5 ms·

America's (and mostly W's) short sighted foreign policies are legend, although Obama seems to be turning that tanker around slowly, as he says. Looks like you g

by ajju 18y ago

America's (and mostly W's) short sighted foreign policies are legend, although Obama seems to be turning that tanker around slowly, as he says. Looks like you guys are stuck between a rock and a hard place if the word Islamists carries the same connotations there. But at least you had a fair election. Also, while the allegation that a majority of Americans are ignorant about the shortcomings of American foreign policy may be true, I think you will find that 1) It is less true on HN 2) When people on HN don't know something, they listen with an open mind, even to criticism of their country 3) (In my experience) Americans are the most open to discussing criticism of their country So your repeated use of cliches to bash Americans is counterproductive here. FWIW I am not a US citizen.

mahmud 18y ago
You don't need to tell me about Americans ajju, after all, I'm one :-) I understand what you're saying yar, but deeko, things are not as cut and dry as they seem. The story I'm replying to had a phoney "pirates be ware, we have sophisticated guns" vibe to it. The so called pirates couldn't give a shit what you type of guns you have. To them death is secondary, because they have little to live for. We have to understand their motives to combat their piracy (not to kill them): The pirates have two sources of income, cattle and fish. They used to export cattle, but their produce is no longer sold in any international market, because Somalia lacks the federal institutions to certify meat quality and oversee health issues. But they can't fish anymore, because foreign fishing boats have pretty much whipped out their coasts. None of these pirates are committing crime in someone else's backyard. Nearly every ship they took was in Somali waters. I have no sympathy for the pirates, but I understand their cause as much as I understand an Inuit who bombs an oil refiners because, say, the Alaskan oil extraction industry is killing whales and sea lions, which the Inuit needs to hunt for food and fur.
- ajju 18y ago
  Well, the "as a Somali" part in your first comment tripped me up and I forgot that one can be both Somali and American! I do see your point. Military force is never a solution against extremism bred out of injustice and desperation. Maybe the current US administration will act based on this understanding. And nice use of Hindi/Urdu over there. Where did you pick it up? :)
  - mahmud 18y ago
    >And nice use of Hindi/Urdu over there. Where did you pick it up? :) I grew up with Amitabh and Dharmendra movies, from Sholay to Silsila to all the classics. The soundtrack of my childhood has been Mohamed Rafi, Asha and Lata. Then came the Khans, Sharuh, Amir and Salman. We loved them in Somalia more than anything else. Then in my teens I moved to Pakistan to study for my O-levels and A-levels and now I sing with the best of them "Sindhi hum, balochi hum, punjabi hum puttani hum .." :-) And my fiancee is Sri Lankan :-P Maaf karnaa yar, didn't mean to be a jerk.
    - ajju 18y ago
      Dekha ek khwaab to yeh silsile hue - that's one of the first songs I remember listening to as a kid! Glad to know our Ambassadors to Somalia were Mr. Bacchan and Dharam Paaji :) No offense taken man and you've definitely been all over the subcontinent to the point of being an honorary desi ;)

by ajju 18y ago

mahmud 18y ago

You don't need to tell me about Americans ajju, after all, I'm one :-) I understand what you're saying yar, but deeko, things are not as cut and dry as they seem. The story I'm replying to had a phoney "pirates be ware, we have sophisticated guns" vibe to it. The so called pirates couldn't give a shit what you type of guns you have. To them death is secondary, because they have little to live for. We have to understand their motives to combat their piracy (not to kill them): The pirates have two sources of income, cattle and fish. They used to export cattle, but their produce is no longer sold in any international market, because Somalia lacks the federal institutions to certify meat quality and oversee health issues. But they can't fish anymore, because foreign fishing boats have pretty much whipped out their coasts. None of these pirates are committing crime in someone else's backyard. Nearly every ship they took was in Somali waters. I have no sympathy for the pirates, but I understand their cause as much as I understand an Inuit who bombs an oil refiners because, say, the Alaskan oil extraction industry is killing whales and sea lions, which the Inuit needs to hunt for food and fur.

ajju 18y ago
Well, the "as a Somali" part in your first comment tripped me up and I forgot that one can be both Somali and American! I do see your point. Military force is never a solution against extremism bred out of injustice and desperation. Maybe the current US administration will act based on this understanding. And nice use of Hindi/Urdu over there. Where did you pick it up? :)
- mahmud 18y ago
  >And nice use of Hindi/Urdu over there. Where did you pick it up? :) I grew up with Amitabh and Dharmendra movies, from Sholay to Silsila to all the classics. The soundtrack of my childhood has been Mohamed Rafi, Asha and Lata. Then came the Khans, Sharuh, Amir and Salman. We loved them in Somalia more than anything else. Then in my teens I moved to Pakistan to study for my O-levels and A-levels and now I sing with the best of them "Sindhi hum, balochi hum, punjabi hum puttani hum .." :-) And my fiancee is Sri Lankan :-P Maaf karnaa yar, didn't mean to be a jerk.
  - ajju 18y ago
    Dekha ek khwaab to yeh silsile hue - that's one of the first songs I remember listening to as a kid! Glad to know our Ambassadors to Somalia were Mr. Bacchan and Dharam Paaji :) No offense taken man and you've definitely been all over the subcontinent to the point of being an honorary desi ;)