5 ms·

What did they hope to accomplish by making the world slightly worse?

by stevenAthompson 3y ago

ynniv 3y ago
Who is "they"? Cite your sources and show your work.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- Majestic121 3y ago
  From the article, "they" obviously implies the Houthis
  - ynniv 3y ago
    If you want to understand why something happened, you'll need to look a lot deeper than that. Asking why the Houthis would cut a cable is accepting the assumption that they did.
    - pjc50 3y ago
      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68231945 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68231945 (note date)
      - ynniv 3y ago
        Could the Houthis sabotage these lines? They almost certainly would if they could. ... but they can't so they shan't? Lol, a bit light on reasoning. "There is nothing I've seen in the Iranian orbat (Order of Battle) that could touch these cables, certainly not their submarines," says former Royal Navy Cdr Tom Sharpe. "Diving is an option but it's deep and busy so I think it would be pushing it," he says. Concurring with Rear Adm Gower, Cdr Sharpe says: "I think this is a bluff." ... "In conclusion, the threat made recently by the Houthis on their Telegram channel would be hard to carry out. It would be both technically challenging and politically risky for Iran, whose hand the West sees in all the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea." Wait, which side is this arguing?
    - stevenAthompson 3y ago
      You will note that I did not, in fact, ask about "the Houthis". I feel like your issue is not with my question. It is with a strawman that only you can perceive.
- batch12 3y ago
  There's gotta be a term for trying to shut down a conversation by forcing the person to appeal to authority for every thought. Not quite sealioning. Maybe walrusing.
- bee_rider 3y ago
  Do you have an objection to the theory proposed in the article we’re already discussing?
  - ynniv 3y ago
    Yes, the article doesn't even attempt to provide evidence: Three months after the Houthis began attacking merchant ships, the Yemenite rebels have carried out another one of their threats. "Globes" has learned that four submarine communication cables have been damaged in the Red Sea between Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Djibouti in East Africa. It's their prerogative to publish whatever they like, and it's our prerogative to believe what we like, but if you want to actually understand something you'll need to be more rigorous than that.
lm28469 3y ago
People at war causing damage to the infrastructure of their enemy isn't that surprising really
- stevenAthompson 3y ago
  I don't have a deep understanding of the politics of the region. The reason I asked was I hoped that someone with a better understanding would explain it. However, I don't see how making the internet a little slower between Africa, Europe, and India really hurt "the enemy". Perhaps it's just that I don't know who "the enemy" is. If we accept that the Houthis are responsible this action would make it seem like the Houthis actually have grievances with the majority of the non-Houthis world.
  - RegnisGnaw 3y ago
    They are angry at Europe for supporting Israel.
  - Gare 3y ago
    > this action would make it seem like the Houthis actually have grievances with the majority of the non-Houthis world. They have "death to America" literally written on their banner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slogan_of_the_Houthi_movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slogan_of_the_Houthi_movement
    - stevenAthompson 3y ago
      > "Allah is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam" How utterly wretched must a life be before a cause like this cause could appeal to someone?
      - pjc50 3y ago
        Yemen is an incredibly wretched place (Gulf state with very little of either oil or water), but this is a very Iranian slogan. They're still mad about the US-backed revolution in the way that Miami Cubans are still mad about the Communist revolution in Cuba.
tetromino_ 3y ago
Well, the world (specifically, the USA and Britain) is currently dropping bombs on "them". Surely you would expect that "they" might be a bit upset about "their" people getting blown to pieces and may wish to return the favor somehow?
h2odragon 3y ago
Not everyone agrees that "widely available internet" is a good thing. CF "starlink for russia"
stefantalpalaru 3y ago
[dead]

What did they hope to accomplish by making the world slightly worse?

ynniv 3y ago

Who is "they"? Cite your sources and show your work.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
Majestic121 3y ago
From the article, "they" obviously implies the Houthis
- ynniv 3y ago
  If you want to understand why something happened, you'll need to look a lot deeper than that. Asking why the Houthis would cut a cable is accepting the assumption that they did.
  - pjc50 3y ago
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68231945 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68231945 (note date)
    - ynniv 3y ago
      Could the Houthis sabotage these lines? They almost certainly would if they could. ... but they can't so they shan't? Lol, a bit light on reasoning. "There is nothing I've seen in the Iranian orbat (Order of Battle) that could touch these cables, certainly not their submarines," says former Royal Navy Cdr Tom Sharpe. "Diving is an option but it's deep and busy so I think it would be pushing it," he says. Concurring with Rear Adm Gower, Cdr Sharpe says: "I think this is a bluff." ... "In conclusion, the threat made recently by the Houthis on their Telegram channel would be hard to carry out. It would be both technically challenging and politically risky for Iran, whose hand the West sees in all the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea." Wait, which side is this arguing?
  - stevenAthompson 3y ago
    You will note that I did not, in fact, ask about "the Houthis". I feel like your issue is not with my question. It is with a strawman that only you can perceive.
batch12 3y ago
There's gotta be a term for trying to shut down a conversation by forcing the person to appeal to authority for every thought. Not quite sealioning. Maybe walrusing.
bee_rider 3y ago
Do you have an objection to the theory proposed in the article we’re already discussing?
- ynniv 3y ago
  Yes, the article doesn't even attempt to provide evidence: Three months after the Houthis began attacking merchant ships, the Yemenite rebels have carried out another one of their threats. "Globes" has learned that four submarine communication cables have been damaged in the Red Sea between Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Djibouti in East Africa. It's their prerogative to publish whatever they like, and it's our prerogative to believe what we like, but if you want to actually understand something you'll need to be more rigorous than that.

lm28469 3y ago

People at war causing damage to the infrastructure of their enemy isn't that surprising really

stevenAthompson 3y ago
I don't have a deep understanding of the politics of the region. The reason I asked was I hoped that someone with a better understanding would explain it. However, I don't see how making the internet a little slower between Africa, Europe, and India really hurt "the enemy". Perhaps it's just that I don't know who "the enemy" is. If we accept that the Houthis are responsible this action would make it seem like the Houthis actually have grievances with the majority of the non-Houthis world.
- RegnisGnaw 3y ago
  They are angry at Europe for supporting Israel.
- Gare 3y ago
  > this action would make it seem like the Houthis actually have grievances with the majority of the non-Houthis world. They have "death to America" literally written on their banner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slogan_of_the_Houthi_movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slogan_of_the_Houthi_movement
  - stevenAthompson 3y ago
    > "Allah is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam" How utterly wretched must a life be before a cause like this cause could appeal to someone?
    - pjc50 3y ago
      Yemen is an incredibly wretched place (Gulf state with very little of either oil or water), but this is a very Iranian slogan. They're still mad about the US-backed revolution in the way that Miami Cubans are still mad about the Communist revolution in Cuba.

tetromino_ 3y ago

Well, the world (specifically, the USA and Britain) is currently dropping bombs on "them". Surely you would expect that "they" might be a bit upset about "their" people getting blown to pieces and may wish to return the favor somehow?

h2odragon 3y ago

Not everyone agrees that "widely available internet" is a good thing. CF "starlink for russia"

stefantalpalaru 3y ago

[dead]