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by delecti 23 days ago
The US in general, and this administration in particular, has bought into US exceptionalism and action movie tropes. Just gotta blow up the death star with the leader on board and then the war is over. In reality there's a chain of command and line of succession, and military equipment all around the country.

If they had been smart, they would have been learning from Ukraine, because we've found ourselves in basically the same position as Russia is with Ukraine, but with no appetite to puts boots on the ground (not that we should, but it's the only way to "win").
3 comments
ivell 23 days ago
> If they had been smart, they would have been learning from Ukraine

This administration seems to have neither the required skills nor an interest to learn from mistakes. Even if they were filled with smart people, they would still fail because of their lack of skill and learning attitude.

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ponector 23 days ago
Why do you think war in Iran is a mistake? They definitely became richer. Isn't it the goal of the people in power at the moment?
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ivell 23 days ago
I suspect even that was unexpected bonus by them. They just stumbled upon a way to manipulate the market. I have hard time to see any action by them as being thoughtful.
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tclancy 23 days ago
>Just gotta blow up the death star with the leader on board

The fact they unironically used Star Wars in their war memes was an amazing self-own.

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postsantum 23 days ago
Yes, literally scrawny underdog rebels against the hecking iranian islamic death-star
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jvanderbot 23 days ago
Viewed independently, I think VZ, Ukraine, and Iran look like a hodgepodge of strange actions. There is a consistent view that joins them, namely as we approach the end of the davidson window, putting pressure on China and Russia via oil restrictions might help dissuade a larger war in the Pacific.

This is just a personal opinion, but lines up with Ukraine (burning refineries), EU (seizing sanctioned tankers FINALLY), VZ (cutting exports to China and moving to USA), and Iran (close the strait every so often). The unifying thread seems to be applying consistent pressure around China.

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pjc50 23 days ago
Nobody made Russia decide to invade Ukraine, without which there would be no burning refineries.
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jvanderbot 23 days ago
Nobody made China gear up to reclaim Taiwan. If we/EU didn't like Ukraine burning RU gas we could apply dissuasive power.
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t23414321 23 days ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bgMl3NQwS4

Germany plays Russian anthem like you've never heard it before (Dec 12, 2021)

(did he cry ?)

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