Spike 5,103 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 38 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said: Iran's seized an oil tanker - US is demanding it's immediate release. Iran's playing a dangerous game, either thinking the US doesn't have the strength or will to strike at it - or doing what it can to force a US strike on Iran so they attempt to turn the Israel v Palestine conflict into a West v Islam conflict. They're not leaving many options available for the West. Sanctions haven't worked as a deterrent for... decades. It's just squeezed a desperate people, while the corrupt elite there have hoarded the remaining wealth. Diplomacy's a limited option when you don't have anywhere near close to normal diplomatic relations with a country. From the IR's perspective, conflict with the US gives them a convenient excuse to really clamp down on all dissent as brutally as possible and they can use an attack by the US to attempt to get the same sort of "rally around the flag" affect Israel's had since the October 7th attack. Did you ever watch that live-stream of the Houthis seizing that tanker, makes you wonder if Iran had experienced hands do this… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Gonzo 8,187 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 10 minutes ago, Spike said: Did you ever watch that live-stream of the Houthis seizing that tanker, makes you wonder if Iran had experienced hands do this… Not the first time Iran's navy's done this either so they've got a bit of experience. I'd imagine they helped train the Houthis on how to do this too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike 5,103 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 12 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said: Not the first time Iran's navy's done this either so they've got a bit of experience. I'd imagine they helped train the Houthis on how to do this too. tbh the pirate angle is making me consider meeting up with the local mullah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Gonzo 8,187 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 17 minutes ago, Spike said: tbh the pirate angle is making me consider meeting up with the local mullah Apparently this ship that's been seized is the same one the US seized sometime last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rucksackfranzose 4,376 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 (edited) 37 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said: Apparently this ship that's been seized is the same one the US seized sometime last year. Is their shipping company named "Lucky boats" by chance? Edited January 11 by Rucksackfranzose 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beelzebub 2,508 Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 Airstrikes by US UK on Yemen. Just expanding the war, airstrikes are not going to open a sea blockage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beelzebub 2,508 Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Gonzo 8,187 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 16 hours ago, Beelzebub said: Airstrikes by US UK on Yemen. Just expanding the war, airstrikes are not going to open a sea blockage. I think it's more sending a message that they can be hit much harder than the Houthis can hit anyone. The Houthis have withstood longer and more indiscriminate bombing campaigns from the Saudi led coalition (the Saudi foreign minister asking for the US and UK to show restraint was some pretty hilarious irony, considering the tactics his country used waging war on the Houthis) - and air strikes aren't ever going to remove them from power. It can open a sea blockage depending on how the Houthis respond. But if their goal is to try to suck America into a broader conflict, their goal will be to try to get US boots on the ground in Yemen I fear. If the Houthis stop fucking with shipping lanes after this, it'll all be over and those strikes will be considered very effective. If they keep it up, the west will see it as further escalation and will respond with further force. I don't think there's much appetite in the US or anywhere in the West to get involved in an expanded long term war anywhere in the Middle East though. But I think if the Houthis keep escalating, they could be subjecting Yemen to a campaign more indiscriminate than what happened last night - and maybe more than what they even experienced from the Saudis. And while Russia is publicly calling the strikes illegal... I think it's telling they said nothing and just abstained when the UNSC voted on it. Same as China, especially China tbh - China doesn't like the shipping lanes affected any more than the West does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6666 1,310 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Unfortunately the Houthis won't be able to do much against more experienced and more well equipped mass murderers like the US & UK military. Always making sure that a war is taking place on someone else's turf and against far weaker opposition is a privilege that only the biggest dickhead country's have and it makes it a situation where the opposition just has to survive rather than a situation that they can win. Either everyone just bows down to these types of countries or they get slapped around. Sad state of affairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Gonzo 8,187 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 32 minutes ago, 6666 said: Either everyone just bows down to these types of countries or they get slapped around. Sad state of affairs. Hasn't that always been the case? It's not like the Roman Empire just spread because people thought spaghetti tasted good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Gonzo 8,187 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 I thought this was funny: Israel does not recognise the Armenian genocide & worked with Turkey to aid Azerbaijan in the recent war to ethnically cleanse the Nagorno-Karabagh region of Armenians. Think it's interesting though that they remember it and seem to treat it as though it's a genocide when it's politically convenient for them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike 5,103 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 48 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said: Hasn't that always been the case? It's not like the Roman Empire just spread because people thought spaghetti tasted good. Pasta is new mate, come on now. Romans ate stale bread dipped in wine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Gonzo 8,187 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 1 hour ago, Spike said: Pasta is new mate, come on now. Romans ate stale bread dipped in wine The Etruscans, before the Romans, had a pretty similar thing to pasta - it was baked though not boiled & closer to lasagna than spaghetti or anything. It was used by the Roman soldiers because it could be taken long distances before going bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike 5,103 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 6 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said: The Etruscans, before the Romans, had a pretty similar thing to pasta - it was baked though not boiled & closer to lasagna than spaghetti or anything. It was used by the Roman soldiers because it could be taken long distances before going bad. Alright you sonuvabitch, Etruscans aren't Roman, and spaghetti isn't a prototype lasagna. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Gonzo 8,187 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 1 minute ago, Spike said: Alright you sonuvabitch, Etruscans aren't Roman, and spaghetti isn't a prototype lasagna. Well they came around before the Romans and the Romans kept their food. And spaghetti is close enough to prototype lasagna (which was probably very weird since they had no fucking idea what tomatos were). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnivore Chris 2,606 Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 (edited) 4 hours ago, 6666 said: Unfortunately the Houthis won't be able to do much against more experienced and more well equipped mass murderers like the US & UK military. Always making sure that a war is taking place on someone else's turf and against far weaker opposition is a privilege that only the biggest dickhead country's have and it makes it a situation where the opposition just has to survive rather than a situation that they can win. Either everyone just bows down to these types of countries or they get slapped around. Sad state of affairs. Shouldn't you be out pulling statues down or gluing your head to the road or something? Edited January 13 by Carnivore Chris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike 5,103 Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said: Well they came around before the Romans and the Romans kept their food. And spaghetti is close enough to prototype lasagna (which was probably very weird since they had no fucking idea what tomatos were). Fucking woke Italians changing lasagna to incorporate new world crops. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUFC 1,503 Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 On 11/01/2024 at 17:33, Spike said: England is literally in ‘The United Kingdom’. You’re a fucking bootlicker when it suits you, a spineless parrot that has no idea what he is posting, just the confidence to do it. The amount of contradictions and double-think in every single post of yours is maddening. You don’t have a single conviction of belief in your entire body except whatever suits the point you are incoherently making. I’m sick of reading the diarrhoea extending from your fingers to your keyboard. @MUFC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnivore Chris 2,606 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUFC 1,503 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goku de la Boca 121 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 On 12/01/2024 at 12:18, Dr. Gonzo said: Israel does not recognise the Armenian genocide & worked with Turkey to aid Azerbaijan in the recent war to ethnically cleanse the Nagorno-Karabagh Israel really do not help themselves do they? I try to justify both sides' actions by having some empathy on one of them losing land unjustly and the other side having a group of people who would have gotten killed wherever they went. Politics or politicians really only care for their best interests as obvious as that sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Gonzo 8,187 Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 19 hours ago, Goku de la Boca said: Israel really do not help themselves do they? I try to justify both sides' actions by having some empathy on one of them losing land unjustly and the other side having a group of people who would have gotten killed wherever they went. Politics or politicians really only care for their best interests as obvious as that sounds. Tbh few countries recognise the Armenian genocide because they don't want to offend Turkey. Some countries have had their legislature or executive body recognise it - but formal recognitions are pretty rare because Turkey offers more economically as a trade partner and as a geostrategic partner than Armenia does. It's one of those things where I think a lot of countries end up making themselves look very hypocritical and stupid - standing up on a soapbox and preaching about human rights is all well and good, but they're all too often eager to forget certain human rights violations when it's convenient. When Azerbaijan blockaded the Armenians living in Artsakh, which is part of the Nagorno-Karabagh region, the world was pretty silent as Azerbaijan starved Artsakh into submission. But Azerbaijan has become a key trade partner for Europe in providing natural gas now that Russia's cut itself off from trading with Europe - so Europe was eager to turn a blind eye to avoid another energy crisis. In other news, Iran's been busy with military strikes - many strikes in the Kurdish region of Iraq & also strikes in Pakistan against what they claim is a terrorist group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Gonzo 8,187 Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 And the Houthis have struck a European commercial vessel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goku de la Boca 121 Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 26 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said: Tbh few countries recognise the Armenian genocide because they don't want to offend Turkey. Some countries have had their legislature or executive body recognise it - but formal recognitions are pretty rare because Turkey offers more economically as a trade partner and as a geostrategic partner than Armenia does. It's one of those things where I think a lot of countries end up making themselves look very hypocritical and stupid - standing up on a soapbox and preaching about human rights is all well and good, but they're all too often eager to forget certain human rights violations when it's convenient. When Azerbaijan blockaded the Armenians living in Artsakh, which is part of the Nagorno-Karabagh region, the world was pretty silent as Azerbaijan starved Artsakh into submission. But Azerbaijan has become a key trade partner for Europe in providing natural gas now that Russia's cut itself off from trading with Europe - so Europe was eager to turn a blind eye to avoid another energy crisis. In other news, Iran's been busy with military strikes - many strikes in the Kurdish region of Iraq & also strikes in Pakistan against what they claim is a terrorist group. That sounds a lot like the China PR vs China (Taiwan) situation tbh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beelzebub 2,508 Posted January 17 Author Share Posted January 17 The strike by Iran in Pakistan will only cause diplomatic row but stupid move by Iran. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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