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Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
The thing that gets me is how similarly all these revolution stories are playing out. It's like the various dictators never spent their period in power figuring out a less stupid way of attempting to retain control in the face of a discontented populace.

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Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
In many ways, Egypt was in a far better position to pull off a peaceful revolt than a lot of the the other Arab states. This is only going to get uglier for a while.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Bahrain's actions are bizarre. Surely sending out indications that you're willing to hold reform discussions would go down better before you used lethal force against the protesters?

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST

quote:

However, pro-Gaddafi agencies are handing out FREE meat, fish and nuts to all of those who join the pro-Gaddafi protests."

That is incredibly sad and pathetic.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
You could try asking why he thinks America would pay to have one of their biggest allies remvoed from power.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
I know I shouldn't be laughing at an awful situation like this, but the guy is just so batfuck insane that I can't help it. The whole thing is ridiculous.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
What the hell is this speech even about?!

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
I think we've hit on the dude's master plan: He's going to talk every last protester in the country into submission.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Gaddafi missed his true calling in life. He should've been a newscaster of some sort.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
I wonder what Gaddafi is thinking at this exact moment.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
I wonder if the dude has an escape route ready for when he finally loses the last shreds of control.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
I wonder how many of the resignations are because opening fire on your own civilians is a line they aren't willing to cross and how many of them are because they just don't want to be on the wrong side of the line when Gaddafi finally falls.

(And how many are both, when it comes to that.)

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Well, gently caress.

On the other hand, this was always going to happen based on how CQ was acting. I guess sooner is better than later.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
If Gaddafi isn't on a plane/boat/something right now he's even more insane than I thought he was previously.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Are the blackshirted guys police?

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
I guess I stopped paying attention to Egypt once Mubarak got kicked out, but what are the current protesters still in Tahrir actually demanding? Or are they just milling around and waiting for something?

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Did you guys read Ham's post?

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST

Xandu posted:

Oh snap

Not sure it's a smart idea to announce something like that until after it occurs.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Eesh. If there's a revolt in Saudi Arabia it's going to be a bloodbath that makes Libya look like a playground scrap.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST

Sivias posted:

I heard a woman on AJE once say "If Sadaam Husein had carrots instead of oil, we never would have invaded."
And it's true. If the land didn't have the second largest sources of oil, we never would have went.

Well unless I missed something, if the USA went in there to secure oil for themselves they've done a pretty terrible job so far.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Speaking of which, does anyone know how much headway the protestors in Bahrain have made?

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST

quote:

Thousands of protesters have take to the streets in Yemen once more, while, the country's president Ali Abdullah Saleh has launched an angry attack on Barack Obama, asking whether the US president thinks he is "president of the world". Speaking at Sana'a University, where pro-democracy protests have been staged over the last few weeks, the 68-year-old said: "Every day we hear a statement from Obama saying 'Egypt you can't do this, Tunisia don't do that'." He added, in a direct statement to Obama: "What do you have to do with Egypt? Or with Oman? ... Are you president of the United States, or president of the world?"

Of the many faults I could lay at Mr. Obama's feet, acting like he's 'president of the world', at least in regards to the current conflict, is not one of them.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Wonder what will happen to all the higher-ranking officials who fled the sinking ship.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
I guess we can theorize maybe some of the pilots are missing on purpose? Or is it normal for people to be this inaccurate with whatever model of plane/bomb they're using?

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Of all the drugs possible, why'd they choose sedatives to report them as?

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
So it's now a slow and steady grind in Libya, huh.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
When they say 'the rebel leader' do they mean politically or militarily (or both)?

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Seriously, what's with Gaddafi's fixation on :catdrugs:?

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Are there any international aid programs ongoing in Libya right now? As in food drops or whatever?

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST

quote:

"Cable news has become cable noise. It was intended to be an opportunity to inform people, and instead it has become an opportunity to inflame people."

I like this line in particular.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
There is also the issue that he probably does not care about what happens to Libya or the people involved in it as long as he can cling to power (and presumably a life of luxury).

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Life in Libya is going to be incredibly lovely for a good while after this, no matter the outcome. :(

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST

kalonji posted:

Look, removing Gaddafi from power is a good thing. However I take issue with how its being done, this revolution is being used as an excuse to do something the United States has been itching to do for ages.

The security council and the US are looking after their own interests here, this has nothing to do with savings lives or bringing freedom to the Libyan people. This is about removing a thorn in their side.

Remember nearly half a million people died in Darfur and Omar Bashir is still the president, this simply isn't about lives being saved.

Nobody is claiming that there aren't cynical and self-interested reasons behind doing what they're doing. But they're saying that, regardless of the reason, it's a good thing that it's happening.

Also, the US is relatively uninvolved in the current proceedings anyway.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Isn't he attacking a city? Like, right now?

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
This thread has made me realize how completely disparate the militaries of the US are with the militaries of many of its allies, even solely in relative terms.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST

Cartouche posted:

Another part of me wonders how this is being reported to North Koreans.

South Korea was 'reporting' it by flying over and dropping leaflets. Not sure whether that's still ongoing.

As for North Korea's own government letting its citizens get the slightest whiff of this news... not happening.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
While I'm not willing to claim I have any clear idea what Libya will be like at the end of this whole affair, I am more than willing to claim that leaving the rebels (and the rest of the Libya) to Gaddafi's tender mercies is not going to be preferable option.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST

shotgunbadger posted:

No I just don't get the logic of 'well we let THIS slaughter happen, better overreact next time (like Kosovo)'. I mean, your rational has America as pretty dumb and bumbling, like if Mr Bean occasionally blew up a house, I don't see how that makes it better to you then 'well we can't exploit these guys if we 'help' them, so gently caress it'.

Okay, first thing you need to understand is that the vast majority of people here (including me) do not have anything remotely resembling a favourable opinion of American foreign policy (and domestic policy, for that matter, but that's another discussion).

Thus, we're happy whenever they do something every once in a while we can support on moral/logistical grounds, even if we think they're complete fuckwits most of the other time. This is one such occasion.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST

Baddog posted:

OK, intervening militarily in an oil rich country is only appropriate when European countries will benefit/are backing it. Gotcha.

I'm not sure how you took from my previous post (in which we have said that we were often frustrated with the USA's poor decision making in the process) in that we believe this situation to be somehow appropriate while others were not. That's not true. I believe intervention to have been justified in cases in the past, and in some cases were intervention occurred I don't believe they should have.

More to the point, the actual reason they're intervening here is, as far as I'm concerned, secondary. They are helping get a madman out of power. That's reason enough for me to support this.

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Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST

Competition posted:

China: Why does everyone think that China is a threat to anyone? Their economy is entirely dependent upon the West, any conflict scenario and the West will stop purchasing from them and China will see mass starvation and internal collapse within months. Anyone can make the cheap poo poo they do, but only the West is buying it.

Wouldn't the West's economy go belly up in turn if the Chinese import market suddenly closed?

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