the exception of a few isolated pockets, the Arab world has failed miserably to match the economic growth visible in most other regions. It certainly does not need a new regional arms race that is likely to result in further destabilization.

The U.S. and Europe face serious economic challenges that may persist for years to come. It is, perhaps, understandably tempting for political leaders there to look for quick fixes. An injection of billions of dollars into an anemic American economy will certainly provide a needed boost to industries reliant on arms sales, potentially creating as many as 50,000 jobs in 44 states. Likewise, the U.K. could see a short-term economic benefit from selling armaments to Saudi Arabia and other Middle East nations.

However, the proposed arms sales are the wrong tool. Why does the region need additional sophisticated armaments? Whom would the recipient countries fight? Iran? Not likely. It is not in Iran’s interest to militarily confront Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. and other Western countries would not allow such a reckless move, and Iran knows it. What Iran is able and willing to do, however, is to support militant movements that will create additional unrest throughout the region. Iraq and Lebanon are cases in point.

The real dangers that many Arab countries are facing stem from domestic religious extremism and militant terrorism. Obtaining the most modern weaponry will not contribute to creating a more stable region and it will not make violent extremism go away. Allowing the free market to flourish, protecting human rights, and reforming the educational system would be more effective means to accomplish these worthy goals.

For example, Arab universities have consistently produced graduates who have found it difficult to achieve success in the global economy. Those unemployed graduates are resentful and without hope of advancement in their societies. That is why they become ideal targets for recruitment by extremist groups.

To counter such a threat, there is a desperate need for educational policy changes that will allow future Saudi citizens to compete effectively in the global arena – changes based on sound principles of education that put math and science, rather than religion, at the center of the curriculum. Arab students in general and Saudi students in particular should learn how to think instead of what to think.

The U.S., the U.K., and other countries facing economic stress should consider selling the Saudis goods and services that promote stability, economic development, and long-term benefits to all concerned. Assistance in reforming the elementary and secondary educational systems is one thing that would create a net benefit to the entire country, as well as to its partners in the West. The U.S. could even throw in a bundle of tolerance and human rights – for free.

Historically, the U.S. Congress has questioned and occasionally opposed weapons sales to Arab nations on the ground that they might endanger Israel’s existence. Debates on such sales have served as political opportunities for many members of Congress to voice their support of Israel, even as they have known that Israel was never truly at risk.

This time, however, Congress should have blocked the Saudi arms deal because it would have been the right thing to do. Arabs need serious help as they face up to pressing social and educational challenges. Weapons should not be part of the package.

Raja Kamal is a senior vice president at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging Research in Novato, California (www.thebuck.org). He wrote this commentary for THE DAILY STAR.