Trump's war

[Unbeliever]

He told Iran, "Nice country youse got. Be a shame if somethin' was ta happen to it."

[Hydra009]

As someone who follows international news closely, this is me right now:

[Unbeliever]

I hope this clusterfuck doesn't get as complicated as the clusterfuck in Ukraine.

[Cassia]

Yes, nobody wants Iran to have nukes. Are they more willing to glass over and boil themselves than the Armageddon-craving Evangelicals in the US who are calling the shots. Who knows. God save us from your followers.

Remember it cost something like 2.5 trillion dollars to replace The Taliban with the Taliban. The Gulf States are funding the big US AI bubble, and the plan is to build huge data centers over there where the energy lives. I see Iran hit one of them already. If Iran knocks out the Gulf State's water desalinization plants and chokes the oil supply, let's all watch the US economic bubble crash. Also using expensive, sometimes multiple interceptors to stop cheap missiles and drones is unsustainable. It's a race.

Sure, US troops on the ground will allow Trump to delay the midterm election, pay back favors to his personal benefactors, Bibi, the Gulf oil royalty, and divert from the Epstein debacle. I think this may be Trump's actual plan, but unless Iran has a civil war, the US could lose this thing badly. If they dig in against their "Great Satan", oh boy. Historically, regime change has been difficult. Meanwhile China is watching us use up our ordinance. If Iran can turn this into a long war of attrition, the US is screwed. Some of our brass knows this, so they are not gonna hold back these first months.

[theantithesis]

So because of Trump, they're destroying the infrastructure for A.I.?

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Not good.

[Hydra009]

Sure, US troops on the ground will allow Trump to delay the midterm election, pay back favors to his personal benefactors, Bibi, the Gulf oil royalty, and divert from the Epstein debacle.

Yep. It's all about headlines and optics. Right now, it's great optics. US forces are performing incredibly well, buoyed by the "normal" cheerleading for war from the media. Right now, people are learning to stop worrying and love the bomb. Even the Iranians were dancing in the streets when they learned that Ayatollah died. That celebratory mood could sour very quickly depending on how far Israeli/American strikes go in the coming days.

unless Iran has a civil war, the US could lose this thing badly. If they dig in against their "Great Satan", oh boy.

That's my fear, too. If/when things turn sour, it could lead to a lot of unrest and violence and regional instability.

Meanwhile China is watching us use up our ordinance. If Iran can turn this into a long war of attrition, the US is screwed. Some of our brass knows this, so they are not gonna hold back these first months.

Thankfully, China recently had a bunch of military purges, otherwise they could have easily taken advantage of the situation. Ukrainians watching the US burn through Patriot missiles and Tomahawks - arguably unnecessarily on a war of choice - has got to be a bitter pill for them after being told for a long time that the US doesn't have much to spare. They absolutely do, they just have to limit their military operations to a dull roar.

[drunkenshoe]

... Sure, US troops on the ground will allow Trump to delay the midterm election, pay back favors to his personal benefactors, Bibi, the Gulf oil royalty, and divert from the Epstein debacle. I think this may be Trump's actual plan, but unless Iran has a civil war, the US could lose this thing badly. If they dig in against their "Great Satan", oh boy. Historically, regime change has been difficult. ...

Agreed. It's a good summary of what's going on. Infact this is so in the open, it will eventually affect the outcome. If it's true that there is no real plan at work, how are they going to play it out? For example, will they leave/drop all the ally fractions just like that and go home? Can Iran run this into a long war of attrition? But then there isn't a better thing than a war to bring every kind of forces together in a land.

...Meanwhile China is watching us use up our ordinance. If Iran can turn this into a long war of attrition, the US is screwed. Some of our brass knows this, so they are not gonna hold back these first months.

China is happy sitting and watching around for any opportunities to sell anywhere possible, noding to the general narrative, but not doing anything real. They are too big to have real concerns, no? They did the same thing before. There is no interest for them in any Middle East conflict if you ask me. Their 'ally' politics is for appearnaces' sake. Their long time general interest is the US losing power, influence. Trump is good at that.

[Hydra009]

Agreed. It's a good summary of what's going on. Infact this is so in the open, it will eventually affect the outcome. If it's true that there is no real plan at work, how are they going to play it out? For example, will they leave/drop all the ally fractions just like that and go home?

Yes. Whether it's covid or healthcare reform or even doing basic stuff for Ukraine, he absolutely has/will drop the ball and go home, then blame Biden for everything. And in covid's case, while taking no responsibility himself. Why America thought it was a good idea to put this guy behind the wheel a second time, I'll never know. Actually, I do know. He openly appealed to the rich to do whatever they want if they propped up his otherwise failing election campaign and they took him up on that. He got the cash, he found the votes, now we all get to watch this trainwreck plow through our country.

China is happy sitting and watching around for any opportunities to sell anywhere possible, noding to the general narrative, but not doing anything real. They are too big to have real concerns, no? They did the same thing before. There is no interest for them in any Middle East conflict if you ask me. Their 'ally' politics is for appearnaces' sake. Their long time general interest is the US losing power, influence. Trump is good at that.

Yep. China is looking after China. And for quite a while now, I've found myself generally agreeing with their stance on de-escalation. Strange world.

Also, if the US and other major players get into military conflicts (like US and EU over Greenland) or trade disputes (like Canada and US, with Canada inking a major trade deal with China) it only improves China's global standing. Unlike Russia, they play the long game.

[Unbeliever]

Bush Sr. crashed the economy and started a war in the Middle East.
Bush Jr. crashed the economy and started a war in the Middle East.
Trump crashed the economy and started a war in the Middle East.
I'm starting to notice a pattern here...

[Unbeliever]

They keep saying that this isn't a war,and they may be right. It's Trump's Crusade.