The death of 3 U.S. service members is forcing President Joe Biden to weigh military action that could carry risks of escalation and heavy political consequences.
They get overrun by the local threats the USA may have been able to help with? I mean, there’s obviously nuance here, but you aren’t using it either so
Liberals in America are just right wing anti-communists, they’re not leftists at all. As for Bernie, social-democracy is the moderate wing of fascism and that’s why he supports Biden’s genocide.
Both parties are evil because this is an evil country that must be stopped.
But I’m quite serious about hating America. No one should be president and we should do everything possible to make that a reality.
And told me that Russia is less corrupt and authoritarian than the USA. They ran away from that conversation once facts were laid out.
You brought up Stalin yourself in the conversation. Why suddenly cherry-pick date ranges now? Besides, Putin openly wrote in an essay how he wanted to go back to those good old days. With Rasputin-like friends like Dugin, no need to go back to the USSR to see that the Russian Federation yearns to go right back to that.
If I’m honest that’s one occupation I’m fine with remaining illegal. Fuck the Assad regime, and fuck Russia.
Just so you know, that article you provided is made literally by the Kremlin state media, who just so happen to have bombed Syrian civilians relentlessly for years and have propped up the brutal dictator Assad for years.
Also considering how much Trump cozies up to Putin, I also don’t give a damn what Donnie says.
They often crumble from internal sectarian violence. Or get overrun by Russian sock-puppets barrel-bombing and using chemical weapons against their own people. But ah, yes, while I opposed the Iraq invasion, Saddam was clearly a great guy and Iraq was thriving, right? Or how about Iran? No bases there! I’m sure the women just love their bastion of freedom from their US overlords, lol.
Keep in mind though that there is no way of knowing how accurate official figures from the past were (this also goes for the numbers on human and economic development, of course). Also worth noting that the government itself could kill and maim with impunity back then:
I would admit that life in Iraq could be safer under Saddam Hussein compared to today, given that he kept a lid on especially religious conflicts, but this came with a big asterisk: Provided you didn’t run afoul of the regime or provided the regime didn’t think you did (no court of appeal, no independent judiciary, torture and murder are common - you can be the most loyal Baathist and still just be unlucky), provided you didn’t have a pretty daughter (or were one) in a place where Saddam’s son were looking for girls to rape, torture and murder, provided you weren’t a member of a persecuted ethnic group, provided you didn’t own something Saddam or his sons wanted from you, etc. The usual caveats of living under autocratic rule, with the added “insane son of dictator” factor (see also: what Kim Jong Il was up to in his younger days).
20 years more of Saddam rule? As much as the pretense for going into Iraq was bogus, the oppressed Shia population would beg to differ.
You’re the one who told me to look at countries that don’t coordinate with the US. I did. I’m not impressed. I look at countries like Germany today and by contrast, I am impressed. So are you impressed by Iran, Russia, North Korea? Or do you disagree with the likes of Jordan openly cooperating with the US to contain ISIS?
But the US should be allowed to put bases wherever it wants?
Yeah when we ask the government of that place, and they say yes, we should then feel free to do that.
The US “asks”
Look at the ruins left all over that region to see what happens to countries that don’t cooperate.
They get overrun by the local threats the USA may have been able to help with? I mean, there’s obviously nuance here, but you aren’t using it either so
Don’t waste your time. This user has gems like:
And told me that Russia is less corrupt and authoritarian than the USA. They ran away from that conversation once facts were laid out.
Actually I went to work and your post required too much to respond during a bathroom break.
I’ll get to you this afternoon!
Looking forward to it. Especially where you’ll come up with 6 million deficit in domestic murders akin to the Stalin Regime.
Or what compares to being imprisoned for 15 years for a blank protest sign or publicly opposing the war in Ukraine.
The USSR doesn’t exist anymore
Also, here’s a life sentence for weed
You brought up Stalin yourself in the conversation. Why suddenly cherry-pick date ranges now? Besides, Putin openly wrote in an essay how he wanted to go back to those good old days. With Rasputin-like friends like Dugin, no need to go back to the USSR to see that the Russian Federation yearns to go right back to that.
Yep, that sucks.
Russia is still worse.
War on trans and homosexual rights.
15 years for tweet just opposing Russia’s aggressive act against Ukraine, or even a blank protest board.
Drug laws aren’t too kind in Russia, either. Just see what happened to Brittney Griner or Marc Fogel.
Local threats the US created 🙄
Do they put them wherever they want, or in coordination with the local sovereign governments?
Well, they are still illegally occupying a third of Syria. https://www.algora.com/Algora_blog/2023/04/29/us-in-syria-the-forgotten-illegal-occupation
And ofcourse, this gem… https://youtu.be/U10p3Tn9V5Y?t=19
If I’m honest that’s one occupation I’m fine with remaining illegal. Fuck the Assad regime, and fuck Russia.
Just so you know, that article you provided is made literally by the Kremlin state media, who just so happen to have bombed Syrian civilians relentlessly for years and have propped up the brutal dictator Assad for years.
Also considering how much Trump cozies up to Putin, I also don’t give a damn what Donnie says.
You can look at what happens to countries that don’t “coordinate”
They often crumble from internal sectarian violence. Or get overrun by Russian sock-puppets barrel-bombing and using chemical weapons against their own people. But ah, yes, while I opposed the Iraq invasion, Saddam was clearly a great guy and Iraq was thriving, right? Or how about Iran? No bases there! I’m sure the women just love their bastion of freedom from their US overlords, lol.
Iraq was better off before the invasion. Fact.
Also, do you think women get freedom when the US installs bases?
One of the dumbest fucking comments I’ve ever read on this platform…
Iraq can only finally start to recover now that it is asking the US military to leave.
Oh, but the US won’t leave. You okay with that too?
Yeah I am. Have you been there? They’re not ready… exhibit a: every article about US bombings this week…
They don’t want us there! What right do we have to decide if they are “ready”?
That’s some white man’s burden bullshit.
I don’t think this is a fact. Let’s look at a few metrics, starting with HDI:
https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Iraq/human_development/
Infant mortality rate:
https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/IRQ/iraq/infant-mortality-rate
GDP per capita (ignore the silly outlier):
https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/IRQ/iraq/gdp-per-capita
These basic figures suggest that a number of key aspects of life are indeed better than they were during the dictatorship.
The homicide rate is higher now:
https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/IRQ/iraq/murder-homicide-rate
Keep in mind though that there is no way of knowing how accurate official figures from the past were (this also goes for the numbers on human and economic development, of course). Also worth noting that the government itself could kill and maim with impunity back then:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde14/003/1996/en/
Freedom of the press is still pretty abysmal these days (and the page also touches on what you were likely mentioning the instability):
https://rsf.org/en/country/iraq
A report from 2002 on the state of affairs under Saddam’s rule:
https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/iraq/press.html
I would admit that life in Iraq could be safer under Saddam Hussein compared to today, given that he kept a lid on especially religious conflicts, but this came with a big asterisk: Provided you didn’t run afoul of the regime or provided the regime didn’t think you did (no court of appeal, no independent judiciary, torture and murder are common - you can be the most loyal Baathist and still just be unlucky), provided you didn’t have a pretty daughter (or were one) in a place where Saddam’s son were looking for girls to rape, torture and murder, provided you weren’t a member of a persecuted ethnic group, provided you didn’t own something Saddam or his sons wanted from you, etc. The usual caveats of living under autocratic rule, with the added “insane son of dictator” factor (see also: what Kim Jong Il was up to in his younger days).
Up to one million people are dead because of the War on Iraq. You spit on their graves when you say life is better.
The upper estimates for the number of people killed under Saddam Hussein are about one million as well. Now what?
So America is about as bad as Saddam Hussein?
Then what was the fucking point? What did we do any of that for? Do you expect them to thank us?
20 years more of Saddam rule? As much as the pretense for going into Iraq was bogus, the oppressed Shia population would beg to differ.
You’re the one who told me to look at countries that don’t coordinate with the US. I did. I’m not impressed. I look at countries like Germany today and by contrast, I am impressed. So are you impressed by Iran, Russia, North Korea? Or do you disagree with the likes of Jordan openly cooperating with the US to contain ISIS?