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Powercrazy posted:Saudi Arabia is probably the only country in the world that is worse in all ways then the US. You have never been outside of the US. Its not a question. NoEyedSquareGuy posted:If Saudi Arabia can behead people as a matter of state policy and still be allies, maybe it's not that hard to make peace with ISIS instead of going around doing wars. At what loving point does ISIL even remotely in vision peace with anyone? How loving stupid are you? Seriously. I want to know what kind of brain damage, mental capacity impairment or just lack of ability to pay attention you suffer from. ISIL will not make peace with anyone. Especially the US. Either we leave them be long enough to let them stumble a bit too close to Israel (who will then wipe them off the face of the earth) or we erase every last shred of evidence they ever existed. Thats the two options with them. Also:  lol.
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Jan 24, 2015 12:06
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My Imaginary GF posted:ISIS doesn't behead the right people. If ISIS started beheading militant islamists, jihadis, communists, and accepted the right of Israel to exist, then it wouldn't be ISIS. cmon this is lazy even for you
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Jan 24, 2015 12:30
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Didn't IS release videos where they burned and stomped on Palestinian flags, decrying the cause as petty nationalism?
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Jan 24, 2015 13:12
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SplitSoul posted:Didn't IS release videos where they burned and stomped on Palestinian flags, decrying the cause as petty nationalism? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ula2YJq5K5s
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Jan 24, 2015 17:07
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Someone doesn't have the first notion of diplomatic protocol. The House of Saud is pernicious, and we'd be much better served by rapprochement with Teheran. Still, it would serve no good to graveshit officially on the still-warm body of an official ally's monarch. Vanilla Ice seems butthurt no one is interested in self-congratulation and high-fives. Yeah, the Saudis suck. I commend you for bravely taking such a controversial position here on D&D with this OP.
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Jan 24, 2015 17:21
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Powercrazy posted:Saudi Arabia is probably the only country in the world that is worse in all ways then the US. This is simultaneously one of the most hilariously provincial and delusionally resentnik claims I've ever read here. These things keep me coming back.
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Jan 24, 2015 17:24
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Powercrazy posted:Saudi Arabia is probably the only country in the world that is worse in all ways then the US. Take a trip to superior country Sierra Leone! Just don't eat any meat you haven't butchered yourself, and don't touch anyone.
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Jan 24, 2015 17:32
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All the other countries on the peninsula are hilariously evil too like the UAE. Basically creating a horrible rich person playground in Dubai, that doesn't have things like actual culture and history like other horrible rich people playgrounds like London/NYC.
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Jan 24, 2015 17:38
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etalian posted:All the other countries on the peninsula are hilariously evil too like the UAE. The Emirates definitely have culture. Cities like Dubai are crass and vulgar on the expat side, super traditional on the Emirati side. (Also a nice place for expat jobs.) They are built on the labor of indentured servitude or worse, but it's again really provincial and ignorant to say places you're never been have no culture. 'Culture' is not limited to modern Western mores. It's not necessarily good either - I'm not deeply interested in traditional Emirati culture, but it's far superior to what the Saudis have, for example. Oman is probably the only relatively bright spot in Arabia.
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Jan 24, 2015 17:52
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Yeah, the reactions of the US and UK governments to the death of King Abdullah illustrate pretty clearly how little the the US imperial regime and its stooges actually care about the nebulous concepts of "democracy" and "human rights." I don't really have much to say about this topic, so I'm mainly just posting in order to state that I really like this article by Glenn Greenwald highlighting the contrast between the White House's reaction to the death of Hugo Chavez and the White House's reaction to the death of King Abdullah: https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/01/23/compare-contrast-obamas-reaction-king-abdullah-hugo-chavez/
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Jan 24, 2015 18:53
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Math Debater posted:Yeah, the reactions of the US and UK governments to the death of King Abdullah illustrate pretty clearly how little the the US imperial regime and its stooges actually care about the nebulous concepts of "democracy" and "human rights." I don't really have much to say about this topic, so I'm mainly just posting in order to state that I really like this article by Glenn Greenwald highlighting the contrast between the White House's reaction to the death of Hugo Chavez and the White House's reaction to the death of King Abdullah: https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/01/23/compare-contrast-obamas-reaction-king-abdullah-hugo-chavez/ The House of Saud was useful to US foreign policy interests, while Chavez obviously wasn't.
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Jan 24, 2015 19:07
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Also, any likely alternative to the House of Saud would likely be much worse. Arabia is not fertile ground for liberal democracy (or Marxism - this is D&D after all) in 2015.
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Jan 24, 2015 19:12
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Ah truly, this is the best of all possible worlds, the ocean off the coast of Spain was created for drowning anabaptists
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Jan 24, 2015 19:16
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How exactly did y'all expect Obama to react?
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Jan 24, 2015 19:30
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paranoid randroid posted:Of course its always "My beheading is the only moral beheading" with you people isn't it? Beheading communists and jihadists/militant islamists are always moral beheadings.
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Jan 24, 2015 19:31
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TheImmigrant posted:Please stop talking about the House of Saud, it slowly erodes my faith in the United States But I don't see why that's a problem.
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Jan 24, 2015 20:19
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TheImmigrant posted:Also, any likely alternative to the House of Saud would likely be much worse. Arabia is not fertile ground for liberal democracy (or Marxism - this is D&D after all) in 2015. Has there being any real better alternatives to the House of Saud since maybe Nasserism in the 60s, or the Muslim brotherhood before whenever they got suppressed?
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Jan 24, 2015 20:27
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Sunni Arab nation state. e:V def not. Miltank fucked around with this message at 20:43 on Jan 24, 2015 |
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Jan 24, 2015 20:28
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Typo posted:Has there being any real better alternatives to the House of Saud since maybe Nasserism in the 60s, or the Muslim brotherhood before whenever they got suppressed? Did Nasserism ever really take root in KSA?
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Jan 24, 2015 20:34
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katlington posted:Sorcerer attacks jump 70% I was under the impression this ("sorcery") was a way for rich Saudi families to get rid of the Filipina/whatever housekeepers, c/d?
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Jan 24, 2015 22:24
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katlington posted:Sorcerer attacks jump 70% That's because Obama is actually going to KSA to meet with the Head Warlock.
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Jan 24, 2015 22:32
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TheImmigrant posted:Also, any likely alternative to the House of Saud would likely be much worse. Arabia is not fertile ground for liberal democracy (or Marxism - this is D&D after all) in 2015. I am sorry, but why would you say this after making fun of that poster for their ignorance? I apologize if you are an exile or something and have experienced his mercy or whatever.
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Jan 25, 2015 02:05
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king abdullah founded the king abdullah university of science and technology so he is cool for all eternity~ now someone explain to me what point of the king abdullah university of science and technology is and why anyone would want to study there and not at say harvard or cambridge or some well-known marine sciences institute
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Jan 25, 2015 17:13
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I CANNOT EJACULATE WITHOUT SEEING NATIVE AMERICANS BRUTALISED!
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blowfish posted:king abdullah founded the king abdullah university of science and technology so he is cool for all eternity~ Because s/he was a third-rate primary student in KSA or a Gulf country, and unconnected. Those oil monarchies engage in very heavy social spending. They invest in education - stipends to spend abroad for the connected; cheap or free but low-quality institutions at home - large grants to newlyweds, etc. It acts as a sort of bribery, in which those unconnected to the elite accept not to engage in dissent or otherwise disrupt the status quo. The same tacit agreement extends to Western expats. My experiences are in the UAE and Qatar. In exchange for an excellent salary with low taxes, you agree not to engage in political activity, flout conservative Islamic values (you can drink at home or in hotel bars, and the expats in places like Dubai and Doha quietly hook up and gently caress like bunnies via Tinder and OkC) but public drunkenness is forbidden. If you are a laborer from a Third World country (South Asia for construction, Philippines and certain African countries for services), you are an indentured servant who often earns enough to send remittances home. KSA (I'm constitutionally barred from the country) is supposedly similar, but socially much less tolerant of expat behavior. I have heard it described as a paradise for gay men on the DL though. It's a recipe for disaster, resulting in exploding populations accustomed to a high standard of living that is unsustainable.
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Jan 25, 2015 17:38
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TheImmigrant posted:Because s/he was a third-rate primary student in KSA or a Gulf country, and unconnected. Those oil monarchies engage in very heavy social spending. They invest in education - stipends to spend abroad for the connected; cheap or free but low-quality institutions at home - large grants to newlyweds, etc. It acts as a sort of bribery, in which those unconnected to the elite accept not to engage in dissent or otherwise disrupt the status quo. The same tacit agreement extends to Western expats. My experiences are in the UAE and Qatar. In exchange for an excellent salary with low taxes, you agree not to engage in political activity, flout conservative Islamic values (you can drink at home or in hotel bars, and the expats in places like Dubai and Doha quietly hook up and gently caress like bunnies via Tinder and OkC) but public drunkenness is forbidden. If you are a laborer from a Third World country (South Asia for construction, Philippines and certain African countries for services), you are an indentured servant who often earns enough to send remittances home. KSA (I'm constitutionally barred from the country) is supposedly similar, but socially much less tolerant of expat behavior. I have heard it described as a paradise for gay men on the DL though. it's basically the bread approach to keeping the populace from killing you or even just stirring the pot. also: quote:Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, has praised King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia as a “strong advocate of women”, but human rights campaigners said his reign only brought marginal advances for women, while failing to secure fundamental rights of free expression, association, and assembly.
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Jan 25, 2015 17:45
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TheImmigrant posted:Because s/he was a third-rate primary student in KSA or a Gulf country, and unconnected. Those oil monarchies engage in very heavy social spending. They invest in education - stipends to spend abroad for the connected; cheap or free but low-quality institutions at home - large grants to newlyweds, etc. It acts as a sort of bribery, in which those unconnected to the elite accept not to engage in dissent or otherwise disrupt the status quo. The same tacit agreement extends to Western expats. My experiences are in the UAE and Qatar. In exchange for an excellent salary with low taxes, you agree not to engage in political activity, flout conservative Islamic values (you can drink at home or in hotel bars, and the expats in places like Dubai and Doha quietly hook up and gently caress like bunnies via Tinder and OkC) but public drunkenness is forbidden. If you are a laborer from a Third World country (South Asia for construction, Philippines and certain African countries for services), you are an indentured servant who often earns enough to send remittances home. KSA (I'm constitutionally barred from the country) is supposedly similar, but socially much less tolerant of expat behavior. I have heard it described as a paradise for gay men on the DL though. Yeah, though KAUST seems to attract some westerners. Are those likely to be all expats who are already in Saudi Arabia or do people actively go there to study?
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Jan 25, 2015 17:52
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Jan 25, 2015 18:03
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blowfish posted:Yeah, though KAUST seems to attract some westerners. Are those likely to be all expats who are already in Saudi Arabia or do people actively go there to study? No idea. KSA is among the last places on earth I'd want to live. Most qualities which make Dubai tolerable (a certain cosmopolitan air, booze, beach, nightlife, sex) aren't options in KSA. I wasn't aware there was a significant number of Western students there. Maybe it has a feeder program for Aramco.
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Jan 25, 2015 18:44
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Regarde Aduck posted:Considering how it was implemented they probably don't know how to disable it. It's rare enough to be a badge of honor, nowadays.
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Jan 25, 2015 22:20
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Everyday Lurker posted:It's rare enough to be a badge of honor, nowadays. Nah, we should just put some deserving subforums in a "retarded forum for assholes" area again. Which would be most of them, but hey TheImmigrant posted:No idea. KSA is among the last places on earth I'd want to live. Most qualities which make Dubai tolerable (a certain cosmopolitan air, booze, beach, nightlife, sex) aren't options in KSA. I wasn't aware there was a significant number of Western students there. Maybe it has a feeder program for Aramco. I was going to say "they'd have to pay me to go", but it turns out they actually do  quote:All admitted students receive the benefits of the KAUST Fellowship which supports students for the duration of their graduate studies. The benefits of the KAUST Fellowship include: suck my woke dick fucked around with this message at 22:35 on Jan 25, 2015 |
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Jan 25, 2015 22:31
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blowfish posted:
I really need to know what those asterisks refer to
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Jan 25, 2015 22:58
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France claiming he stood up for women everywhere, is the ultimate laugh.
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Jan 25, 2015 23:01
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Rygar201 posted:I really need to know what those asterisks refer to quote:* Charges may apply to dependent housing and medical and dental coverage. * our health care system may or may not be American-levels of hosed up. Come and find out!
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Jan 25, 2015 23:04
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Nonsense posted:France claiming he stood up for women everywhere, is the ultimate laugh. Hey, they're just doing what they have to do to secure some more of those sweet, sweet multi-billion dollar arms.
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Jan 25, 2015 23:06
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New Division posted:Hey, they're just doing what they have to do to secure some more of those sweet, sweet multi-billion dollar arms. Germany just decided not to allow any further arms deals with SA so there's no better time for the French to double down  I bet Leclercs are an acceptable substitute for Leopard IIs in the main mission scenarios of running over protestors and taking potshots at technicals and Soviet era leftover tanks.
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Jan 25, 2015 23:15
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blowfish posted:king abdullah founded the king abdullah university of science and technology so he is cool for all eternity~ Because you get a ~$2-5 million dollar budget for setting up your lab and equipment, plus a lot of money to do research there. Had a buddy in grad school who got the offer. Since she was a woman, she declined, but having somebody willing to throw such levels of funding for starting your lab and beginning your academic career is pretty tempting stuff, especially since you can also just use some of that money to publish with a big name professor for legitimacy in your research.
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Jan 25, 2015 23:33
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Claverjoe posted:Because you get a ~$2-5 million dollar budget for setting up your lab and equipment, plus a lot of money to do research there. Had a buddy in grad school who got the offer. Since she was a woman, she declined, but having somebody willing to throw such levels of funding for starting your lab and beginning your academic career is pretty tempting stuff, especially since you can also just use some of that money to publish with a big name professor for legitimacy in your research. Ok, I can see how that might be tempting.
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Jan 25, 2015 23:41
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Remember how Abdullah's predecessors moved too fast with liberalization and touched off a conservative Islamic reaction? No, nobody does.
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Jan 26, 2015 01:35
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If Crusader Kings II has taught me anything its that once the brother dies all of that decadence the male sons and nephews have will prompt an immediate decadence rebellion. 
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Jan 26, 2015 04:50
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Gazpacho posted:Remember how Abdullah's predecessors moved too fast with liberalization and touched off a conservative Islamic reaction? No, nobody does. Grand Mosque Seizure, anyone?
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Jan 26, 2015 09:30
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