Elerond

People are just being broken telephones and citing things they have only half understood when they heard them. Claim that it is impossible for a white person to be racially discriminated against, is distortion on phrase that White people don't face systemic racism in countries where there are white majority population. But even that is too simplistic way to look issue because minority ethnicities among white population will face systematic discrimination from majority population.

Corn is fruit, but it is often classified as vegetable if it's fresh and grain if it's old

They seem to get lot of corn and sunflower meal. I looked typical grain products like wheat.

China does not directly import grain from Ukraine, but they are one of the largest (4th in 2021) grain importers in world and heavily depend on global grain market and Ukraine is one of the largest (5th in 2021) grain exporters in world (they export twice as much as China imports), so if when Ukraine's wheat is off the market, China's import bill increases lot and their reliance to USA (where they buy about half of their grain).

It isn't like South Africa has not in past just ignored ICC's warrants their own court decisions. For example 2016 and Sudanese president Omar al Bashir visiting summit in South Africa with open ICC warrant, South African official refused to arrest him because foreign head of states have immunity in South Africa, although their court had different opinion, but Omar left South Africa without being arrested.

I guess he was reminded that Cyprus is EU member and not in NATO, making entry talks quite complicated

Cluster munitions aren't new in Ukraine-Russia war, but USA has not yet has been willing to give them to Ukraine https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/29/cluster-munition-use-russia-ukraine-war

I would guess that if there was negotiation it failed as US is now planning to give Ukraine cluster munitions

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/23/wagner-chief-accuses-russias-military-of-attack-and-says-evil-leadership-must-be-stopped Seem that Prigozhin's relationship with Kreml has cooled down

South Africa has never signed or ratified Vienna Convention

Poland that is constantly under threat of getting sanctions from EU, because they don't follow the rules?

I think currently it would be enough for Ukraine that NATO officially recognizes their application and invitation to participate in MAP (Membership Action Plan)

Kosovo refused to follow treaty they agreed with EU and USA and Serbia has signaled their interest of closer relationship so it is natural progress that happens in relationships between nations. Those that who benefit country's agenda are good guys and those that cause problems are bad guys

Europe has not been peaceful for 8000 years, even then it was probably because people had to travel several years in order to bash their neighbors heads. 1900s- there were two world wars, but it was conflict full century As we can see not many conflict free years there List does not have Conflicts involving European states that happened outside of European continent And current century is not any better

It is currently Hungarian forces turn Who have practiced civil and de-escalating tactics past 8 years on Hungarian borders from which this article gives an example https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/on-the-hungarian-border-no-refugee-escapes-violence/ and Hungarians are supported by Italians who also have practiced how to be human towards people when they have handled refugees coming from Africa with boats. Somehow these troops don't start to use different tactics when their command moves from their government to international organization where there is even less oversight.

Who among us has not at least once in their life done $3 billion dollar accounting mistake?

In my understanding they have two full patriot systems one from USA and one from Germany. Which both have control station, radar system, communication system, mobile energy plant and several 4/8/12/16 missile launchers that together form an artillery battery unit. Although media coverage about Ukraine's Patriots probably causes confusion as they are calling both artillery battery unit and single patriot launcher as patriot batteries in their reporting and it is often difficult to tell which they are referring to. That video that show air defense in Kyiv there were over 30 missiles/rockets launched by air defense from multiple locations and they seemed to be multiple different types based on how big light circle around them is and how fast they move. It is unlikely that they were all launched by patriot system, because launched happen in two short bursts which had only six minutes between them. I think it is unlikely that Ukraine has currently capacity to shoot over 30 patriot missiles in 7 minutes, because that would need quite lot launchers and both Germany and USA have usually gifted only couple systems at time when they send something to Ukraine. I also don't think that Germany or USA supplied Ukraine multiple different type patriot missiles for those few launchers they gave them. So I think most of the missiles seen on the video are probably from Ukraine's S300 or Bulk systems or from NASAMS systems that Norway gifted to Ukraine last year or from Crotale systems that France gifted Ukraine

Difficult to say as Erdogan has ruled Turkey for 20 years, so it is difficult to predict what opposition will do in case they get in power. But currently it looks like that Erdogan predictably will get keep his power and predictably all polls that before election said that opposition has lead were wrong. So it seems that Turkey continues to do what it has done past 20 years

Little correction, Saudi-Arabia bought 300 MIM-104E GEM-T (2018 upgrade version of PAC-2) Patriot missiles with 3 Billion and dollars (so only ~10 million dollars each ), deal included separate sale of THAAD missiles to UEA worth of 2.25 billion dollars. Single MIM-104E GEM-T is enough to shoot down any drone, ballistic/cruise missile, but problem is targeting. Saudi-Arabia uses their own variants of Patriot launchers and radars. If Saudi-Arabia needs to shoot multiple missiles to ensure interception, there is probably issues in how well their radars can identify targets and their trajectories and how fell their fire control coordinate launch to launcher in best position to intercept. Missiles' own guidance system can do only limited amount to redirect it if original targeting was wrong.

That seem bit expensive to shoot 16 missiles to intercept one, when you are paying 5 billion dollars for 300 missiles. Maybe Saudi's should upgrade their targeting systems.

As president they will call up council meetings and select most of the agenda that council will address in their meetings. And their job is to oversee any crisis and keep other council members up to date. So council will probably not even talk about the Ukraine's situation.

US constitution protects those rights as well as Russian's constitutions. as long as people in power are willing to abide their laws. There seem to appear more and more censorship laws all around US these days. And they don't target offensive speech or hate speech but educational speech. So US constitution seems to become more and more a paper that just promises rights and protections but is overruled by state governments left and right. And people's respect towards US supreme court also seems to be in heavy decline which does not bode well for constitutional protections. Legally Germany has constitution that offers some of best protections for people's rights as it forbids changing those rights, but does not prevent courts interpreting those rights as limited. But for example Germany is far ahead US when it comes to freedom of press, so there seems to be somethings that Germany's constitution (or culture) has succeed to protect better than US constitution.

Germany's constitution puts lots of limits for government and making amendments to it needs very unified Germany and it forbids amendments to basics rights, which are defined in eternity clause to make them 'eternal' German constitutional rights which can't be changed by democratic process

Not sure how much better pictures you get from high altitude balloon than satellite