Middle east.

[colker]

Was it a wise move to adopt Israel´s selected killings? The iranians have been feeding their proxies like Hbollah w/ guns and assist for decades. Obama played cautious although some say he failed... but Donald is setting fire to gasoline. There is no way to turn back after this and even if there was the diplomatic ability was never there. Good luck to all of us.

[DJB]

I remembered this article from 2013.

It's hard for me to imagine how this will play out. Iran will act out for sure but it could be anywhere and the target will be soft and not connected directly to this issue (I wager). A bomb in a restaurant frequented by tourists or a missile into a passenger airplane.

I wish we had James Baker, Madeline Albright, or Colin Powell in place.

Praying for peace.

[Too Tall]

There is no good war. That's all I got.

[DJB]

I remembered this article from 2013.

It's hard for me to imagine how this will play out. Iran will act out for sure but it could be anywhere and the target will be soft and not connected directly to this issue (I wager). A bomb in a restaurant frequented by tourists or a missile into a passenger airplane.

I wish we had James Baker, Madeline Albright, or Colin Powell in place.

Praying for peace.

"The good will didn’t last. In January, 2002, Crocker, who was by then the deputy chief of the American Embassy in Kabul, was awakened one night by aides, who told him that President George W. Bush, in his State of the Union Address, had named Iran as part of an “Axis of Evil.” Like many senior diplomats, Crocker was caught off guard. He saw the negotiator the next day at the U.N. compound in Kabul, and he was furious. “You completely damaged me,” Crocker recalled him saying. “Suleimani is in a tearing rage. He feels compromised.” The negotiator told Crocker that, at great political risk, Suleimani had been contemplating a complete reëvaluation of the United States, saying, “Maybe it’s time to rethink our relationship with the Americans.” The Axis of Evil speech brought the meetings to an end. Reformers inside the government, who had advocated a rapprochement with the United States, were put on the defensive. Recalling that time, Crocker shook his head. “We were just that close,” he said. “One word in one speech changed history.” "

From the above article- We cooperated with Iran after the 9/11 attacks to strike at the Taliban (The enemy of my enemy...)

[j44ke]

Probably just shut down the internet for the US banking system. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard, besides having almost unlimited capital from asset seizures, have a top level cyber assault team.

[monadnocky]

Probably just shut down the internet for the US banking system. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard, besides having almost unlimited capital from asset seizures, have a top level cyber assault team.

I wonder if shutting down the entire US grid for ... oh, I don't know, 10 minutes or so would get our attention.

[Too Tall]

To anyone contemplating escalation(s) that might make the American public more aware of the threats posed by hostile foreign actors....why is that good?

Diplomacy is long, drawn out, hard fought for over sometimes seemingly insignificant actions and words. That can take years or decades or never, in the meantime there is...diplomacy.

[colker]

I remembered this article from 2013.

It's hard for me to imagine how this will play out. Iran will act out for sure but it could be anywhere and the target will be soft and not connected directly to this issue (I wager). A bomb in a restaurant frequented by tourists or a missile into a passenger airplane.

I wish we had James Baker, Madeline Albright, or Colin Powell in place.

Praying for peace.

Excellent article. I have zero sympathy for Suleimani or the revolutionary guard but i can´t see the strategy in this US hit.

[Colinmclelland]

... It unifies the various factions within the Iranian government rather than continuing to drive a wedge...

Sad that he can unify international enemies but domestically he seems (from afar- what would I know?) to be sticking with the wedge.

Whatever, the gold price is not agreeing that the world is now a safer place.

[mjbabcock]

I mostly hate how every foreign policy move is done alone. We needed to do something about China, and had an opportunity to rally support and apply multi-lateral pressure. Same thing goes for Korea and Iran. We applied tarrifs against Canada and Brazil? What the hell? We just take on fights like a schoolyard bully. We are gonna get a bloody nose soon.

[Colinmclelland]

I mostly hate how every foreign policy move is done alone. We needed to do something about China, and had an opportunity to rally support and apply multi-lateral pressure. Same thing goes for Korea and Iran. We applied tarrifs against Canada and Brazil? What the hell? We just take on fights like a schoolyard bully. We are gonna get a bloody nose soon.

It’s like there is a policy of not having a policy

[Dallas Tex]

Isn´t America a violent society? Isn´t the celebrity culture opressive? Isn´t consummerism a kind of authoritarian environment where not having everything makes you a loser?
How about the increasing suicide rate in the US? How is the drug, alcohol and medication abuse going?
.

Please don’t lose perspective of what Iran actually is when you act as an apologist for this horrid country.

The following is a quote from Human Rights Watch’s 2019 report on Iran.

“Iranian law considers acts such as “insulting the prophet,” “apostasy,” same-sex relations, adultery, and certain non-violent drug-related offenses as crimes punishable by death.”

It’s bizarre to compare American ‘celebrity culture oppression’ or american consumerism with the daily life in Iran.

[colker]

Please don’t lose perspective of what Iran actually is when you act as an apologist for this horrid country.

The following is a quote from Human Rights Watch’s 2019 report on Iran.

“Iranian law considers acts such as “insulting the prophet,” “apostasy,” same-sex relations, adultery, and certain non-violent drug-related offenses as crimes punishable by death.”

It’s bizarre to compare American ‘celebrity culture oppression’ or american consumerism with the daily life in Iran.

They have bad opinions about the west just as well and some of those opinions make sense: the kind of archaic patriarchal morality of Iran gives respect to elders and sometimes that makes for a better environment. I don´t want to be an old person in LA or NY or any other highly sexualized western city.
Iran has intellectuals, writers, architects, film makers... just like any other country and they don´t want to be americans.
I myself believe western culture right now is at a low bottom and mostly because social media: everything is fake but that´s another issue.

[HorsCat]

Please don’t lose perspective of what Iran actually is when you act as an apologist for this horrid country.

The following is a quote from Human Rights Watch’s 2019 report on Iran.

“Iranian law considers acts such as “insulting the prophet,” “apostasy,” same-sex relations, adultery, and certain non-violent drug-related offenses as crimes punishable by death.”

It’s bizarre to compare American ‘celebrity culture oppression’ or american consumerism with the daily life in Iran.

You need to learn to distinguish between the country and its government. “Horrid” isn’t how I’d describe any of the Iranians I know.

As for the Iranian law you cite, let’s not lose sight of the fact that many in the GOP, including President Impeached’s veep and SOS (among others) would like for that to be the law in the US, too.

[Dallas Tex]

You need to learn to distinguish between the country and its government. “Horrid” isn’t how I’d describe any of the Iranians I know.

You need to learn to distinguish between a country and it’s people. Any country that creates and enforces a law that executes it’s own citizens for adultery or homosexuality is a horrid place. Period.

As for the Iranian law you cite, let’s not lose sight of the fact that many in the GOP, including President Impeached’s veep and SOS (among others) would like for that to be the law in the US, too.

Profoundly untrue.

[ides1056]

[QUOTE=Dallas Tex;984712]You need to learn to distinguish between a country and it’s people. Any country that creates and enforces a law that executes it’s own citizens for adultery or homosexuality is a horrid place. Period.

It is worth noting that this was the law in our country back at the beginning. Adultery was a capital crime, as was homosexuality. We have moved forward from there to a more enlightened present. I think it is fair to say that there are those in this country who have a rather Old Testament view and would like to enforce its precepts on the rest of us.

"Whataboutism of the morning: Anyone remember "Arab Spring"? How'd that work out?'

Indeed, what did the US do when a duly elected head of state was incarcerated and sentenced to death? Spring is not welcome here or anywhere else.

[Dallas Tex]

If being a sub-optimal regime was the answer you'd be going after the Saudi royals surely?
!

Saudis? The regime that jails the female victims of rape for the crime of adultery?

I certainly wouldn’t become an apologist for the kingdom if we took out their mastermind terrorist after they attacked our troops & burned our embassy. Based on your position so far on Iran, can I assume that you would ?

[Colinmclelland]

Saudis? The regime that jails the female victims of rape for the crime of adultery?

I certainly wouldn’t become an apologist for the kingdom if we took out their mastermind terrorist after they attacked our troops & burned our embassy. Based on your position so far on Iran, can I assume that you would ?

Nope. But I'm not a believer in "screw you we'll kill who we want when we want" foreign policy either.

Back to my point, you've killed this guy. He deserved it. But, wait the Saudis are bad guys too. And don't get me started on the Chinese. When is the US going to start killing them? Foreign policy could be more betterer.

[Colinmclelland]

Worked my key problem with it:

It vigilantiism as foreign policy. Victims of vigilantiism always deserve it, but supposedly we're better than that. Countries should be. It's the argument that you can kill your way to a better world. I don't buy it.

[fiveller]

Saudis? The regime that jails the female victims of rape for the crime of adultery?

I certainly wouldn’t become an apologist for the kingdom if we took out their mastermind terrorist after they attacked our troops & burned our embassy. Based on your position so far on Iran, can I assume that you would ?

You keep claiming that we're apologists for a murdering general. Do you have any pics of us saluting a general of a totalitarian regime that's enslaved and murdered millions, spread terror around the world and developed nuclear weapons?