Finally, they removed the middleman - Saudi Arabia - and started dropping their bombs on the Houthis directly.
At least it’s less hypocrite than what was going on before.
Can’t but wonder if the Houthis aren’t used to US and UK bombs being dropped on them by now and if thus this will make that much of a difference (weren’t the Houthis mountain people, same as the Afghans?).
Don’t fuck with global trade. Your cause can be a shining beacon of righteousness, or you take out trading routes you get the big boy stick. Always has been like that.
Whilst I agree with your point on why this is happenning, after what happenned in Afghanistan, I’m not quite sure of the effectiveness of what you named “big boy stick” against people who have little to lose and have spent over a decade being hit by such a “stick” only yielded by a mate if said “big boy”.
A lot of what I’m reading here is the same “America, yeah!” stuff as before the invasion of Afghanistan - nationalistic enthusiasm rather than anything thought through.
Looking at the hostorical track record, it’s a little premature to celebrate the effectiveness of this.
I mean, I don’t even see a contradiction with OP there. The big boy stick comes out, Western politicians are seen doing something and don’t get blamed for the higher prices on “TIEMAM banana-shaped egg holder for children yellow plastic food container”, a few of the non-Western brown guys die, but not most of them, and history continues. I don’t think that there’s a good reason was implied.
Can’t but wonder if the Houthis aren’t used to US and UK bombs being dropped on them by now and if thus this will make that much of a difference (weren’t the Houthis mountain people, same as the Afghans?).
Pretty much what the news analysts are saying, even. I’m unsure why Biden and Sunak felt like this was a good idea. I really can’t see any possible upside. Now they look even more crooked in the region than before, because the only thing they acted on are the cargo ships loaded with dumb crap for the West, and the Houthis look cool and relevant directly fighting them. The threat to shipping is even higher than before if anything, and the whole place is even closer to going WWI.
They could have just parked their warships there and kept eating drones. It would have costed a lot in interceptors, but you’d think even a few more weeks of situation normal would have been worth it.
No. They were firing at anything with a Western financial interest backing out too. So these were ships that never touched a Western shore but just had a part US owner.
That doesn’t actually undercut my point. Yes, they carry important crap for the West too, and some amount amount of crap not ultimately for the West. It would still get there going via the Cape, and either way, the stakes are way higher for the Arabs than “more expensive stuff” and everyone knows it.
So the entire middle east should just be a no go zone for shipping? I’m pretty sure the entire MENA area would blow up if we did that. It would ensure the SA/Iran war we’ve been avoiding for decades. Or, less worse case, Iran cuts the Houthis free and watches the rest of the region obliterate their former clients. Because the oil producing countries are absolutely not going to just stop exporting oil. The tourist countries are not going to accept a halt in cruise ships. And nobody wants to deal with bulk food import via land only.
The Houthis fucked with the entire world. This is not just about going around or sticking it to some distant government without a local impact.
Lol, you really don’t like the Houthis. Why do you care? It’s a little ethnic paramilitary, like a bajillion others all across the MENA area and other unstable regions.
No, I’d say they should keep parking warships in the area and eating all the missiles. It’s expensive as all get out, but said Gulf contries would be obliterated by mass bombardment on the first day if the region really goes boom, and a few more weeks to let things settle and ship Anthony Blinken around would have been great.
I don’t give a fuck about pirates. I care about disingenuous arguments. Including that them shooting at international ships is an effective or moral way to protest Israeli actions.
Well you’re in luck then, because I don’t think it is either. Maybe they’d have a leg to stand on if they were actually Israeli ships, but it sounds like they’ve been attacking random ones and then declaring them Israeli. It’s a stunt, and now the West is making it look even better.
There’s a really interesting (but quite long) YouTube deep dive into history about how there has been a struggle between city builders who farm and nomads/‘barbarians’ who herd for all of our history.
Finally, they removed the middleman - Saudi Arabia - and started dropping their bombs on the Houthis directly.
At least it’s less hypocrite than what was going on before.
Can’t but wonder if the Houthis aren’t used to US and UK bombs being dropped on them by now and if thus this will make that much of a difference (weren’t the Houthis mountain people, same as the Afghans?).
Don’t fuck with global trade. Your cause can be a shining beacon of righteousness, or you take out trading routes you get the big boy stick. Always has been like that.
Whilst I agree with your point on why this is happenning, after what happenned in Afghanistan, I’m not quite sure of the effectiveness of what you named “big boy stick” against people who have little to lose and have spent over a decade being hit by such a “stick” only yielded by a mate if said “big boy”.
A lot of what I’m reading here is the same “America, yeah!” stuff as before the invasion of Afghanistan - nationalistic enthusiasm rather than anything thought through.
Looking at the hostorical track record, it’s a little premature to celebrate the effectiveness of this.
I mean, I don’t even see a contradiction with OP there. The big boy stick comes out, Western politicians are seen doing something and don’t get blamed for the higher prices on “TIEMAM banana-shaped egg holder for children yellow plastic food container”, a few of the non-Western brown guys die, but not most of them, and history continues. I don’t think that there’s a good reason was implied.
Pretty much what the news analysts are saying, even. I’m unsure why Biden and Sunak felt like this was a good idea. I really can’t see any possible upside. Now they look even more crooked in the region than before, because the only thing they acted on are the cargo ships loaded with dumb crap for the West, and the Houthis look cool and relevant directly fighting them. The threat to shipping is even higher than before if anything, and the whole place is even closer to going WWI.
They could have just parked their warships there and kept eating drones. It would have costed a lot in interceptors, but you’d think even a few more weeks of situation normal would have been worth it.
No. They were firing at anything with a Western financial interest backing out too. So these were ships that never touched a Western shore but just had a part US owner.
That doesn’t actually undercut my point. Yes, they carry important crap for the West too, and some amount amount of crap not ultimately for the West. It would still get there going via the Cape, and either way, the stakes are way higher for the Arabs than “more expensive stuff” and everyone knows it.
So the entire middle east should just be a no go zone for shipping? I’m pretty sure the entire MENA area would blow up if we did that. It would ensure the SA/Iran war we’ve been avoiding for decades. Or, less worse case, Iran cuts the Houthis free and watches the rest of the region obliterate their former clients. Because the oil producing countries are absolutely not going to just stop exporting oil. The tourist countries are not going to accept a halt in cruise ships. And nobody wants to deal with bulk food import via land only.
The Houthis fucked with the entire world. This is not just about going around or sticking it to some distant government without a local impact.
Lol, you really don’t like the Houthis. Why do you care? It’s a little ethnic paramilitary, like a bajillion others all across the MENA area and other unstable regions.
No, I’d say they should keep parking warships in the area and eating all the missiles. It’s expensive as all get out, but said Gulf contries would be obliterated by mass bombardment on the first day if the region really goes boom, and a few more weeks to let things settle and ship Anthony Blinken around would have been great.
I don’t give a fuck about pirates. I care about disingenuous arguments. Including that them shooting at international ships is an effective or moral way to protest Israeli actions.
Well you’re in luck then, because I don’t think it is either. Maybe they’d have a leg to stand on if they were actually Israeli ships, but it sounds like they’ve been attacking random ones and then declaring them Israeli. It’s a stunt, and now the West is making it look even better.
A tactic I’d expect out of Israel, ironically
We can’t let it go though. They’ve effectively blocked the suez canal for the entire world. Everything from food aid to toys.
There’s a really interesting (but quite long) YouTube deep dive into history about how there has been a struggle between city builders who farm and nomads/‘barbarians’ who herd for all of our history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrqkwG7Nqj8
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://www.piped.video/watch?v=IrqkwG7Nqj8
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
That’s very interesting, thank you!
You’re welcome. It’s a really good channel if you like history deep dives.