The bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus and storming of Mexico’s embassy in Quito breaks with accepted diplomatic norms − and could spell trouble.
Alright, I agree the west isn’t doing enough, but not having budged an inch? How so? The previous status quo was absolute support no matter what, no room for any criticism. Obviously that’s not still true, right? Things aren’t where we want them to be, but the bullshit that nothing is being done at all is less than helpful. If you want them to win your support your support has to be winnable. You have to recognize when steps are taken, though continue to tell them it isn’t enough yet. There should also be a hard set point where it is enough. If you don’t have that then you aren’t worth pandering to.
Like, it’d be one thing if this was an existential threat, but it isn’t. It’s selling fighter bombers to fight malnourished people who are essentially in the stone age. Additional arms won’t impact the outcome at all. At all.
And yet it’s still “emergency measures” to get them weapons they don’t even need.
Within this context… I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say the actions thus far have been incredibly hollow.
“Don’t tell me what you value; show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value” is something that Biden has said repeatedly over his career.
I can’t really hear people talking about asking people to exercise restraint while pulling out all the stops to send them weapons.
Not to the same degree. Last big one I heard from the US was jets, but they were air superiority fighters, which isn’t useful against Palestine. They will be useful against Iran if something happens with that.
I can’t really hear people talking about asking people to exercise restraint while pulling out all the stops to send them weapons.
Again, we have changed the degree to which we are selling them weapons. Yeah, it’s still going and it almost certainly always will. If they’re defensive weapons only, I’m good with that as a place to start.
According to Times of Israel, the jets are F-15IA (Israeli-variant F-15EX), which are quite capable of carrying over a dozen bombs equipped with the JDAMs also being provided.
To stop the killing in Gaza? Israel has all the bombs it needs right now to level Gaza and the West Bank multiple times over within about 90 minutes, if it wanted. So the idea that Israel needs US weapons to continue prosecuting the war in Hamas is made up nonsense. So stopping weapons sales to Israel will have literally zero effect whatsoever on the future of Gaza or anyone in it, but it does have the effect of giving away our leverage for nothing in return.
Israel has the luxury of operating as a regional belligerent based on the perception that the USA has given them carte blanche. There is no reason for Israel to engage in any good faith diplomacy with anyone in the region. This is a major reason for the reality that exists now.
So, yeah, I wholly disagree with you on this one. Communicating (through demonstration) that there exist limits to military support would necessarily force Israel to retool their foreign policy.
Alright, I agree the west isn’t doing enough, but not having budged an inch? How so? The previous status quo was absolute support no matter what, no room for any criticism. Obviously that’s not still true, right? Things aren’t where we want them to be, but the bullshit that nothing is being done at all is less than helpful. If you want them to win your support your support has to be winnable. You have to recognize when steps are taken, though continue to tell them it isn’t enough yet. There should also be a hard set point where it is enough. If you don’t have that then you aren’t worth pandering to.
I mean, arms sales continue? Arms sales circumventing congressional approval, even.
Like, it’d be one thing if this was an existential threat, but it isn’t. It’s selling fighter bombers to fight malnourished people who are essentially in the stone age. Additional arms won’t impact the outcome at all. At all.
And yet it’s still “emergency measures” to get them weapons they don’t even need.
Within this context… I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say the actions thus far have been incredibly hollow.
“Don’t tell me what you value; show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value” is something that Biden has said repeatedly over his career.
I can’t really hear people talking about asking people to exercise restraint while pulling out all the stops to send them weapons.
Not to the same degree. Last big one I heard from the US was jets, but they were air superiority fighters, which isn’t useful against Palestine. They will be useful against Iran if something happens with that.
Again, we have changed the degree to which we are selling them weapons. Yeah, it’s still going and it almost certainly always will. If they’re defensive weapons only, I’m good with that as a place to start.
According to Times of Israel, the jets are F-15IA (Israeli-variant F-15EX), which are quite capable of carrying over a dozen bombs equipped with the JDAMs also being provided.
Stop sending weapons to what end?
To stop the killing in Gaza? Israel has all the bombs it needs right now to level Gaza and the West Bank multiple times over within about 90 minutes, if it wanted. So the idea that Israel needs US weapons to continue prosecuting the war in Hamas is made up nonsense. So stopping weapons sales to Israel will have literally zero effect whatsoever on the future of Gaza or anyone in it, but it does have the effect of giving away our leverage for nothing in return.
Israel has the luxury of operating as a regional belligerent based on the perception that the USA has given them carte blanche. There is no reason for Israel to engage in any good faith diplomacy with anyone in the region. This is a major reason for the reality that exists now.
So, yeah, I wholly disagree with you on this one. Communicating (through demonstration) that there exist limits to military support would necessarily force Israel to retool their foreign policy.