4 ms·

The hypocrisy needs to be called out. Just a few months back US put a lot of pressure on countries like India to not buy Russian oil but now it's ready to buy R

by db1234 4y ago

The hypocrisy needs to be called out. Just a few months back US put a lot of pressure on countries like India to not buy Russian oil but now it's ready to buy Russian fertilizers? US media played along with multiple reports on India buying oil when Europe was buying in much larger quantities. Countries like India should buy cheap oil from where ever they can since inflation due to high oil prices can kill people. I am glad India resisted US pressure.

Ninn 4y ago
Did you consider the possible orders of magnitude of impact the two different actions would cause? This is not an apples to apples comparison.
- unmole 4y ago
  Without the fertilizer, the US would grow less corn. So, reduction in biofuels, HFCS , beef and pork. Did I get that right?
- kryptozinc 4y ago
  Did you? Do you have sources to back up what you are insinuating?
samatman 4y ago
time_to_smile 4y ago
> The hypocrisy needs to be called out It's only hypocrisy if you assume there are some greater moral principles driving the behavior of nations. There's not. The US puts pressure on people to do what it wants, just like every other country does in proportion to its power. The US just happens to be a global hegemon so it's gets what it wants more often than not, and has disproportionate control over the narrative of what's happening. Russia is particularly good at realizing and exploiting the few pain points there are in US hegemony and uses that to its advantage. Everything else is just propaganda/ideology to keep you from paying too much attention to what's going on. There's no moral narrative being played out here, and those driving policy in nation states don't sit in big rooms talking about what's "right". They talk about what they need to do to continue to prosper/remain in power and how to do it. They let the media handle attaching a narrative to it that makes it easy to swallow for the public.
- db1234 4y ago
  US has made the "moral argument" to persuade India from not buying Russian oil https://www.dailypioneer.com/2022/india-abroad/india-s-oil-purchases-from-russia-won-t-violate-us-sanctions--biden-s-spokesperson.html https://www.dailypioneer.com/2022/india-abroad/india-s-oil-p... "India's oil purchases from Russia would not violate any of the sanctions imposed by the US on that country, according to President Joe Biden's Spokesperson Jen Psaki. Asked during her briefing on Tuesday about reports that India was planning to buy "discounted crude oil' from Russia, she said, "Our message to any country continues to be that obviously abide by the sanctions that we have put in place and recommended." However, she added, "I don't believe this would be violating that." Making a moral appeal to cut off petroleum commerce, she added, "But also think about where you want to stand when the history books are written. In this moment in time any support for Russia, the Russian leadership, is support for an invasion that obviously is having a devastating impact". However, NATO allies of the US continue to import Russian gas and petroleum."
legitster 4y ago
The difference is that oil is a money maker for Russia, grains and fertilizer are not so much (and are likely subsidized as part of an effort to exert influence). Russia has little problem withholding food resources as a way of forcing cooperation. If the US can actually get Russia to agree to play their best card in exchange for almost nothing, it could be an overall win.
sofixa 4y ago
It's somewhat different. Oil is, unfortunately, used everywhere. As you say, inflation due to high oil prices can kill people. And do you know what else can kill people? Starvation due to lower crop yields due to sudden lack of fertilisers. Ask Sri Lanka how their sudden ban on fertilisers went to see what happens when suddenly a country is forced to switch to fertiliserless agriculture. The results from high fertiliser prices and lack of availability are drastically worse than high oil prices.

by db1234 4y ago

Ninn 4y ago

Did you consider the possible orders of magnitude of impact the two different actions would cause? This is not an apples to apples comparison.

unmole 4y ago
Without the fertilizer, the US would grow less corn. So, reduction in biofuels, HFCS , beef and pork. Did I get that right?
kryptozinc 4y ago
Did you? Do you have sources to back up what you are insinuating?

samatman 4y ago

time_to_smile 4y ago

> The hypocrisy needs to be called out It's only hypocrisy if you assume there are some greater moral principles driving the behavior of nations. There's not. The US puts pressure on people to do what it wants, just like every other country does in proportion to its power. The US just happens to be a global hegemon so it's gets what it wants more often than not, and has disproportionate control over the narrative of what's happening. Russia is particularly good at realizing and exploiting the few pain points there are in US hegemony and uses that to its advantage. Everything else is just propaganda/ideology to keep you from paying too much attention to what's going on. There's no moral narrative being played out here, and those driving policy in nation states don't sit in big rooms talking about what's "right". They talk about what they need to do to continue to prosper/remain in power and how to do it. They let the media handle attaching a narrative to it that makes it easy to swallow for the public.

db1234 4y ago
US has made the "moral argument" to persuade India from not buying Russian oil https://www.dailypioneer.com/2022/india-abroad/india-s-oil-purchases-from-russia-won-t-violate-us-sanctions--biden-s-spokesperson.html https://www.dailypioneer.com/2022/india-abroad/india-s-oil-p... "India's oil purchases from Russia would not violate any of the sanctions imposed by the US on that country, according to President Joe Biden's Spokesperson Jen Psaki. Asked during her briefing on Tuesday about reports that India was planning to buy "discounted crude oil' from Russia, she said, "Our message to any country continues to be that obviously abide by the sanctions that we have put in place and recommended." However, she added, "I don't believe this would be violating that." Making a moral appeal to cut off petroleum commerce, she added, "But also think about where you want to stand when the history books are written. In this moment in time any support for Russia, the Russian leadership, is support for an invasion that obviously is having a devastating impact". However, NATO allies of the US continue to import Russian gas and petroleum."

legitster 4y ago

The difference is that oil is a money maker for Russia, grains and fertilizer are not so much (and are likely subsidized as part of an effort to exert influence). Russia has little problem withholding food resources as a way of forcing cooperation. If the US can actually get Russia to agree to play their best card in exchange for almost nothing, it could be an overall win.

sofixa 4y ago

It's somewhat different. Oil is, unfortunately, used everywhere. As you say, inflation due to high oil prices can kill people. And do you know what else can kill people? Starvation due to lower crop yields due to sudden lack of fertilisers. Ask Sri Lanka how their sudden ban on fertilisers went to see what happens when suddenly a country is forced to switch to fertiliserless agriculture. The results from high fertiliser prices and lack of availability are drastically worse than high oil prices.