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There's the soft power argument that it was actually in US's self-interest to help. And for what it's worth, a lot of the vitriol is from taxpayers who supporte
by zzrrt 2mo ago
There's the soft power argument that it was actually in US's self-interest to help. And for what it's worth, a lot of the vitriol is from taxpayers who supported that aid.
- dzhiurgis 2mo agoCool. But sometimes it's ok to invest into some hard power.
- zzrrt 2mo agoWell we worked real hard on not changing a regime, not disarming a nuclear power, and not protecting a trade route. How's the investment working out? Maybe if we bomb some more schools they'll be too scared to mess with us.
- zzrrt 2mo agoAlso, even if we prefer hard power, if DOGE were honest or consistent and looked at how we're doing hard power, they would find at least as much fraud and waste as in social and soft power spending.
- glaslong 2mo agoSee and here I thought we were already spending more on our military than the 2nd - 7th highest spending countries combined
- jerlam 2mo agoIt doesn't really matter how much you spend if the leadership is incompetent.
- glaslong 2mo agoSeems like deposing our leadership would be the best investment strategy into hard power then. Maybe DOGE could get on that.
- dzhiurgis 2mo agoIt's the cost of being world police.
- glaslong 2mo agoAnd that cost was not enough? We needed more investment into hard power head cracking policing, and reduced soft power community policing?
- dzhiurgis 2mo agoEliminate Iran and you'll eliminate Russia. They need to be stopped. You do not realize how much of suffering they are causing. Every day I bring kids to playground there's 1 or 2 Ukrainian family. Mother + child + grandmother usually. And it's likely to be worst year yet for them. You wanna send condoms to Africa while there is active genocide happening in Europe? Send your money, there are plenty of ways to donate.
- glaslong 2mo ago..... are you serious? We could have been more directly helping Ukraine already if that was the admin's priority, instead of expending $165B (so far) on a bumbling losing sidequest invading Iran. What an insane proposition. This admin has also been very publicly friendly with Russia and hostile to Ukraine every single time Zelenskyy has met with them. My heart breaks for my Ukrainian friends and colleagues. It is unimaginable suffering. Especially since the US has been more enemy than ally to them. Neutral war profiteer off their hellish struggle at best.
- justinclift 2mo ago> Eliminate Iran and you'll eliminate Russia. Iran isn't the only friend and supporter of Russia. They seem to have a large adjacent neighbour helping them out, plus Nth Korea supplying soldiers.
- justinclift 2mo agoRelevant movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372588/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372588/ Still seems pretty accurate.
- ZeroGravitas 2mo agoWeirdly, one of the arguments Musk advanced was that is was all a front for the CIA, which I'd guess is closer to hard power that he was dismantling. Not something you'd expect to hear from a big military contractor.
- tharmas 2mo agoIt isn't just Musk, there are plenty of reputable journalists and scholars who argue the same point. Noam Chomsky for starters.