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This doesn't make sense. What makes money 'dirty'? What about banks like Goldman Sachs? Is their money 'clean'? What about the Saudi and UAE investment funds? H

by throw2016 9y ago

This doesn't make sense. What makes money 'dirty'? What about banks like Goldman Sachs? Is their money 'clean'? What about the Saudi and UAE investment funds? How does one decide what is 'dirty' and 'clean' money and identify it?

andybak 9y ago
I'm conflicted on this. The good old-fashioned lefty in me wants to agree and say "yes - follow the money. Power has tendrils everywhere and they are annoyingly predictable and persistent". However I do have the feeling that Russia's current behaviour is quantitatively if not qualitatively different. In it's scale, it's cynicism and in it's deliberate single mindedness. I'm not a great believer in good vs evil on the geopolitical stage but a move this blatant needs to be resisted because if it succeeds it will become the new normal.
- jgome 9y ago
  It is normal (be it "lefty" democratic, or republican US presidents) for the US government to use its power to destroy other countries and steal its resources... And yet here you are discussing "cynicism and [...] deliberate single mindedness". As a lefty, you fail to put things in perspective... But I guess it's just not convenient, sometimes, is it?
  - andybak 9y ago
    You might have to reword that - I'm honestly having difficulty parsing it.
    - jgome 9y ago
      What I mean is exactly what I said: start by looking at the dirt your own country may have BEFORE looking at someone else's dirt. You may learn a thing or two about your government, the upper classes in your country, the racism and xenophobia they use as a way to get more power elsewhere, the reasons the other governments have to do what they do, etc.
      - andybak 9y ago
        I'm pretty conversant in the shitty things "my" country has done. How does that relate to the matter at hand? PS - I'm from the UK - not US if that changes things. I think you may be arguing with an imaginary straw man version of me. I'm not sure I stand for the things you're railing against.
  - oxide 9y ago
    Hey turfer, take another English course.
    - jgome 9y ago
      I forgot, the one and only language spoken in the whole world is english... And everyone should know it, even the small details. As a language, it's a disaster. I better worry about more important things, and not waste more time with it.
- creaghpatr 9y ago
  I wonder if they are just being opportunistic post ‘Russian Reset’. Seems like most Americans didn’t take issue at the time. Many US companies take large investments from Saudi Arabia too and we could make similar arguements about the potential risks/rewards.
ringaroundthetx 9y ago
The only thing that makes money dirty is the US's overinflated idea of whitelisting transactions to deter behaviors they don't like

andybak 9y ago

I'm conflicted on this. The good old-fashioned lefty in me wants to agree and say "yes - follow the money. Power has tendrils everywhere and they are annoyingly predictable and persistent". However I do have the feeling that Russia's current behaviour is quantitatively if not qualitatively different. In it's scale, it's cynicism and in it's deliberate single mindedness. I'm not a great believer in good vs evil on the geopolitical stage but a move this blatant needs to be resisted because if it succeeds it will become the new normal.

jgome 9y ago
It is normal (be it "lefty" democratic, or republican US presidents) for the US government to use its power to destroy other countries and steal its resources... And yet here you are discussing "cynicism and [...] deliberate single mindedness". As a lefty, you fail to put things in perspective... But I guess it's just not convenient, sometimes, is it?
- andybak 9y ago
  You might have to reword that - I'm honestly having difficulty parsing it.
  - jgome 9y ago
    What I mean is exactly what I said: start by looking at the dirt your own country may have BEFORE looking at someone else's dirt. You may learn a thing or two about your government, the upper classes in your country, the racism and xenophobia they use as a way to get more power elsewhere, the reasons the other governments have to do what they do, etc.
    - andybak 9y ago
      I'm pretty conversant in the shitty things "my" country has done. How does that relate to the matter at hand? PS - I'm from the UK - not US if that changes things. I think you may be arguing with an imaginary straw man version of me. I'm not sure I stand for the things you're railing against.
- oxide 9y ago
  Hey turfer, take another English course.
  - jgome 9y ago
    I forgot, the one and only language spoken in the whole world is english... And everyone should know it, even the small details. As a language, it's a disaster. I better worry about more important things, and not waste more time with it.
creaghpatr 9y ago
I wonder if they are just being opportunistic post ‘Russian Reset’. Seems like most Americans didn’t take issue at the time. Many US companies take large investments from Saudi Arabia too and we could make similar arguements about the potential risks/rewards.

ringaroundthetx 9y ago

The only thing that makes money dirty is the US's overinflated idea of whitelisting transactions to deter behaviors they don't like