4 ms·

> The truth track record of State Department is still much better than that of CCP. Maybe over the long run, but maybe not the current State Department at this

by ardy42 6y ago

> The truth track record of State Department is still much better than that of CCP. Maybe over the long run, but maybe not the current State Department at this moment. IIRC, over the last month it's literally been trying to stir up shit however it can to make things difficult for the incoming Biden administration. The current administration seems to think it makes sense to burn US national credibility for petty, self-interested not-even-wins.

option 6y ago
State department have warned about poor security at WIV before COVID-19 outbreak https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/14/state-department-cables-warned-safety-issues-wuhan-lab-studying-bat-coronaviruses/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/14/state-dep...
- nerdponx 6y ago
  These are not mutually exclusive.
- Elof 6y ago
  This is most definitely not before the COVID-19 outbreak
  - vanattab 6y ago
    I think there were some state department cables 2 years before the outbreak. https://www.foxnews.com/world/state-department-cables-coronavirus-origin-chinese-lab-bats https://www.foxnews.com/world/state-department-cables-corona...
  - rllearneratwork 6y ago
    did you even read the article? It literally starts with: "Two years before the novel coronavirus pandemic upended the world, U.S. Embassy officials visited a Chinese research facility in the city of Wuhan several times and sent two official warnings back to Washington about inadequate safety at the lab..."
peteretep 6y ago
> it's literally been trying to stir up shit however it can to make things difficult for the incoming Biden administration Examples, please? Pompeo certainly taking a more hawkish and strident stance of late, but I’m yet to see anything that suggests they’re salting the earth rather than just trying to ram through some policy aims at the end of an administration
- platinumrad 6y ago
  How about declaring Cuba to be a state sponsor of terrorism in the final weeks of Trump's term for no discernable reason at all.
- ardy42 6y ago
  Jan. 9: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/politics/state-dept-taiwan-united-states-china.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/politics/state-dept-ta... > WASHINGTON — The United States said on Saturday that it would relax its restrictions on interactions between American officials and their counterparts in Taiwan as the Trump administration seeks to lock in a tougher line against Beijing in its final days. > ...The moves, some outside experts said, are meant to lay a trap for Mr. Biden, forcing him either to pay a domestic political cost if he unwinds them or to sour relations with Beijing if he does not. Jan. 11: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/us/politics/cuba-terrorism-trump-pompeo.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/us/politics/cuba-terroris... > WASHINGTON — The State Department designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism on Monday in a last-minute foreign policy stroke that will complicate the incoming Biden administration’s plans to restore friendlier relations with Havana. > ...On the campaign trail, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke of a return to Mr. Obama’s more open approach to Havana, pledging to “promptly reverse the failed Trump policies that have inflicted harm on the Cuban people and done nothing to advance democracy and human rights.” > While the Biden administration can remove Cuba from the terrorism list, doing so will require a review process that could take months. Jan 12: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/us/politics/pompeo-iran-qaeda-terror.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/us/politics/pompeo-iran-q... > WASHINGTON — Al Qaeda’s new base of operations is in Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday, using his last days in office to tie together two of what he called the world’s greatest terrorism threats but offering no underlying intelligence as evidence. ---- https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/opinion/mike-pompeo-state-department.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/opinion/mike-pompeo-state... > But Mr. Pompeo has not been idle. Over the past week, he unleashed a series of actions whose only real purpose appears to be to make life as difficult as possible for his successor at the State Department. He put Cuba back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, he plans to designate the Houthi rebels in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization, he eased restrictions on contacts between American diplomats and Taiwan officials and he claimed that Iran is a “home base” for Al Qaeda. > ...Some of the actions Mr. Pompeo took over the past week might be defensible, were they taken in the context of a coherent foreign policy. But coming days before a change in administration, their sole identifiable purpose is to maliciously plant obstacles — some commentators have called them time bombs or booby traps — before the incoming administration and President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for Mr. Pompeo’s successor at State, Antony Blinken, are in place.

by ardy42 6y ago

option 6y ago

State department have warned about poor security at WIV before COVID-19 outbreak https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/14/state-department-cables-warned-safety-issues-wuhan-lab-studying-bat-coronaviruses/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/14/state-dep...

nerdponx 6y ago
These are not mutually exclusive.
Elof 6y ago
This is most definitely not before the COVID-19 outbreak
- vanattab 6y ago
  I think there were some state department cables 2 years before the outbreak. https://www.foxnews.com/world/state-department-cables-coronavirus-origin-chinese-lab-bats https://www.foxnews.com/world/state-department-cables-corona...
- rllearneratwork 6y ago
  did you even read the article? It literally starts with: "Two years before the novel coronavirus pandemic upended the world, U.S. Embassy officials visited a Chinese research facility in the city of Wuhan several times and sent two official warnings back to Washington about inadequate safety at the lab..."

peteretep 6y ago

> it's literally been trying to stir up shit however it can to make things difficult for the incoming Biden administration Examples, please? Pompeo certainly taking a more hawkish and strident stance of late, but I’m yet to see anything that suggests they’re salting the earth rather than just trying to ram through some policy aims at the end of an administration

platinumrad 6y ago
How about declaring Cuba to be a state sponsor of terrorism in the final weeks of Trump's term for no discernable reason at all.
ardy42 6y ago
Jan. 9: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/politics/state-dept-taiwan-united-states-china.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/politics/state-dept-ta... > WASHINGTON — The United States said on Saturday that it would relax its restrictions on interactions between American officials and their counterparts in Taiwan as the Trump administration seeks to lock in a tougher line against Beijing in its final days. > ...The moves, some outside experts said, are meant to lay a trap for Mr. Biden, forcing him either to pay a domestic political cost if he unwinds them or to sour relations with Beijing if he does not. Jan. 11: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/us/politics/cuba-terrorism-trump-pompeo.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/us/politics/cuba-terroris... > WASHINGTON — The State Department designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism on Monday in a last-minute foreign policy stroke that will complicate the incoming Biden administration’s plans to restore friendlier relations with Havana. > ...On the campaign trail, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke of a return to Mr. Obama’s more open approach to Havana, pledging to “promptly reverse the failed Trump policies that have inflicted harm on the Cuban people and done nothing to advance democracy and human rights.” > While the Biden administration can remove Cuba from the terrorism list, doing so will require a review process that could take months. Jan 12: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/us/politics/pompeo-iran-qaeda-terror.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/us/politics/pompeo-iran-q... > WASHINGTON — Al Qaeda’s new base of operations is in Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday, using his last days in office to tie together two of what he called the world’s greatest terrorism threats but offering no underlying intelligence as evidence. ---- https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/opinion/mike-pompeo-state-department.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/opinion/mike-pompeo-state... > But Mr. Pompeo has not been idle. Over the past week, he unleashed a series of actions whose only real purpose appears to be to make life as difficult as possible for his successor at the State Department. He put Cuba back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, he plans to designate the Houthi rebels in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization, he eased restrictions on contacts between American diplomats and Taiwan officials and he claimed that Iran is a “home base” for Al Qaeda. > ...Some of the actions Mr. Pompeo took over the past week might be defensible, were they taken in the context of a coherent foreign policy. But coming days before a change in administration, their sole identifiable purpose is to maliciously plant obstacles — some commentators have called them time bombs or booby traps — before the incoming administration and President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for Mr. Pompeo’s successor at State, Antony Blinken, are in place.