• Doc Avid Mornington
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    05 months ago

    The Bush government response after 9/11 increased radicalization, strengthened Al Qaeda, and decreased support for the US. It put us in more danger, in order to destabilize the Middle East, advance US imperialism, and line the pockets of international arms profiteers.

    The Netanyahu government response after 10/7 increased radicalization, strengthened Hamas, and decreased support for Israel. It put them in more danger, in order to destabilize the Middle East, advance US imperialism, and line the pockets of international arms profiteers.

    Maybe you’re correct that some action, other than strict defense, would be best, but that’s not on the table, here. In this context, the choice is between further funding the worst choice, or not doing that. What makes Democrats look bad is how many of them support further funding the worst case.

    • phillaholic
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      05 months ago

      You’re not considering the act of no retaliation causing the terrorists to keep trying large attacks. Hamas isn’t acting alone, just like Bin Laden wasn’t acting alone. They have backers with deep pockets that can’t be dealt with directly for complex political reasons. I’m not advocating for one way or another, I’m acknowledging it’s incredibly complicated and there’s no good solution to it.

      • Doc Avid Mornington
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        15 months ago

        How do you conclude that I’m not considering that? Escalation doesn’t reduce that risk.

        Bernie might have the right idea in a ideal world, but in reality it’s not a great take and it makes other Democrats look bad that are having to make the difficult decisions which again spreads apathy.

        It’s hard for me to read this as “not advocating for one way or another”, given that what Bernie is doing is saying to step back from the unquestioning full-throttle support of the Netanyahu government. If you think that’s a bad take, the only conclusion I can draw is that you are advocating for that full support of what they’re doing.

        To be fair, a lot of the other things you’ve said indicate otherwise, so I guess I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.

        • phillaholic
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          15 months ago

          I don’t think it’s a bad take, it’s not a complete one. What’s his full plan? He’s not in a position to have one.

          I’m a realist not an idealist. We will all sit here doing nothing if we still to our ideals. I acknowledge that difficult decisions need to be made. The metaphor of politics being a game of chess is great. If you play the game ideally, trying to never lose a piece, you will lose the game.

          Given what I’ve seen for far, Israel is going too far. But given what I’ve seen from Hamas, I’m not sure where the line is. It’s a similar problem to the war on terror where the enemy isn’t a nation state and has to be identified mixed into civilians. Add on top that no one knows what a solution is. You could argue never invading Iraq was the correct move for the US, but keeping the situation between Israel and Gaza sure as hell isn’t imo.