6 ms·

You got downvoted by others - maybe because your comment isn't super additive to the conversation. But the general sentiment is right. They have a strong contro

by anonu 6y ago

You got downvoted by others - maybe because your comment isn't super additive to the conversation. But the general sentiment is right. They have a strong control over the country no matter which way you look at it. They build parallel infrastructures to that of the state: different phone systems, power systems, healthcare, etc... so they are shielded from the corruption and complacency that happens in the government - all while contributing to it.

marshmallow_12 6y ago
-maybe because your comment isn't super additive to the conversation. You are correct, but i felt i should draw attention to an issue i think is extremely serious. Also, there is the possibility to explore that Hezbollah may sabotage the project.
- solosoyokaze 6y ago
  Do you feel the same desire to point out Israel’s war crimes and genocide? That is a serious issue that needs attention. Especially because they are in large part funded by the US.
  - adventured 6y ago
    Israel isn't particularly funded by the US. They receive a small amount of money from the US, as do about 100 other nations around the world, including several prominent nations that have historically disliked Israel (see: Egypt, Pakistan). Israel is now one of the most prosperous nations in world history. Their GDP per capita will soon be among the highest of any nation. They passed Japan, Britain and France recently on that metric; next they'll pass Canada and Germany. They're entirely free-standing economically at this point and do not require US funding (even though the US will obviously continue to have deep economic ties with Israel, including militarily).
    - solosoyokaze 6y ago
      The US gives Israel billions of dollars every year: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel–United_States_relations https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel–United_States_relatio...
      - adventured 6y ago
        The US has given Egypt $80 billion over the last 40 years, which is about what the US has given Israel over 70 years. Of course the US gives Israel some money still, mostly related to its on-going military relationship with Israel in developing weapons systems and technology. There isn't anybody in this thread that doesn't already know that. And the US gives money to a lot of other nations too. None of that negates what I so precisely worded to try to avoid this follow-up response. I failed unfortunately. Israel has a $400 billion GDP at this point. As I noted, the US does not particularly fund Israel. US funding to Israel represents a now trivial part of their economic system. They do not require the US, they are free-standing.
        solosoyokaze 6y ago
        > Of course the US gives Israel some money still, mostly related to its on-going military relationship with Israel in developing weapons systems and technology This is the problem I have with funding Israel. We're literally giving them money to commit war crimes and illegal military action. We should be sanctioning them (if we want to be consistent), not funding them.
        slavak 6y ago
        War crimes and illegal military action seem to very much be the preferred business of the American military-industrial complex. Most of the US foreign aid given to Israel can only be spent on purchasing US military hardware. The people who benefit from funneling additional billions into the MIC are the same ones that benefit from ongoing American military actions on foreign soil...
        snypher 6y ago
  - megaman821 6y ago
    My understanding is most the aid given to Israel is spent on American military equipment. Israel is ok with it because they get free military equipment, and the US likes it because it funnels aid money to the military.
    - ceejayoz 6y ago
      The US also likes the live testbed for anti-insurgency tech.
    - underdeserver 6y ago
      Defense contractors, surely, not the US military?
      - JumpCrisscross 6y ago
        > Defense contractors, surely, not the US military? Both. We get allied assets in the region. We also get purchasing volume for military hardware, which feeds R&D budgets for things we want.
  - typesystem 6y ago
    answering to your other comments as well, Israel fulfils American interest in the area as I understand it. It is the best freedom-per-dollar the US can get, except maybe south-Korea. between all of American attempts to establish their dominance and their believes in the world, you pointed to one of their more successful investments. for this topic. If you want to reduce the violence in the area of the middle east, joint local economical ventures are a perfectly good start. hopefully one day with Lebanon too. disclaimer I'm Israeli.
    - solosoyokaze 6y ago
      As an American I don't want my interests fulfilled at the expense of other's human rights, basic peace and sovereignty.
      - typesystem 6y ago
        I'm not going to debate US politics with American but this page [0] shows me Israel is not exception in American policy. As I said before probably one of the few successful attempt to encourage a democracy. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_policy_of_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_policy_of_the_United_S...
        solosoyokaze 6y ago
        I don't know what point you're trying to make with that link. The US normally sanctions countries committing human rights violations, it doesn't typically fund them. Israel is an outlier there.
        mikem170 6y ago
        I'm not sure what the point of that link was, either. But I'd point out that America has A LOT of blood on its hands. A half million Iraqi's being the most recent, Vietnamese before that, and Koreans before that. Still going strong with drone strikes. Banana republics in central America, mucked around in south America. Proxy wars in Africa. Keeping the Middle East destabilized. The average American seems to support all of the above, which just means it will continue. I don't want to say that America is an evil country, but it is the biggest and violates the rights of a lot of people (to say the least) in pursuit of its interests. It's an empire warping the world to its desires. Economically (as you mentioned), culturally, and militarily. That's what big powerful countries do.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
koheripbal 6y ago
Hezbollah has a strong influence in the south of Lebanon, and consequently proportionate control in parliament, but the other half of Lebanon is strongly anti-Iran. The civil war is over, but divisions and complexity continues.

by anonu 6y ago

marshmallow_12 6y ago

-maybe because your comment isn't super additive to the conversation. You are correct, but i felt i should draw attention to an issue i think is extremely serious. Also, there is the possibility to explore that Hezbollah may sabotage the project.

solosoyokaze 6y ago
Do you feel the same desire to point out Israel’s war crimes and genocide? That is a serious issue that needs attention. Especially because they are in large part funded by the US.
- adventured 6y ago
  Israel isn't particularly funded by the US. They receive a small amount of money from the US, as do about 100 other nations around the world, including several prominent nations that have historically disliked Israel (see: Egypt, Pakistan). Israel is now one of the most prosperous nations in world history. Their GDP per capita will soon be among the highest of any nation. They passed Japan, Britain and France recently on that metric; next they'll pass Canada and Germany. They're entirely free-standing economically at this point and do not require US funding (even though the US will obviously continue to have deep economic ties with Israel, including militarily).
  - solosoyokaze 6y ago
    The US gives Israel billions of dollars every year: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel–United_States_relations https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel–United_States_relatio...
    - adventured 6y ago
      The US has given Egypt $80 billion over the last 40 years, which is about what the US has given Israel over 70 years. Of course the US gives Israel some money still, mostly related to its on-going military relationship with Israel in developing weapons systems and technology. There isn't anybody in this thread that doesn't already know that. And the US gives money to a lot of other nations too. None of that negates what I so precisely worded to try to avoid this follow-up response. I failed unfortunately. Israel has a $400 billion GDP at this point. As I noted, the US does not particularly fund Israel. US funding to Israel represents a now trivial part of their economic system. They do not require the US, they are free-standing.
      - solosoyokaze 6y ago
        > Of course the US gives Israel some money still, mostly related to its on-going military relationship with Israel in developing weapons systems and technology This is the problem I have with funding Israel. We're literally giving them money to commit war crimes and illegal military action. We should be sanctioning them (if we want to be consistent), not funding them.
        slavak 6y ago
        War crimes and illegal military action seem to very much be the preferred business of the American military-industrial complex. Most of the US foreign aid given to Israel can only be spent on purchasing US military hardware. The people who benefit from funneling additional billions into the MIC are the same ones that benefit from ongoing American military actions on foreign soil...
      - snypher 6y ago
- megaman821 6y ago
  My understanding is most the aid given to Israel is spent on American military equipment. Israel is ok with it because they get free military equipment, and the US likes it because it funnels aid money to the military.
  - ceejayoz 6y ago
    The US also likes the live testbed for anti-insurgency tech.
  - underdeserver 6y ago
    Defense contractors, surely, not the US military?
    - JumpCrisscross 6y ago
      > Defense contractors, surely, not the US military? Both. We get allied assets in the region. We also get purchasing volume for military hardware, which feeds R&D budgets for things we want.
- typesystem 6y ago
  answering to your other comments as well, Israel fulfils American interest in the area as I understand it. It is the best freedom-per-dollar the US can get, except maybe south-Korea. between all of American attempts to establish their dominance and their believes in the world, you pointed to one of their more successful investments. for this topic. If you want to reduce the violence in the area of the middle east, joint local economical ventures are a perfectly good start. hopefully one day with Lebanon too. disclaimer I'm Israeli.
  - solosoyokaze 6y ago
    As an American I don't want my interests fulfilled at the expense of other's human rights, basic peace and sovereignty.
    - typesystem 6y ago
      I'm not going to debate US politics with American but this page [0] shows me Israel is not exception in American policy. As I said before probably one of the few successful attempt to encourage a democracy. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_policy_of_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_policy_of_the_United_S...
      - solosoyokaze 6y ago
        I don't know what point you're trying to make with that link. The US normally sanctions countries committing human rights violations, it doesn't typically fund them. Israel is an outlier there.
        mikem170 6y ago
        I'm not sure what the point of that link was, either. But I'd point out that America has A LOT of blood on its hands. A half million Iraqi's being the most recent, Vietnamese before that, and Koreans before that. Still going strong with drone strikes. Banana republics in central America, mucked around in south America. Proxy wars in Africa. Keeping the Middle East destabilized. The average American seems to support all of the above, which just means it will continue. I don't want to say that America is an evil country, but it is the biggest and violates the rights of a lot of people (to say the least) in pursuit of its interests. It's an empire warping the world to its desires. Economically (as you mentioned), culturally, and militarily. That's what big powerful countries do.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

koheripbal 6y ago

Hezbollah has a strong influence in the south of Lebanon, and consequently proportionate control in parliament, but the other half of Lebanon is strongly anti-Iran. The civil war is over, but divisions and complexity continues.