|
svenkatesh posted:Does Pakistan qualify for this thread? I put little stock in rhetoric. The US has long complained about Pakistan but has rarely taken any action that could potentially force them to change their policy. Although aid to Pakistan has been declining since Obama's surge, I'm not sure if that actually represents punishment for the tacit(?) support for the Taliban or is just a reflection of the general decrease in American resources devoted to the Afghan war. edit: i also find it difficult to draw much meaning from shifting rhetoric in the Trump era. The Trump adminstration handles public statements and rhetoric much differently than past administrations so dramatic shifts in language can't necessarily be taken as reflecting a meaningful shift in policy. Remember the incident earlier this year where China got Sec of State Rex Tillerson to say the world should be more considerate of Chinese feelings. This is the kind of language the Chinese government pushes in their diplomacy and China watchers treated it as a minor coup for mainland China. . . but it didn't actually mean poo poo because Trump and Tillerson didn't know or care at all about the nuances of diplomatic signalling. They've acculturated a bit into the norms of international diplomacy since but there's still a major element of reading into the tea-leaves with this kind of statement. Squalid fucked around with this message at 05:09 on Dec 16, 2017 |
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 05:01
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 24, 2024 06:09 |
|
|
Tillerson is also supposedly on the outs and Trump contradicted him on North Korea, so US foreign policy is profoundly unclear at the moment.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 08:25
|
|
|
mlmp08 posted:At a time when the US is flowing even more forces to Afghanistan, truly and severely pissing on Pakistan would be a poor choice. Unless... Ohmygod! Iran's just a smokescreen, they're really gonna invade Pakistan!  Which would be even dumber
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 11:09
|
|
|
Just distract Pakistan from Afghanistan by providing arms and support to the Baluchistan separatists. India can help. 
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 12:02
|
|
|
Cat Mattress posted:Just distract Pakistan from Afghanistan by providing arms and support to the Baluchistan separatists. India can help. This is a bad idea.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 12:32
|
|
|
Chadderbox posted:This is a bad idea.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 12:45
|
|
|
Another article about the nationalist push in Iran: The genesis of a new Iranian nationalism https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/12/iran-new-nationalism-religion-politics-trump-saudi-isis.html quote:Among the most prominent examples of this turn to nationalism is the multimillion-dollar Sacred Defense Garden and Museum in northern Tehran, which opened in late 2012. One of the main exhibits displays large maps that show the Persian Empire ruling swaths of Asia over 3,000 years ago. It juxtaposes this map against shrinking Iranian territory throughout the centuries. Iran’s size today is minuscule in comparison with the glorified empire painted on the wall. The message of the museum is clear: Past monarchs ceded territory, thinking more about their own pockets than the nation. It was only the Islamic Republic that defended Iran’s borders, and by extension, its dignity as an ancient civilization.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 12:55
|
|
|
mediadave posted:Another article about the nationalist push in Iran: This one is much better than Erdbrink's article. Lots of important context he left unmentioned.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 13:09
|
|
|
Duckbox posted:Tillerson is also supposedly on the outs and Trump contradicted him on North Korea, so US foreign policy is profoundly unclear at the moment. No, no, it's very clear. The Trump Administration foreign policy is "whatever's the worst decision".
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 15:59
|
|
|
So this is pretty small in the grand scheme of things but utterly poo poo regardless: The family of Miss Iraq in the Miss Universe pageant has had to flee the country because of a single photo she took with the Israeli contestant.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 19:49
|
|
|
https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/942065808234205185 Lol saudi bootlicker twitter is going bananas over the NYT reporting of the $300 million dollar house, mind you this is a week and a half after they published one of the most fawning and rear end licking editorials I have ever read in my life, sometimes you cant please everybody I guess.  khwarezm posted:So this is pretty small in the grand scheme of things but utterly poo poo regardless: no I actually agree with this. any Arab person or official or contestant who cavorts and gives comfort and aid or positively aids normalization with Israel in any way should be disqualified, harassed and have their careers ruined. Of course the whole 'literally run out of the country' is bad but lol if you promote good relations with apartheid racism while they're exterminating the Palestinians then you loving deserve what's coming. ESPECIALLY now that Israel is making it's grab for jerusalem. There was a similar incident a few years ago when an IDF oval office tried to embarrass miss Lebanon by taking a surprise selfie with her without her consent, Israelis do this loving thing all the time to try and give people the impression that arabs are OK when what they're doing to the Palestinians. However in this case the miss Iraq KNEW what she was doing and KNEW what message she was sending, so she's reaping what she sowed so gently caress her and I hope she gets cancer. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 19:59
|
|
|
Al-Saqr posted:
Taking a picture with somebody is not giving comfort and aid to the enemy. It's also possible to have relationships with people from a country who does terrible things without supporting that country. Also stop using the word 'oval office' so liberally.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 20:07
|
|
|
I don't believe Miss Whatever beauty pageant contestants are intelligent people.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 20:10
|
|
|
Al-Saqr posted:https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/942065808234205185
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 21:10
|
|
|
I remember the frontpage so many years ago...."Hope"(got removed after a while of course) I know I really sound like I'm putting myself on a cross but...how i wish i was a sociopath.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 21:49
|
|
|
Al-Saqr posted:https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/942065808234205185 But tell us how you really feel.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 22:00
|
|
|
khwarezm posted:Taking a picture with somebody is not giving comfort and aid to the enemy. khwarezm posted:It's also possible to have relationships with people from a country who does terrible things without supporting that country.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 22:04
|
|
|
BTW, Al-Saqr I only paid a tenner.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 22:10
|
|
|
Al-Saqr posted:no I actually agree with this. any Arab person or official or contestant who cavorts and gives comfort and aid or positively aids normalization with Israel in any way should be disqualified, harassed and have their careers ruined. Of course the whole 'literally run out of the country' is bad This does not really compute for me. "I agree with this, but it's bad" is an interesting take.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 22:13
|
|
|
Toplowtech posted:Hey, it's the Du Barry's castle. She ended up guillotined during the terror. What a fantastic choice for a king. FYI that house was built like 10 years ago.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 22:16
|
|
|
Al-Saqr posted:https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/942065808234205185 Saudi is just as bad as Israel now, should Miss Pakistan or Miss Philippines be harassed because she posed with a Saudi? (Does such a person exist?)
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 22:21
|
|
|
https://twitter.com/RealNetanyahu/status/941913301189124097 a parody account 
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 23:25
|
|
|
Its also a modification of a Golda Meir quote. The early Israeli statesmen/women were some terrifying and messed up people.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2017 23:59
|
|
|
khwarezm posted:Also stop using the word 'oval office' so liberally. Hey, at least he tries to restrain himself, last time it was "horse faced murderous oval office" and before that it was "I'd gently caress pigs before I'd touch an Israeli woman" or some poo poo, must have been heartbreaking for all those israeli women lining up for their turn.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 00:09
|
|
|
A Buttery Pastry posted:I think that's why it included "aids normalization" as another reason. Well, I think 'Aids normalization' is very watery and vague concern in my view, and I think in this context the situation was so petty and unimportant that seeing this sort of reaction is really unpleasant, was any reaction other than some rolled eyes actually warranted? The original instagram post was a milquetoasty 'Peace and love, everyone should get along  ' that came about when everyone was backstage. I suppose they do represent their countries, but it's a tacky beauty pageant not an international summit, and the fallout of this kind of thing tends to give the worst kind of people more ammo (the story is making rounds in places like the noted Islamophilic bastion that is Reddit).
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 00:25
|
|
|
Seriously Saqr, when your response to someone getting death threats over a selfie is "oval office had it coming," it's probably time for a little introspection.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 04:06
|
|
|
The regime's over-reliance on paramilitary groups is continuing to bite them; ISIS attacked regime controlled areas in-between Mayadin and Abu Kamal, and ISIS was able to take back control for a little bit. The knives are already out over whose fault it is: https://www.reddit.com/r/syriancivilwar/comments/7k77cb/syria_deirezzor_according_to_a_tiger_forces/ https://twitter.com/IvanSidorenko1/status/942001223288356864 quote:#Syria #DeirEzZor According to a Tiger Forces Commander you can thank all the losses at the Euphrates front to Liwa al Quds & Fatemiyoun who just straight up suck at defending. Tiger Forces handed over the Areas they captured to them and then they lost most of it days after. quote:#Syria #DeirEzZor Post from the Commander of #Tiger_Forces Shaheen Group about the failures of Liwa al Quds & Iranian Fatimiyoun who took over the Areas after Tiger Forces were supposed to begin work @ Idlib & Hama. 17th Armored Divsiion & #SRG & AL-Ridda Forces Took over the Job
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 05:13
|
|
|
The X-man cometh posted:Saudi is just as bad as Israel now, should Miss Pakistan or Miss Philippines be harassed because she posed with a Saudi? (Does such a person exist?) Hell Saudi is worse. At least Israel tolerates internal dissidents to a degree. Better noone ever associate with any Saudi nationals. Guess we all have to put al saqr on ignore.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 05:32
|
|
|
Saladin Rising posted:The regime's over-reliance on paramilitary groups is continuing to bite them; ISIS attacked regime controlled areas in-between Mayadin and Abu Kamal, and ISIS was able to take back control for a little bit. The knives are already out over whose fault it is: Their pivot to NE Hama was too fast. It’s not like this same scenario hasn’t happened before. Palmyra in particular. They should have just waited to campaign in Idlib for a few months to allow some rebuilding time and maintain local superiority over IS. I get their resources are stretched but this lesson should have been learned. The Iraqi’s had a much more realistic timetable for Mosul, Tel Afar, Hawija and then the desert areas, they consistently consolidated and it worked quite well to keep IS from recapturing things.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 05:54
|
|
|
I'm the best canned foods and nuts.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 06:30
|
|
|
khwarezm posted:Well, I think 'Aids normalization' is very watery and vague concern in my view khwarezm posted:I suppose they do represent their countries, but it's a tacky beauty pageant not an international summit AlexanderCA posted:Hell Saudi is worse. At least Israel tolerates internal dissidents to a degree. Better noone ever associate with any Saudi nationals. Guess we all have to put al saqr on ignore.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 07:25
|
|
|
Bip Roberts posted:FYI that house was built like 10 years ago.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 07:35
|
|
|
khwarezm posted:Taking a picture with somebody is not giving comfort and aid to the enemy. It's also possible to have relationships with people from a country who does terrible things without supporting that country. The X-man cometh posted:Saudi is just as bad as Israel now, should Miss Pakistan or Miss Philippines be harassed because she posed with a Saudi? (Does such a person exist?) Saudi is not a democracy, and the citizens of Saudi Arabia dont have any choice or say in the matter of what their government does or says, it's as ridiculous as saying that 500,000 iraqi kids had to starve to death because of saddam husseins behavior, in the end the Iraqi's just suffered and the dictators went on business as usual. Israel however is a 'democracy' in which all of it's citizens are soldiers, fresh colonizers from abroad, taxpayers and have the full freedom to change the nature and behavior of their government. that's the difference. In Israel, the governments change, but the fundamental nature of the society and the policies it produces reflects the will of the people and doesn't change, the few times it did change was when they were forced to do so ( e.g. Israel doesn't attack Lebanon as much as they used to because hezbollah sent a message to the voting public in Israel that they're not safe from their actions) therefore, if it's fair that if the Iraqi's, Iranians, etc. have to suffer immensely for the crimes of their unelected and unaccountable governments, then it's quadruple fair that Arab civil society gives the entire voting and supportive population (the racist and unrepentant parts) of Israel the cold shoulder they deserve for committing what they're committing without remorse and without any serious attempt to change their ways. Arab civil society is currently under occupation by arab fascist governments backed by the US and Israel (and Iran in multiple places), we have no ability to send the Palestinians money, weapons, etc. to defend themselves. Arab civil society has no way to deliver help to the Palestinians beyond some money or some food and even that is kinda on and off. Boycotting is one of the few ways people are able to express their political So one of the few ways we can send a message to the Israelis that they're doing something wrong is to collectively boycott all interactions with them until the palestinians are treated like human beings. Symbols Matter, and the narrative matters, if you give a rapist the kind of treatment he wants with no punishment or consequences for what he's done, then he's got no reason to change his ways and will continue as is because he's been positively re-informed to keep as is. if an Arab person in an official and representative capacity aids normalization with Israel, he is not only giving Israeli Apartheid a narrative and symbolic victory, they are also weakening the already dire need the Palestinians need for their fight for human rights because Israel can go ahead and say " hey look Arabs are friendly with us therefore is OK to destroy the Palestinians and throw them into cages and cast them into the four corners of the earth so that my cousin from Hoboken can get a new condo!!" No, gently caress that. It's bad enough we're imprisoned by governments who work with Israel to secure their thrones, it's another that pieces of poo poo individuals decide to throw in their lot with fascism and racism. mlmp08 posted:But tell us how you really feel. I just did. mlmp08 posted:This does not really compute for me. I agreed with the fact that since she did this without apologizing afterwards that she should be stripped of all her titles and have her career ruined and become a social pariah until she apologizes and takes steps to truly change her ways, I disagree with death threats and literally throwing her out of the country. Duckbox posted:Seriously Saqr, when your response to someone getting death threats over a selfie is "oval office had it coming," it's probably time for a little introspection. I'm not sexist about this, if it was a dude I would also hate him. And yes any person who helps israels goals of sidelining the palestinian cause and normalizing their apartheid racism has whatever bad things happen to them. gently caress them. Why introspection? There's nothing left to introspect about, the Arab spring made things crystal clear. There Re two groups of people, there is the Arab civil society that wants freedom, democracy, human rights and for everybody to live as human beings free of oppression and fear, who hold the Palestinian cause as the ultimate symbol of the cause for humanity and the struggle to not be wiped out from the face of the earth, and then there are the fascists, the oppressors, the torturers, the sectarian murderers, the racists, the child gassers, the colonizers and the reactionary forces that sponsor them, Israel falls squarely on the the second camp, and any person that chooses that camp over his own humanity deserves to be treated like poo poo. I will never have even a tiny bit of respect or empathy or feelings towards them, gently caress them, they don't deserve to be treated with any kindness and I hope they choke on their poo poo and die. emanresu tnuocca posted:Hey, at least he tries to restrain himself, last time it was "horse faced murderous oval office" and before that it was "I'd gently caress pigs before I'd touch an Israeli woman" or some poo poo, must have been heartbreaking for all those israeli women lining up for their turn. Lol it's amazing that you're still butt hurt about that, hey buddy, guess what, turns out I was right, that trained soldier actively harassed miss Lebanon and tried to embarrass her, I don't regret a god drat thing I said about that rear end in a top hat. Al-Saqr fucked around with this message at 08:10 on Dec 17, 2017 |
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 07:51
|
|
|
She's a human being not just a symbol. Both those women are. I agree that Israeli policy is poo poo but we're not talking about government representatives here. These women are, at most, cultural ambassadors. I think it's a good thing that people for rival countries can still connect on a human level and be friends and if there was a "political" message to the picture it was certainly that and not "settlements are actually good." Do you really think she should denounce and deny her friend over geopolitics? Why is an honest expression of affection between two civilians who've committed no crimes so threatening it deserves threats, exclusion, and pariah status. Look, I hate Israel too and I gave my dad some poo poo for taking a work trip there few years ago (he was somewhat horrified by how much worse it's gotten in the last 30 years), but even if this woman had said "maybe Zionism isn't so bad" that still wouldn't justify the way she's been treated. Everyone else in the thread thought she was a victim. You called her a oval office. I don't think being Arab gives you a pass for victim blaming someone whose only crime was being friends with an Israeli. When you rage and moan about fascists, oppression, and the death of civil society and then advocate the vicious suppression of speech and speakers you disagree with, it makes you sound like an enormous hypocrite. Do you like sounding like a caustic reactionary who can't tolerate dissent or a woman who doesn't know her place? Is that the person you intended to be? I don't think that's you and I respect you enough to say so.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 08:49
|
|
|
Keep fighting that good fight Al saqr, there are oh so many Jewish women deserving of your impotent misogyny. I bet seeing all those Gal Gadot posters all over the place is hard on you, that's nice.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 10:07
|
|
|
emanresu tnuocca posted:Keep fighting that good fight Al saqr, there are oh so many Jewish women deserving of your impotent misogyny. The thing about her, tho, is that she straight up did tweet some support to Israel's poo poo and was all 'patriotic' of the crap that happens there, so I can actually understand the anger towards her a lot more. This though is just...seriously, if you had a RL job that involves being photographed a lot, sooner or later you'd get a snap made of you while you were in a 'professional capacity' with someone that would be a contentious figure to others (whether rightfully so or not). By your logic, anyone who took a picture with any person that was so much as accused (not even convicted of) the recent sexual harassment scandals going on about the celebrity world, would be an automatic piece of poo poo.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 12:39
|
|
|
Taking a photo with a private citizen isn’t the same as endorsing Israeli policy or being anti-Palestinian. Also you sound like a big ole hypocrite with a healthy dose of misogyny to boot.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 12:52
|
|
|
Going to chime in with the rest here, that it's really ironic that Al-Saqr cries "fascist" several times in every post, but then thinks it's OK to shame, fire, and humiliate someone for having taken a photo with someone from a country that he don't like. Guess what? That's one of the hallmarks of being a huge fascist sack of poo poo. I guess it's seeped into his skin by osmosis from growing up in KSA. I work with some Iranian dudes (I'm a US citizen). I hope no one posts photos from our Christmas party on Friday of me sitting next to them and laughing together since then we'd both be fired and shamed by our families and suffer death threats. Saladman fucked around with this message at 13:20 on Dec 17, 2017 |
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 13:16
|
|
|
The Intercept has a article up about the phony ceasefire in Syria. Thread regulars will know a lot of it already, but it's still interesting.The Intercept posted:The recent escalation in Eastern Ghouta took place against the backdrop of various rounds of peace talks in Astana, Kazakstan; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Sochi, Russia. Human rights advocates warned that the protection of civilians ought to be a focus of those talks. The ceasefire doesn't apply to fighting ISIS or HTS so the Russians and Assad just bomb whoever they want and say there were ISIS guys there.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2017 13:33
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 24, 2024 06:09 |
|
|
Here's a nice little story that made me  a little.Christmas market opens in Algerian capital I didn't realize there were so many migrants/refugees in Algeria.
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2017 00:16
|
|
