Foreign Policy

drayer54

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First we killed his family. Then we told everyone about his ED. Now we float rumors he is gay. Feels like we're just trying to get him to show proof of life.

 

RDU Irish

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Some supporters of this war said they would draw a line at boots on the ground. How about economic considerations? Is there an economic red line that would make you change your mind? I the situation starts to shut down the supply chain a la covid would that dissuade you? What if we end up spending billions or trillions while we are already facing a struggling economy? Appreciate hearing your perspective.



TBF - Saying 1/3rd of global nitrogen fertilizer flows through the straight is an overstatement since so much is locally produced and part of the export market. However, a lot of the LNG is used to produce locally. Russia/Ukraine already put pressure on this market (and still does) which had us in global shortfall - this is a massive straw that breaks the camel's back.

Production is a zero sum game, shutting down plants removes that production permanently from global supply. Seeing US fertilizer producers priced at 1/2 to 1/3rd the replacement cost is not conducive to a strong new build pipeline. We import 10% of our nitrogen fertilizer despite being one of the cheapest places to produce with abundant, reliable gas feedstock. Rather than build up this industry .... Fertilizer ‘Price Gouging?’ Sen. Hawley Presses DOJ to Probe Major Companies After Sudden Cost Surge
Must pander to the farmers (who are consolidating to massive corporate farms quickly).

If we were serious about the threat of Russia and Iran, we would have been aggressively supporting O&G production to pummel the price of oil to hamstring them economically. Build out nitrogen fertilizer production to become a net exporter. Venezuela is a good move to control their oil production - just needed to do that two years ago so they could be back on line now when needed.

Timing of this is pretty terrible - crops need those nutrients over the next few months especially. Urea price is up 33% in three weeks - regardless of if enough product is available that will impact how much is applied.


And just saw this - India Fertilizer Plants Shut Down - two Indian fertilizer plants shut down due to lack of LNG
 
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Irish#1

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They got a two for Tuesday.

nbcnews.com

ISRAEL SAYS TOP IRAN OFFICALS KILLED:
Israel said it killed Iran's top security official Ali Larijani, one of the regime's most powerful surviving figures. Israel also said it killed the head of the Basij force, a key militia used to suppress protests in the Islamic Republic. Iran did not immediately confirm the claims, and it was not clear what Israel was basing its assessment on.
 

Bishop2b5

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You can't be this dense, stupid, ignorant, etc., right? right?
I'm 100% accurate. Leftists have bemoaned us removing Maduro, complained about us killing Khamenei and other Iranian bad actors, and I've already seen several crying about how we should leave Cuba alone, not to mention the strong pro Palestinian stance most of your people have taken. Your side is absolutely chock full useful idiots running interference and cheering for anything anti American and anti Western culture and values. Don't get mad at me for pointing out the obvious that we all see every day. Your side LOVES communists, radicals, criminals, terrorists, and anyone who hates the US or Western civilization.
 

calvegas04

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To be fair not much has changed in Venezuela since Maduro was taken prisoner. I would like to see Cuba have a goverment change, would make a nice vacation spot. Iran is still throwing punches and not the push over the administration may have thought.
 

TorontoGold

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I'm 100% accurate. Leftists have bemoaned us removing Maduro, complained about us killing Khamenei and other Iranian bad actors, and I've already seen several crying about how we should leave Cuba alone, not to mention the strong pro Palestinian stance most of your people have taken. Your side is absolutely chock full useful idiots running interference and cheering for anything anti American and anti Western culture and values. Don't get mad at me for pointing out the obvious that we all see every day. Your side LOVES communists, radicals, criminals, terrorists, and anyone who hates the US or Western civilization.

You've fallen for fake racist shit twice in the past 5 days. You are in absolutely no position to call anyone else an idiot. How is anyone supposed to look to you and think you know what you're looking at? For all anyone knows you could be sitting in some cycle of fake AI shit created to just make you mad.

Let's see your defense.


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GowerND11

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I'm 100% accurate. Leftists have bemoaned us removing Maduro, complained about us killing Khamenei and other Iranian bad actors, and I've already seen several crying about how we should leave Cuba alone, not to mention the strong pro Palestinian stance most of your people have taken. Your side is absolutely chock full useful idiots running interference and cheering for anything anti American and anti Western culture and values. Don't get mad at me for pointing out the obvious that we all see every day. Your side LOVES communists, radicals, criminals, terrorists, and anyone who hates the US or Western civilization.
Tell me what my side is… please tell me. Because time and again I have told you I’m not “on a side,” but you seem to have difficulty grasping that (shocker). I’m no Democrat, which I’ve said to you guys before but whatevs.


Now… I’ve said this since the beginning of this conflict on here, pretty sure to you, actually. There’s a massive difference that anyone with critical thinking skills can see between being critical of the US and our military involvement with these countries, and mourning the loss of these leaders.

Please, stop with the my side, your side drivel. Please think, with at least two brain cells, and understand that people aren’t siding with Maduro, the Ayatollah, and other dictators. They’re just sick of the US playing world police, and jumping into wars in the Middle East with zero exit plans.
 

drayer54

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Sure.

And I even said in a previous post two weeks ago that maybe this works out, but I also said color me skeptical as someone who has lived through Iraq and Afghanistan during my teenage years and twenties.
This is in no way Iraq and Afghanistan. Same region. Very different situation. Very different president. Very different enemy. Very different Region today.
 

GowerND11

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This is in no way Iraq and Afghanistan. Same region. Very different situation. Very different president. Very different enemy. Very different Region today.
Maybe it is. But again. It’s understandable for people to be cautious and not like getting into a war there again.
 

drayer54

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Maybe it is. But again. It’s understandable for people to be cautious and not like getting into a war there again.
Iran is actually much more complicated than either Iraq or the taliban-
Much more established militarily with proxy forces, more complicated terrain, an Air Force, a navy (RIP), large strike capability, and would be very difficult to hold in some kind of long term occupation like Iraq.

Afghanistan was shitty terrain, but a weak enemy that we basically chased around the mountains the whole time in an insurgent war. It was pointless at the end of the day except to kill a few people responsible for 9/11.
Iraq was a weak regime that we knocked over in no time with way less capability than Iran but we made the foolish decision to occupy and try to nation build. I always felt like the decision was really made to go set up shop in Iraq and fight there because it was much easier terrain to fight and the thought was that the bad guys would basically come to us so we could kill them in Iraq and minimize the risk of having to kill them on our soil.
The US has no desire to do the Iraq and occupy and rebuild. I don’t know how long we’re going to play whack a mole in Iran. I suspect Israel has more appetite to invest coins in the game than we do, but we’ve basically diminished their strike capability to isolated missile launches and drone shots.It looks like some momentum to the streets is occurring, but you never know what is real and I know they’ve had internet issues in Iran up until recently. Either way, it’s a whole new game. Gone are the days of we aren’t here for the oil, but we are here for the democracy. Now we don’t care about the democracy, but let’s talk about the oil. I don’t know if the people will take back Iran, it’s yet to be seen how we clear Fordow, what those marines are for (Fordow? Kharg? Hormuz?) or if the gayatollah is alive- but if the world can escape some fascist dictators and the evil Iranian military gets annihilated- I’m good with it.
 

TorontoGold

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Zero exit plans that you are aware of

What’s the 4D chess? International community has no clue. The people from the admin still are trying to find out if it’s a war or not. MAGA folks have no clue what’s going on. Everyone supposed to just trust the process? lol you know it’s wild when the Left is less opposed to this than the MAGA folks on the Right claiming it’s some religious Judaism voodoo.
 

drayer54

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What’s the 4D chess? International community has no clue. The people from the admin still are trying to find out if it’s a war or not. MAGA folks have no clue what’s going on. Everyone supposed to just trust the process? lol you know it’s wild when the Left is less opposed to this than the MAGA folks on the Right claiming it’s some religious Judaism voodoo.
I know nobody on the right claiming it’s some religious Judaism voodoo. It has high support from the right. Who from the admin is trying to figure out if it is a war or not? People aren’t feeding talking points but nobody is confused as to what is happening. MAGA folks clearly have more idea what is going on than those misrepresenting it. I’m continuing to watch their leadership die, their ability to show force diminish, and the opportunity for the IRGC to project power going diminish. None of this appears positive for Russia or China. The people who let Iran sell billions in oil to fund terror should be consulted on next steps? Should we drop pallets of cash?
 

NDVirginia19

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What’s the 4D chess? International community has no clue. The people from the admin still are trying to find out if it’s a war or not. MAGA folks have no clue what’s going on. Everyone supposed to just trust the process? lol you know it’s wild when the Left is less opposed to this than the MAGA folks on the Right claiming it’s some religious Judaism voodoo.
I don't think that it is beyond the realm of belief that there are secrets regarding the war plan and off ramps / deescalation that are not public knowledge.

And I would say MAGA is painting a bit of a broad brush with the dissent, it's mostly the Groyper MAGA types that are super opposed to this because of the Jewish Voodoo. Like Tucker, Candace Owens, and Nick Fuentes type folks. MTG can be added in that group.
 

drayer54

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I don't think that it is beyond the realm of belief that there are secrets regarding the war plan and off ramps / deescalation that are not public knowledge.

And I would say MAGA is painting a bit of a broad brush with the dissent, it's mostly the Groyper MAGA types that are super opposed to this because of the Jewish Voodoo. Like Tucker, Candace Owens, and Nick Fuentes type folks. MTG can be added in that group.
Of course. Trump has been consistent in both terms in not over-signaling his position. We're to believe that the people who have placed Venezuela and Cuba in the position they are now and had the Houthis and other proxies in position are just winging it now. There's no De-escalation factors being considered. Tucker and Candace represent themselves. Maybe MSNBC is playing them off as the right to the bubble. I’m to believe Caine and Cooper are just winging it. Sure. Lol.
 

TorontoGold

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I know nobody on the right claiming it’s some religious Judaism voodoo. It has high support from the right. Who from the admin is trying to figure out if it is a war or not? People aren’t feeding talking points but nobody is confused as to what is happening. MAGA folks clearly have more idea what is going on than those misrepresenting it. I’m continuing to watch their leadership die, their ability to show force diminish, and the opportunity for the IRGC to project power going diminish. None of this appears positive for Russia or China. The people who let Iran sell billions in oil to fund terror should be consulted on next steps? Should we drop pallets of cash?

What? I’m taking Virginia at his interpretation of what Joe Kent said in his letter. Have you listened to anything put out from the circus? Trump is barking about Kellyanne and saying it’s both an excursion and a war. MAGA day one folks seem to hate it, all the leading MAGA voices are turning on Trump which just goes to highlight how fucking moronic they are and always have been to assume his foreign policy would be any different.

lol is it too much to just ask for a coherent message? Nobody is losing sleep over a dead ayatollah. Maybe if you’re an absorbing AI images and your grips on reality are gone so you just believe any slop you see like our sad friend from the South.

I don't think that it is beyond the realm of belief that there are secrets regarding the war plan and off ramps / deescalation that are not public knowledge.

And I would say MAGA is painting a bit of a broad brush with the dissent, it's mostly the Groyper MAGA types that are super opposed to this because of the Jewish Voodoo. Like Tucker, Candace Owens, and Nick Fuentes type folks. MTG can be added in that group.
Sure, and that’s totally fine. But at least stick to the message. You’re literally the US government, you have two guys with tons of media experience and they can’t even stay on topic?

Look at the top podcasts on Spotify right now. Theo Von? Not a fan. Shawn Ryan? Doesn’t like it. Tucker and Candace also don’t. Those are 4 of the top 11 podcasts on Spotify. Joe Rogan isn’t sure what he feels about it. The typical Neocon folks love it, and the “just asking questions” folks are melting down.
 
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