Iranian General Sulemain and others reported killed in Baghdad airstrike

[Gaidax]

Nope, it's quite clear, you have no problem supporting some pretty heinous shit.

This is exactly why the United States needs to get out of the ME, and only step in to protect innocent people. Let the warmongers kill each other.

US can't get out of anything, because the long term geopolitical costs for that would be far higher than what it would pay otherwise. There is never a vaccuum of power and where US goes out, China will inevitably move in and this will be your real adversary down the road, not this Iran or even Russia distractions.

[Skroe]

US can't get out of anything, because the long term geopolitical costs for that would be far higher than what it would pay otherwise. There is never a vaccuum of power and where US goes out, China will inevitably move in and this will be your real adversary down the road, not this Iran or even Russia distractions.

Don’t we know it.

Pity radical right wing America fetishes the war in terror and likes and easy adversary like them and Iran, and doesn’t know what to think about a sophisticated threat like China.

[Gaidax]

Giving a country a black eye is not a strategy. It’s a statement and statements without strategy are worthless.

That includes this episode. The US made a powerful statement to everyone in the world. But without a strategy it is a whole lot of nothing .

Due to sheer limitations on Israel due to its military disposition, a strategy that capitalizes on a black eye is dubious at best, which is why Israel has never directly struck Iran. Even it’s contingencies to attack Iran‘S nuclear program are pure time time-buyers and not part of any wider strategy.

I do not paint myself as privvy to everything that goes behind the doors, I am sure it's safe to assume that every side has its plans for various scenarios and all the sides in the end know that the other side is not stupid.

Given various factors, currently, Iran is in a much more fragile situation compared to Israel, that's why they won't start any direct shit, which is my whole point, really. Black eye or not, but short term, Iran can ill afford anything of the sort, which is the whole idea.

[Skroe]

Lol, are you new to this world?
The US considers the entire world as a rebellious colony. At this point it would be in the interest of the entire world to take out the US by any means possible.

Hell, the first thing that needs to happen is that we need to arm Iran with nuclear weapons. That's the only way to keep those pigs at bay.

I realize you’re having a bad day but this is quite troubling rhetoric that is detached from reality. You should really talk to somebody. You’re very far removed from the implications of what you’re saying.

[Machismo]

Sadly the US I will admit is behind on the laws regarding weed but we are slowly getting there. I find tho that not trying to attach any morality to world politics especially the middle east just makes stuff easier to swallow in the long run. It might be Machiavellian but in my view, it does explain the world a lot better.

The United States will figure it out in a decade or two. In reality, its the socially-conservative nature of the ME that doesn't allow for coexistence. I don't see the bombings, mayhem, and murder ending anytime soon. The only real way through it, will be a period of enlightenment and education.

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US can't get out of anything, because the long term geopolitical costs for that would be far higher than what it would pay otherwise. There is never a vaccuum of power and where US goes out, China will inevitably move in and this will be your real adversary down the road, not this Iran or even Russia distractions.

Unlike others, I have no need to be the most powerful nation on the planet. I've been in pissing contests, and they tend to end poorly for everyone involved.

[Uzkin]

No, US is not in the wrong here. There are things you just don't do.

Iran was effectively given free reign for the shit they do in Middle East, it's almost shocking how US enabled them for all these years to the point where it got into whole mess like Yemen war, orchestrated in big part by Iran's growing appetites in the region.

Attacking US embassy, however? That shit was taking things way too far in US books and rightfully so. It is genuinely Iran foolishly fucking it up right there. They got a bit too ahead of themselves.

It would be mistake to not respond to it and response done here is what should be done, anything less than that would result in far more dead people long term.

I guess Russia has the right to murder Ukrainian officials at will now, ever since Ukrainians attacked Russian embassy? And China can assasinate US officials as they please ever since the US attacked Chinese embassy in Belgrade? Come to think of it, Russia probably has the right to go after US officials as well, after US seized Russian embassies.

These questions are rhetoric. You of course think this right is reserved only for the US and its allies such as Israel -- the god's chosen people. The right not based on the international law but on the principle "might makes right". But once the international law is discarded in favor of cowboy diplomacy this will become the norm: China, Russia, everyone, will conclude they have the right to use the same approach against those weaker than them. After all, not everyone in the world is willing to give these special rights only for the US and its allies.

Thus, this behavior cannot be accepted, otherwise the world descends into chaos. We must condemn these actions, and take steps do discourage them.

[BigToast]

I hope that none of you or your friends or family have to die in yet another Republican started war in the Middle East. This cycle has to stop.

[Gaidax]

Unlike others, I have no need to be the most powerful nation on the planet. I've been in pissing contests, and they tend to end poorly for everyone involved.

I don't think you quite realize the implications of not being the most powerful nation on the planet. There are a lot of perks to that, that you will lose once that goes. Truly people don't appreciate what they have.

[Rumred]

Lol, are you new to this world?
The US considers the entire world as a rebellious colony. At this point it would be in the interest of the entire world to take out the US by any means possible.

Hell, the first thing that needs to happen is that we need to arm Iran with nuclear weapons. That's the only way to keep those pigs at bay.

Let’s follow that train of thought. First off who are we? It is damn sure ain't the Netherlands and its vast nuclear arsenal. But let’s say Russia or China steps in and gives nukes to Iran. What's to stop the US from giving nuclear weapons to Ukraine or Taiwan? Hell lets give nuclear weapons out to the whole world I am sure that won’t end badly at all /s

[Skroe]

I guess Russia has the right to murder Ukrainian officials at will now, ever since Ukrainians attacked Russian embassy? And China can assasinate US officials as they please ever since the US attacked Chinese embassy in Belgrade? Come to think of it, Russia probably has the right to go after US officials as well, after US seized Russian embassies.

These questions are rhetoric. You of course think this right is reserved only for the US and its allies such as Israel -- the god's chosen people. The right not based on the international law but on the principle "might makes right". But once the international law is discarded in favor of cowboy diplomacy this will become the norm: China, Russia, everyone, will conclude they have the right to use the same approach against those weaker than them. After all, not everyone in the world is willing to give these special rights only for the US and its allies.

Thus, this behavior cannot be accepted, otherwise the world descends into chaos. We must condemn these actions, and take steps do discourage them.

Correct. We are allowed to do them and you are not.

Wars have consequences. Russia lost the Cold War, and this its privileged international position. It can try and change reality as to what the US can and cannot do, but it won’t find it very successful.

A friendly reminder, as I like to say, that this is our planet and you just live here.
[Infraction]

[Machismo]

I don't think you quite realize the implications of not being the most powerful nation on the planet. There are a lot of perks to that, that you will lose once that goes. Truly people don't appreciate what they have.

Quite a few nations are doing just fine not being the most powerful nation on the planet.

[Gaidax]

I guess Russia has the right to murder Ukrainian officials at will now, ever since Ukrainians attacked Russian embassy? And China can assasinate US officials as they please ever since the US attacked Chinese embassy in Belgrade? Come to think of it, Russia probably has the right to go after US officials as well, after US seized Russian embassies.

These questions are rhetoric. You of course think this right is reserved only for the US and its allies such as Israel -- the god's chosen people. The right not based on the international law but on the principle "might makes right". But once the international law is discarded in favor of cowboy diplomacy this will become the norm: China, Russia, everyone, will conclude they have the right to use the same approach against those weaker than them. After all, not everyone in the world is willing to give these special rights only for the US and its allies.

Thus, this behavior cannot be accepted, otherwise the world descends into chaos. We must condemn these actions, and take steps do discourage them.

When a state player organizes attack on sovereign embassy, especially of the severity that happened - it's not just some ordinary occurrence that can be waved off, especially when you are talking about attack on a nation like US.

Not reacting to that attack would have far reaching consequences US would rather not deal with.

As a whole some acts are more dangerous than others and things like this are a big statement that needs appropriate reaction, if you have the capability to react - big point there. It is a very important point.

[Gaidax]

Quite a few nations are doing just fine not being the most powerful nation on the planet.

Reminds me of some places I have been in where my daily salary is more than what people there earned in a month if not several. They also, were doing just fine.

Just it was not my acceptable kind of "fine".

[Skroe]

Quite a few nations are doing just fine not being the most powerful nation on the planet.

The get by because the US is. It’s as simple as that.

[Machismo]

Reminds me of some places I have been in where my daily salary is more than what people there earned in a month if not several. They also, were doing just fine.

Just it was not my acceptable kind of "fine".

You mean like Israel and most of Europe?

The last time I checked, they are not the most powerful countries on the planet.

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The get by because the US is. It’s as simple as that.

And yet, we can also do it via a coalition.

[Gref]

good good, destabilize the area even more. after 5million syrians, let another 5 million iranians flow into turkey which is holding everything at bay. when it crumbles under immigration, i will see what happens to eu and its morals.

[Gaidax]

You mean like Israel and most of Europe?

The last time I checked, they are not the most powerful countries on the planet.

In US I'd get triple and not risk having a rocket flung at me from some shithole. See? Not all rosy there.

Europe has plenty of its own issues, starting from being in part dependent on good graces of likes of Turkey, Russia and US while at that and ending with countries there on brink of fiscal disaster - of a real kind, not the US made up debt kind.

[ati87]

Iranian backed militias, organized and supplied by this guy, sacked part of our Embassy.

This may not be a wise course, but there is no universe in which the US is in the wrong for doing this. In fact it has shown remarkable patience in restraint given the drone downing and the cruise missile attack on our ally.

It’s past time to remind Iran about consequences. We have to be mindful of escalation, but it’s a massive mistake to stick to inaction. They’ll only grow bolder if we do.

Make no mistake, we are here because didn’t impose the costs we should have earlier.

I\m just hightailing the parts that I kind of find telling because it seems to me that you want to punish Iran for not bending the knee and not because they did something to you.

Whatever Iran did is secondary since you want war and just like with Iraq you will take the smallest excuse, make it bigger then it seems and then justify going to war with that excuse.

[Draco-Onis]

That’s a good question. On my phone so I’ll just refer to my posts up thread that address that. Certainly, there is no strategy.

But this thing we’ve gotten used to where China, Russia, Iran and North Korea engage in provacative actions and then we are supposed to sit back and not do anything in response because of escalators risks? It’s horseshit and it needs to stop. It just delays the day of reckoning.

As I said when Iran shot down our drone, the US needs to restore conventional deterrence across the entire world because it’s quite clear the our adversaries think they can do almost anything because the US won’t do shit.

We’ll his sent them all a very personal, powerful message, because he could have been any of their intelligence sciences or senior generals. That’s the kind of message we need to keep sending.

The mode of the past 25 years of turning the other cheek has failed and we got a new Cold War for our trouble. This is a first and a positive step in redrawing the badly needed red lines that we’ve let our adversaries cross at will.

And that would be great if there was a strategy or a plan or any semblance of next steps this is not going to cause deterrence but escalation. On another note the fact that the president of the US has ordered a drone strike on a head of state without congressional approval shows how fucked we are in terms of executive power and the constitution.

[Machismo]

In US I'd get triple and not risk having a rocket flung at me from some shithole. See? Not all rosy there.

Europe has plenty of its own issues, starting from being in part dependent on good graces of likes of Turkey, Russia and US while at that and ending with countries there on brink of fiscal disaster - of a real kind, not the US made up debt kind.

And yet, the United States does not have the highest median income.