Middle East Thread: Clarissa Explains the Fall

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Middle East Thread: Clarissa Explains the Fall

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Adieu old thread full of tears, breakdowns and so many crushed souls o/
Hello new thread i do not expect you to be better.

# ¿ Nov 6, 2017 16:53

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# ¿ May 12, 2024 10:28

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

steinrokkan posted:

Has anything come out of the Qatar embargo?

Like everything from Saudi Arabia this year: good news for Iran.

# ¿ Nov 7, 2017 11:18

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

I Love Annie May posted:

Welp

https://twitter.com/neontaster/status/928263953096105985

Not really surprised by the result, just by the form. You know if anything it means that mbs' control on the regime wasn't that secure if they had to loving jail 3/4 of his cousins to assure the succession.

# ¿ Nov 8, 2017 21:04

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

tekz posted:

Millions going to be affected.

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-middle-east-41923769

Don't see the same level of outrage from the usual suspects over this as there is over Syria.

Well i guess there will be even more people fleeing to Somali-land.

# ¿ Nov 9, 2017 18:35

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

^^^He got the TAKING power part right, now let's see how he does with the KEEPING it part.

Cat Mattress posted:

I'll count that as a fix.

More seriously the Hariri clan's friends in France (like Chirac) probably made Macron a scene about DOING SOMETHING.

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 06:59 on Nov 10, 2017

# ¿ Nov 10, 2017 06:51

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

In more Turkey news: Ex-Trump aide Mike Flynn 'offered $15m by Turkey for Gulen'
That Russian probe thing is the best stupid political point ever in term of collateral damage.

# ¿ Nov 11, 2017 09:59

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

It's confirmed* Hariri and his family will be in France in the next few days. Macron insisted it "wasn't political exile but a friendship pact". It's totally political exile.

*by Macron, but let's be honest it still need to happen.

# ¿ Nov 16, 2017 06:59

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

icantfindaname posted:

I'm more worried about the coded-genocidal rhetoric about how The Shia are Putinist traitors and agents of disinformation

Also do you remember when there was that Muslim country in the 70s with a "progressive" dictator who was westernizing his country? I can't remember the country name. Ira- something. Whatever happened to them?

# ¿ Nov 17, 2017 08:15

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Zedsdeadbaby posted:

There is no way MBS will make it to the natural end of his life without a knife in his back. This is going to foster an enormous amount of resentment from virtually the entire rest of the royal family

Well getting killed by a cousin/nephew with the same name is no unheard of in his family.

MiddleOne posted:

I'm pretty sure he's paving the way for the entire kingdom imploding on itself if someone manages to stop him.

I do not want to imagine what Isis would do to Saudi Arabia if the house of Saud started collapsing.

# ¿ Nov 18, 2017 16:00

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

So Harriri is in Paris since today and stated he would be in Beirut next Wednesday for the national day.

# ¿ Nov 18, 2017 16:56

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Squalid posted:

Over the past couple years I�ve realized it�s actually really cheap for foreign autocrats to buy several inches of column in big American papers. I was reading some dreck by a US Congresswoman not long ago that could have come straight from Turkey�s foreign office. Saudi has so many stooges inside the beltway it�s ridiculous.

Since the Internet killed their revenue, most newspapers have such a hard time making money, they turned up the "will write great article about you for money" business up into an art form. The Angola former dictator's daughter got multiple "such a great black woman!" feminist circle jerk articles in the Guardian for owning a billion dollar business in her father corrupted country. Angola literally sent army rape squad to the Cabinda province , life expectancy in Angola is among the lowest in the world and infant mortality is among the highest. But hey, female black billionaire!

# ¿ Nov 27, 2017 08:27

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Al-Saqr posted:

Looks like Saleh is about to flip again and angle himself back to being ruler of Yemen. He probably read the signs that this war had no end and he's making a break for it before literally everyone in Yemen dies of starvation.

Yes, you are probably right, the whole point of the civil war was for him to get the presidency back, i don't think he cares if the war is eternal as long as he rules no matter who he rules with, may it be Houthis or the Saudis.

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Dec 2, 2017

# ¿ Dec 2, 2017 15:57

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Count Roland posted:

I wonder how much is internal, and how much is external. KSA or the US offering deals or using spy stuff to turn allies against each other. Or something more banal like people running out of money.

Considering the state of the Yemenite economy, they may lack cash and MBS got a lot of fresh money from the princes recently, so yeah buying a diplomatic solution sounds really plausible.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2017 16:07

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Al-Saqr posted:

You win.

But not really.

Honestly even on the saudi side, buying a white peace in Yemen is not the most impressive victory but at least it frees them from the current quagmire. Now i will laugh if they pay for their white peace and Saleh&Houtis restart their bullshit in a few months when the kingdom may be busy elsewhere. But a well timed ceasefire is better than what MBS had last week.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2017 17:55

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

"The potential of being a giant disaster area?" It's like the "This Is Fine" but the dog is saying "Could be worse, the house could be on fire" before dying. I can't breathr, stop man, you are loving killing me, that's not the kind of thread where i expect to laugh! I am sorry he is paving your country into hell with his childish good intentions Al-Saqr.

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Dec 3, 2017

# ¿ Dec 3, 2017 20:42

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Haystack posted:

Hot drat, the Houthis MOVED. This kicked off, what, two days ago? That's incredibly goddamn fast. People underestimating Houthi ground power seems to be a consistent theme in this war.

It really depends on how secretive the Saudi were when they made their deal with Saleh. If the Iranians knew the betrayal was coming... Also those kind of deals takes time and if there was anyone in the know inside the saudi royal family who recently ended up having problems with MBS, the Iranian probably got a few phone calls.

# ¿ Dec 4, 2017 16:57

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Shageletic posted:

why is this man still around?

People in power always need a useful idiot to sell their war.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2017 07:40

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Sinteres posted:

Wow I forgot about this quote:

The United States' Secretary of State at the time, Hillary Clinton, stated "We came. We saw. He died."

Yes and then evil laugh and hand clap. I remember that.There is a great remix.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2017 18:27

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Volkerball posted:

https://twitter.com/ahmed/status/938855010544349185

That's cute.

Well there are worse Pr moves. Cheaper ones most of them.

# ¿ Dec 8, 2017 07:42

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

FlamingLiberal posted:

Those are all accurate statements

Well, let's be honest, it's not everyday Erdogan find someone worse at diplomacy than himself, it's kinda his time to shine.

# ¿ Dec 13, 2017 15:57

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Cat Mattress posted:

What do you think?

Smells like 1914.

# ¿ Dec 13, 2017 17:14

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Ardennes posted:

Am I the only one that thinks that is nuts in terms of geopolitical strategy?

Lol, nope.

# ¿ Dec 14, 2017 07:54

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Brother Friendship posted:

Everything is bullshit.

Yes, but even i have to admit, it is nice transparent bullshit. But "JUST IMAGINE if houthis was hiding up your rear end, Europe" would work better at this point.

Darkman Fanpage posted:

Here’s an article in National Review written by bald neocon gently caress David French lamenting the world’s lack of recognition of the US’s “defeating” of ISIS.

What if America Won a War and No One Cared?

Doesnt even mention the actual forces that fought on the ground against ISIS aside from a pithy reference to American allies.

Who give a poo poo about winning war? WIN THE PEACE that follows for a change, you dumb hillbillies.

guidoanselmi posted:

I can understand why some people might say Collin Powell is a role model, but not at that one moment.

It's lacking the funny pictures. See for Irak we had aluminum tubes in trucks, for Afghanistan we had Vault AL QUAEDA, can we have at least a funny/lovely photo-shop for Iran?

# ¿ Dec 15, 2017 13:27

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Retarded Goatee posted:

Well there is this

At this point he is more or less United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs, so it works, yes.

# ¿ Dec 15, 2017 16:00

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Chadderbox posted:

This is a bad idea.

Yes but did it sounded like a good one "at the time"?

# ¿ Dec 16, 2017 12:45

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Al-Saqr posted:

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.

Hey, it's the Du Barry's castle. She ended up guillotined during the terror. What a fantastic choice for a king.

# ¿ Dec 16, 2017 21:10

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Bip Roberts posted:

FYI that house was built like 10 years ago.

"The developer bulldozed a 19th-century castle in Louveciennes to make way for the new chateau in 2009." Yeah, great historical value.

# ¿ Dec 17, 2017 07:35

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Volkerball posted:

Oh yeah I forgot to post this. It's hilarious.

https://twitter.com/yarotrof/status/942329507721117696

Holy poo poo there need to be an edit of that where N64 era Evangelion-02 model crushes the SA tanks while Bach starts playing.

# ¿ Dec 20, 2017 12:23

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

The Ritz Carlton Hotel company is probably delighted their brand is now named in the news as a place rich people died of torture. Is mbs an investor in Hilton Hotels?

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 10:58 on Dec 23, 2017

# ¿ Dec 23, 2017 10:56

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

By next year Erdogan would have purged his country so much he will be hunting gulenists inside his own party.

# ¿ Dec 24, 2017 10:31

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Sinteres posted:

The MEK is how you say Ahmed Chalabi in Farsi,

To be precise "Maryam Radjavi" is the farsi equivalent of Ahmed Chalabi and the MEK is considered by many to be her personality cult.

# ¿ Jan 1, 2018 11:50

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

CrazyLoon posted:

3 more years of this and western interests in the ME might even get wrecked to the point that they can't be recovered within a decent timeframe.

Pretty much, yes, Western capital may ends up using Chinese business intermediaries. Not sure it will make any difference in the end.

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 08:57 on Jan 6, 2018

# ¿ Jan 6, 2018 08:54

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Brown Moses posted:

I'm just waiting for some nutter to fly a drone carrying containers filled with drain cleaner or a flammable substance over a crowded musical festival and drop it on the attendees.

Seriously assassination (criminal and political) by drone is going to be a thing sooner or later, i fear.

# ¿ Jan 8, 2018 20:26

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Cat Mattress posted:

Hey, Al-Waleed: fire your advisor. He's poo poo.

Pretty sure the advisor is currently saying what he is saying to save his boss life, so you are kinda unfair.

# ¿ Jan 14, 2018 14:32

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Communist Zombie posted:

Is Turkey still using jailed, purged, pilots in its air force?

If they aren't already, i guess some will be offered a job over Syria soon.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2018 19:45

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Sinteres posted:

French people should be pretty seriously offended by that.

Oh, we are. Or we would be if the only source i ever saw of Macron saying that stupid poo poo wasn't you know some Twitter post without even a source.
edit: he is now complaining that jacobin magazine is stealing his "macron scoop". And his own first post to this message was "By the way, I was being ironic."

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 09:30 on Apr 10, 2018

# ¿ Apr 10, 2018 09:21

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Shageletic posted:

and lol

quote:
M.B.S. opened the conversation by threatening to cut off trade with France unless Macron stopped doing business with Iran.

Wouldn't SA closing trade with us just encourage us to trade with Iran more to compensate? I don't get that "threat". I mean we can always start selling tanks to the Iranian instead, i think they will use their more efficiently.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2018 10:52

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, east Libya strong man, is rumored to have suffered a heart attack but according to the East Libya government it's just rumors from "Islamists trying to weaken us and he is in Lebanon!"
He is getting treated in Paris according to Le Monde's "confidential sources". I will trust Le Monde on this rumor.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2018 13:00

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Office Pig posted:

https://twitter.com/rebeccaballhaus/status/984892631246430213
Sorry about President Warbrains everyone.

The sad thing is that level of crazy is what it took to vaguely threaten Bashar al-Assad's life.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2018 22:07

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# ¿ May 12, 2024 10:28

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

lollontee posted:

Destroying a scientific facility could actually have some effect. Scientific equipment might really be quite challenging for a regime like The Lion Assad's to acquire, although I wouldn't know anything about that. About acquiring scientific equipment on the sly, I mean.

Keeping the personal to manage the equipment inside a building which can be hit that hard could be harder. Any death count claim by the regime?

# ¿ Apr 15, 2018 17:15

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