rjshae

Must be a scarce species these days. Yeaess... Based on a Sting song.

Do you really still expect redacted to apply reason or logic to problems at this point? He has an undisciplined mind and can't even properly communicate his reasons for going to war. We know he has immense difficulty accepting a loss, and nuclear weapons are the ultimate trump card for when events go badly wrong. "But he is not insane" Are you sure about that? He satisfies all criteria for "narcissistic personality disorder" in the DSM-5. There may be other co-morbibity conditions present, but narcissism explains most of his behavior.

During the first term, the redacted cabinet was not quite as fawning, so it seemed like they were able to provide a filter on some of his more extreme decision making. This term his cabinet is mostly bobbleheads, agreeing with wherever his meandering ping pong of thought takes him. That's why we're seeing more bat-sh*t crazy decision making based on his irrational beliefs. I can only hope that doesn't lead to a decision to use nukes. The more frustrated he gets with his inept direction of the war, the greater the urge will be to nuke. Once that happens, all bets are off.

A war of regression: how Trump bombed the US into a worse position with Iran The Guardian has a pretty cynical view of the current conflict, but it's hard to say they're wrong. What a cluster.

I think they still could, just to deny the US access to the Kharg Island oil resources. Or at least threaten to attack any docked tankers.

I think almost every state in the union is subject to some sort of potential natural disaster. We've got hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, wild fires, earthquakes, floods, blizzards, tidal waves, droughts, landslides, dust storms, and so forth. One of the few states that seem a little safe is Michigan, at least until the next ice age.

If redacted does deploy US troops to the small Iranian islands, they are probably going to have to stay there for a lengthy deployment. They will be subject to bombardment from the mainland, plus defending against raids and drones. It could be a steady hemorrhaging from troop fatalities, which will tank public support. I don't see this turning out well.

Note that Russia has been waging a sabotage campaign throughout Europe (including Polish railway lines to Ukraine), summarized here (with citations): Russian sabotage operations in Europe This has intensified since 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Mmm, it's about as legitimate as Western sanctions on Iran, wouldn't you say? They are using the Straits as a strategic lever to influence negotiations, just as we do with sanctions on Iran.

Sorry, but in this case I don't see it as cowardice. The conflict between the Sunnis and Shia is older than the US has been in existence. We shouldn't be that surprised that the conflict spilled over into Sunni gulf nations. I'd expect many of the gulf nations are US allies in large part because of Iran. When you attack a nation, you can predict that your allies become fair game. The Sunni Gulf nations provide basing rights for US forces, which also makes them suitable targets.

Trump administration to pay French company $1B to walk away from US offshore wind leases Redacted is still tilting at windmills, I see.

I'm curious to know what you define as a cowardly response? Do they need to physically invade their neighbors for it not to be considered "cowardly"? How does that differ from the US/Israeli aerial bombardment that has killed many civilians?

I think the biggest threat to the world economy, and thus to the US, would be for Iran to attack the major oil production and storage facilities in the Persian Gulf. Doing so could potentially disrupt the flow of oil for several years; redacted will be in office for (at least) three more years, so the timing matches. Does Iran still have the capability to do that? They may see it as an appropriate response for damaging their own economy.

Yes, he adores the attention that being a world-class jerk gains him. Then again I can only imagine what many people's reaction will be when redacted finally goes toes up.

I read the Qatari strike as a pretty clear message from Iran; if you strike Kharg Island, we're taking the rest of the Gulf oil industry down with us. Go ahead, make our day. Redacted, of course, doubles down on his threats. Yes it'll take years for the Gulf oil industry to recover. Brilliant plan this: ready, take aim, shoot foot.