|
feedmegin posted:Where does 'living in Iran' come into it? This guy wasn't living in America. Nobody gets to kill Iraqis but America, and Iraq
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 01:45
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 22:11 |
|
|
Posting on the "Last helicopter out of Saigon" year-page-number page.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 01:50
|
|
|
razak posted:Would you think the Nazi's SS be a good comparison? In terms of the parallel army and suppression of wrongthinkers and whatnot? There are some parallels but a lot of the particulars are different. For example, the religious conservative focus that drives a wedge between the IRGC and younger generations of Iranians (also a bunch of the older folks). I'm kinda curious how this will play out in domestic Iranian politics because a lot of Iranians aren't a fan of either the IRGC or what they're up to in Iraq, Syria, etc. Warbadger fucked around with this message at 01:56 on Jan 4, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 01:51
|
|
|
Schadenboner posted:As it turns out, open channels of communication between even oppositional state actors is a more effective means of transferring both denotation and connotation versus only using smoke signals, who knew? In the Cold War, essentially the entire diplomatic apparatus of both superpowers was devoted to little else than their mutual relationship (and wooing/threatening neutrals). Still difficult, as you yourself point out, and people still read tea leaves and smoke signals. International relations are hard. Diplomacy doesn't always do what you might hope. Neither does war. e: Hey, Firefox has just spammed me with a recommendation for an article on Able Archer, an excellent example. Captain von Trapp fucked around with this message at 03:03 on Jan 4, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 02:00
|
|
|
Captain von Trapp posted:In the Cold War, essentially the entire diplomatic apparatus of both superpowers was devoted to little else than their mutual relationship (and wooing/threatening neutrals). Still difficult, as you yourself point out, and people still read tea leaves and smoke signals. International relations are hard. Diplomacy doesn't always do what you might hope. Neither does war. It's probably because I'm a shitlib that had Westphalia-Bestphalia and Washington Consensus beaten into my head at school but the idea you would bomb an official of a state with whom you are not at war (even "war" broadly defined) in the territory of a third nation state, even when it's a lovely state like Iran, even when that official is ...not great (and not exactly respecting diplomatic norms hisself), is just such a goddamn  . I'm not even saying we can't kill them, it's a lovely horrible world and we aren't the worst ones in that world, but you do it quietly and deniably. Not with a loving Hellfire (on the soil of a nation we are theoretically supporting) and a goddamn Tweet.I mean, what the gently caress. The Russians (or, to pick a foreign power Trump isn't an active asset of: the Chinese) are going to start carbombing American ambassadors and novichoking military attaches, and every American is now walking around with (even bigger) crosshairs on their goddamn backs than they were before he did this. Crack-loving-ping. E: And enough people in enough Farm states will cheer this Foreign-Policy-by-Michael-Bay that he'll loving win (or "win"). 
Schadenboner fucked around with this message at 02:53 on Jan 4, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 02:48
|
|
|
Schadenboner posted:I mean, what the gently caress. The Russians (or, to pick a foreign power Trump isn't an active asset of: the Chinese) are going to start carbombing American ambassadors and novichoking military attaches, and every American is now walking around with (even bigger) crosshairs on their goddamn backs than they were before he did this. I disagree for the reasons we've discussed upthread, but this is a nice testable proposition. In a year, we'll see some ambassadors/attaches/generals/etc get shanked by China/Russia or we won't. One of us will look silly, if anyone remembers these posts. I hope I'm right both for my ego and because it would involve fewer dead people, but if I'm wrong I'll certainly eat crow and acknowledge your prescience.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 03:00
|
|
|
It feels like western civilization has entered into a precarious precipitous decline as the older adled generation is just unbalanced and acting out because of fear and anxiety and ruining everything for everyone who comes afterwards. I feel like this would've been unthinkable even 10 years ago and things are just getting worse ever since.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 03:05
|
|
|
Captain von Trapp posted:I disagree for the reasons we've discussed upthread, but this is a nice testable proposition. In a year, we'll see some ambassadors/attaches/generals/etc get shanked by China/Russia or we won't. One of us will look silly, if anyone remembers these posts. I hope I'm right both for my ego and because it would involve fewer dead people, but if I'm wrong I'll certainly eat crow and acknowledge your prescience. https://www.theonion.com/this-war-will-destabilize-the-entire-mideast-region-and-1819594296
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 03:51
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlr2ZMTc52E
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 03:53
|
|
|
Mortabis posted:He had personal relationships with the leaders of various militia and terrorist groups that have to be rebuilt. He also ran the Quds Force for 20 years. He's not load-bearing, but his death does set them back. But more than that, if we're willing to wax Suleimani, then lower level Quds Force guys are on the menu too. Their operations will be hampered by the need for greater security and secrecy. I still don't know if it was worth it but if you want the strongest case for killing him I think that's it. There will be virtually no impact to Iranian operations. This isn't some backwoods militia made up of 8 people who can find their asses and a hundred who can't but listen really well. This is a professional, trained, staff-operated modern military organization; even with his cult of personality at the helm. The US chiefs of staff have personal relationships with allied military personnel and other US agency leaders, but killing the CSA doesn't stop the Army from doing Army things. On the contrary, it probably pisses off much of the Army and makes them really want to do Army things.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 03:57
|
|
|
Cyrano, the new Boeing pull up alarm actually pushes the nose down, get with the times.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 04:41
|
|
|
mlmp08 posted:Cyrano, the new Boeing pull up alarm actually pushes the nose down, get with the times. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 06:01
|
|
|
Congrats on the upgraded statutes, Cyrano.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 08:56
|
|
|
Does anyone's position change with the fact that this wasn't in response to the embassy thing (it was being considered before hand) and was instead a response to some actionable intelligence that showed Americans were being actively targeted? https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/03/politics/donald-trump-qasem-soleimani-tick-tock-timeline/index.html And yes, the rest of that article is extremely weird.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 09:35
|
|
|
wkarma posted:Does anyone's position change with the fact that this wasn't in response to the embassy thing (it was being considered before hand) and was instead a response to some actionable intelligence that showed Americans were being actively targeted? Was Soleimani going to personally pull the trigger? Would taking Petraeus out (for example) have stopped any of the operations he had provided the top-level strategic guidance for?
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 09:52
|
|
Captain von Trapp posted:I disagree for the reasons we've discussed upthread, but this is a nice testable proposition. In a year, we'll see some ambassadors/attaches/generals/etc get shanked by China/Russia or we won't. One of us will look silly, if anyone remembers these posts. I hope I'm right both for my ego and because it would involve fewer dead people, but if I'm wrong I'll certainly eat crow and acknowledge your prescience. 
|
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 10:37
|
|
|
Memento posted:Was Soleimani going to personally pull the trigger? Yeah if the plans were worked out I don’t really see how it derails anything in progress unless it’s a real small scale operation which this definitely is not. Cripes what a weak rear end excuse to feed the public but then people buy it so I guess it works.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 10:47
|
|
|
Hot drat, Cyrano's an admin. Congratulations and I'm so sorry.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 11:41
|
|
|
Now now, there is an argument to be had that 'escalate to de-escalate' is good policy and works. It is a very dumb argument so I'm not going to make it. If anything it is now even more in Irans interest to establish itself as to painful to gently caress with.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 12:11
|
|
|
Kesper North posted:Hot drat, Cyrano's an admin. Congratulations and I'm so sorry. Cyrano is at least theoretically a “Super Mod” rather than an administrator. I don’t know if that’s enforced by the cold hand of the machine or by the honour system.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 12:35
|
|
Kesper North posted:Hot drat, Cyrano's an admin. Congratulations and I'm so sorry. rip Cyrano's liver
|
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 12:49
|
|
|
wkarma posted:Does anyone's position change with the fact that this wasn't in response to the embassy thing (it was being considered before hand) and was instead a response to some actionable intelligence that showed Americans were being actively targeted? Sources in the intel community are telling the NYT that the basis for claiming that Americans were being actively targeted was "razor thin", check out this twitter thread https://twitter.com/rcallimachi/status/1213421769777909761 It also has some good info on how the strike went down and possible next steps.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 15:15
|
|
|
Platystemon posted:Cyrano is at least theoretically a “Super Mod” rather than an administrator. So I don't think this is necessarily "cold war thread", but, uh, how does the rank and command structure of the Something Awful Forums actually work?
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 15:25
|
|
|
Lowtax is second in command. All others are below him and must read the tea leaves of his Gamer Garbage rants. They collectively worship an Old One god known as Radium Code, who requires regular sacrifices.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 15:27
|
|
|
Captain von Trapp posted:So I don't think this is necessarily "cold war thread", but, uh, how does the rank and command structure of the Something Awful Forums actually work? 
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 15:31
|
|
|
gohuskies posted:Sources in the intel community are telling the NYT that the basis for claiming that Americans were being actively targeted was "razor thin", check out this twitter thread https://twitter.com/rcallimachi/status/1213421769777909761 It also has some good info on how the strike went down and possible next steps. Read it. So should everyone else. That’s loving insane and a lot worse than the already pessimistic assumptions I had made. Ignoring the discussion about right and wrong, if Iran pursues any number of the things on their “menu” it’s going to snowball all to hell really quick.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 15:54
|
|
|
Military infographics remind me of the stuff I drew in like half an hour before class when I had a presentation due. e: I should be fair, this one is clear and comprehensible, which probably puts it in the 90th percentile. Mortabis fucked around with this message at 16:32 on Jan 4, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 15:56
|
|
|
Will Iranian backed militia attacks on US positions in Iraq lead to strikes in Iran itself? I would imagine that be the next major escalation point. And if they contain the strikes to within Iraq itself I cannot imagine the Iraqi government can maintain any legitimacy if that continues. One big soup sandwich for all involved.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 16:05
|
|
|
mlmp08 posted:They collectively worship an Old One god known as Radium Code, who requires regular sacrifices. As someone that's done a bunch of work for science labs, reverse engineering old equipment so they could keep doing experiments, I have seen many Radiums, or at least I've seen their work. I think the sacrifice was my soul - on the plus side, the science still gets done.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 16:12
|
|
|
Platystemon posted:Cyrano is at least theoretically a “Super Mod” rather than an administrator. Yeah. That lasted for like a week before they said gently caress it and made me an admin. The super mod position is staying and well have more of them but the powers that be needed more admins around.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 16:25
|
|
|
Captain Log posted:Read it. So should everyone else. My first assumption was that Trump's thought process was as simple as "They tried to benghazi me, no one beghazis me!" after the coverage of the embassy attack, and massively overreacted. That still seems to fit best.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 16:34
|
|
|
https://twitter.com/nick_l_miller/status/1213474764670545922?s=21 Max Pressure Campaign is hard, it turns out.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 16:35
|
|
|
Hahahaha that so US.pptx
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 16:36
|
|
|
Captain von Trapp posted:So I don't think this is necessarily "cold war thread", but, uh, how does the rank and command structure of the Something Awful Forums actually work? I’ve never been briefed on any of this so take that for what it’s worth. It’s Lowtax’s website and he can do what he wants. Administrators have sitewide powers. They approve bans and longer probations. They can close forums, create new ones, mess with the database, mess with the code. Moderators are generally confined to one forum. They have power in any subforums thereof, but the day‐to‐day moderation may be delegated to subforum‐specific moderators. Moderators read reports and choose appropriate punishment. Super Moderators are new so I’ll let Jeffrey’s announcement speak for itself: quote:What is a Super Mod? So what are idiot kings? Idiot kings have moderator powers within a particular forum, but they’re not actually moderators. They can’t read reports or read the moderator‐only forum. They can fix things they find themselves or that they are informed of via private message. A common purpose for idiot kings is to patrol particular threads that demand special attention. For example, D&D has threads in languages other than English, and some threads have their own rules that apply only to them. It would be difficult for any forum‐wide moderators to keep up with it all. Other times, idiot king powers are give out to actual idiots because it’s funny. eta: Cyrano4747 posted:Yeah. That lasted for like a week before they said gently caress it and made me an admin. The super mod position is staying and well have more of them but the powers that be needed more admins around. I thought that might be the case with Smythe stepping down. Reene is also a full administrator now? Platystemon fucked around with this message at 16:56 on Jan 4, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 16:37
|
|
|
When you’re tasked to diagram the IRGC, but you’re also a nerd who likes the triforce and other fantasy runes.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 16:39
|
|
|
Oh and SA rank structure: (it’s actually more feudal than military) Lowtax sits atop a fell throne of poo poo posts. The admins have site-wide authority. They come in a. Few different flavors, mostly having to do with if they have coding capabilities or not. We’ve actually got a good coder on hand right now which means some things are changing. Admins can probate, ban etc anywhere in the forums but usually restrict themselves to approving the poo poo handed down by mods. Subforum mods know their communities best and they generally are deferred too. Admins can see all forums, including the mod forum and poo poo like the test forum where we can play with poo poo without loving up an actual forum people are using. They get a red icon. Mods have control of their communities. They have ban/probate privileges in their forums but need approval for anything longer than a day. They set the rules and policies in their forums. Admins take their lead on forum specific poo poo unless something is really really hosed. Mods can see the mod forum and the test forum. They get a blue icon. IKs are basically deputized posters. They have mod-lite powers. They can queue punishments but only auto approve sizers and are asked to limit their punishments to that. They can’t see the mod forum. Frequently they are for specific high traffic threads that they have special knowledge of or just read a lot. It’s not realistic to expect mods to read every thread in a big forum like GBS, so if there’s one that is just crazy busy that’s where IKs step in. They don’t have a special colored icon. Super mods are basically forums-wide IKs with a couple of lesser admin powers. They can probate anywhere and are mostly there to just respond to crises where everyone needs a sixer to go have smoke break and calm down until the normal mod for that forum gets home. Other than that they’re identical to mods. We had two but just promoted both of them to admin. Super mod isn’t a promotion pathway to admin, although it happened here. We want a couple of them specifically to take care of super mod jobs so we’ll be finding a couple more sooner or later.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 16:40
|
|
|
Platystemon posted:
Yep. Oh and there’s a really good “ask mods about the forums” thread stickied in A/T right now.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 16:42
|
|
|
Cyrano4747 posted:Oh and SA rank structure: (it’s actually more feudal than military) It's a loving miracle this places runs as well as it does (and it does run well). Good luck.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 16:42
|
|
|
Hexyflexy posted:It's a loving miracle this places runs as well as it does (and it does run well). Good luck. Something I’ve been impressed with since I first became a mod is how dedicated and hard working the mod/admin staff is. People there genuinely love their communities and want to make them better and are willing to put in some serious thought and work on that.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 16:45
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 22:11 |
|
Cyrano4747 posted:Yeah. That lasted for like a week before they said gently caress it and made me an admin. The super mod position is staying and well have more of them but the powers that be needed more admins around. F 
|
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2020 17:36
|
|