[margalabargala]

This specific political topic is absolutely not the top of everyone's mind. The number of people on HN that this tangibly affects is frankly miniscule.

Most of HN is American. It's on the other side of the world. It has about as much actual effect on the typical American as the just as bad events currently unfolding in Sudan.

[mslm]

This thread's numbers betray you. You're living under a rock if you think this topic isn't a regular at the highest political levels, on the news, and now frankly at the ballot box.

[ruszki]

The exact mindset, rhetoric, and politics which caused this are affecting everyone. It drives both right and left politics for over a decade now all over the West - so also in America -, and if you care about yourself or anybody (or your stocks) in 10-20 years time, you should pay close attention to the consequences of this.

[margalabargala]

I really don't see the connection between yet more war in the middle east, especially one that is more or less equally supported by both America's parties, and American stock prices over a decade from now.

[ruszki]

Then check Netanyahu’s politics.

[margalabargala]

Just checked.

They haven't changed since the last time I checked. They still suck, and they're still irrelevant to most of the world except the tiny fraction that live in the Levant.

[ruszki]

His zero sum politics is not different than America’s zero sum politics at all. The consequences of these are well studied, and it can be predicted what will happen, and it could be predicted since at least 2014, even before Trump. It’s not rocket science. It was obvious even back then that the positive sum game in politics is dead long term, and that means and always meant destability, not just politically, but also economically, and wars. Netanyahu is just a few steps ahead of Trump. Trump will also start a war the moment when it grants him more power, for example. If we are lucky not some stupid one. I hope that he won’t in the next few years, my prediction in 2014, ie large war in 25 years, would come too early. We were on track until early this year. He, for “some” reasons, wants it earlier.

In case of Netanyahu, if somebody can stop him, without following illiberal democracy (alt-right, fascism, far right, whatever you want, the same), that would mean that in long term even in America it would be ended. If people starts to realise en masse what’s happening for example, alas a very improbable one. There is higher chance there, because they are in front of America in this sense.

Nothing, and absolutely nothing indicates so far, that this deterioration will be stopped. And when the keg will blow, you cannot predict what happens after that. That’s how it matters.

[margalabargala]

Sure, I'm on board with all that, but the connection you made earlier is nonsensical.

Just because Netanyahu's politics are similar to American politics, does not mean Netanyahu's specific actions will have decade-long effects on the American stock market.