UN operations = US money
Your 2024 Presidential Election Thread
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Kraut783
SOF Support
Agree....but put some financial burden on others....and reduce our funding...
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Locksteady
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lol wat
Likewise, cut funding until the hostages are released.
The current administration really doesn't care.
That clip of Walz walking away from the question after clearly hearing it and panicking is terrible.
China Tim did not look like he was having a good time. Also- holy CRAP is his record with the Chinese real, real bad.
Look into that one if you have the time.
China Tim did not look like he was having a good time. Also- holy CRAP is his record with the Chinese real, real bad.
Look into that one if you have the time.
We give Israel a few billion a year before the conflict, plus all the military aid since, and anywhere from a few hundred million to about $1B a year to many of their neighbors.
I don't know what the eventual cost of taking aid from all sides would be, but we do get some leverage from that money. Without the influence in place there would be a giant war in the region within a few years with Israel kicking a lot of ass again and taking more ME territory. Imagine them destroying Lebanon, and Palestinian territories using bombs bought from Russia or China.
ThunderHorse
Verified Military
Brandon has had all sort of conditions on Israel throughout this conflict. Middle East Crisis: Biden Warns U.S. Deliveries of Some Weapons Will Halt if Israel Invades Rafah
Harris has done the same: Kamala Harris Warned Israel of ‘Consequences’ If It Invaded Rafah, Where Hamas Just Murdered an American Hostage | National Review
Kamala Harris faces awkward Rafah questions after Israeli hostage murders
Locksteady
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This:
Is in no material way this:
Before we even go into the fact that Israel is more than capable of creating its own guided bombs, the paused munitions in question have been in production for decades, and doubtlessly stockpiled by Israel up until this.
The weapons delivery pause was a symbolic gesture aimed to boost President Biden's image among his younger base, which failed solidly given Israel's undeterred invasion of Rafah and his same-week announcement of a separate $1b weapons package to Israel.
Is in no material way this:
Before we even go into the fact that Israel is more than capable of creating its own guided bombs, the paused munitions in question have been in production for decades, and doubtlessly stockpiled by Israel up until this.
The weapons delivery pause was a symbolic gesture aimed to boost President Biden's image among his younger base, which failed solidly given Israel's undeterred invasion of Rafah and his same-week announcement of a separate $1b weapons package to Israel.
The first bolded part: I don't like that either, especially since it's largely a kickback scheme. Much of the money we give them has to be spent on US materiel which is conveniently made in... the districts of the people doing the approving. And if not that, their constiuents are uber-Israel supporters who want us to give $$$ to Israel. And, to be honest, I'm not sure how much they really need it. Israel's economy is chugging along pretty well (see Startup Nation). I think the only country in the region with higher GDP is Qatar or Bahrain or something. They'd probably be doing pretty well without billions from us every year.
Second bolded part: what leverage, exactly, are we getting for funding Fatah and Hamas? Hamas is at war with the same country that we're giving billions of dollars a year to, and have been for decades. They are existential, zero-sum enemies. Just this past year they carried out a 9/11 style attack against Israel, arguably our best ally in the region. Fatah is not as bad, but only because they're not as strong. They regularly pay terrorists and/or their families for terror attacks carried out against or in Israel, including against Americans (see the Taylor Force Act) .https://havokjournal.com/politics/international/three-reasons-palestinian-pay-slay-stay/
I'm all about paying people to support our interests, but when they're acting directly against those interests, we either need to do something immediate and meaningful about it, or cease our support.
If we really want meaningful peace between Israel and the Palestinians, the world needs to stop crying over a "ceasefire" and let the two groups sort our a permanent solution in which one side wins. Only then will there be peace.
ThunderHorse
Verified Military
We seem to like funding both sides...we fund Israel to deter Iran...we fund the PLO, and then Hamas does Hamas things. Manufactures rockets out of pipes. Etc. So, why do we fund the PLO? Fund Israel and only Israel or fund no one.
My best guess is, that at the top levels of intelligence and strategic planning, the idea of giving up aid to all sides would result in the obvious war, laying waste to the region for a while. Energy costs would spike. Every $10 increase in the price of a barrel of oil costs American consumers about $200m/day. We are cruising along around $70-80/barrel with Houthis and Ukraine going on. I couldn't imagine what it would be when shit goes haywire in the ME, but we get the point.
A huge war would also cause chaos with the resulting refugees and that would endanger our other more "useful" allies in the region.
I read the article you linked. I knew about the posters and paintings of "martyrs" but never the financial incentives. Holy shit, $39 grand/yr and a possible job, that's a lot of scratch.
I'm pretty sure you previously read "Give War a Chance" but for those who haven't, here's a related post: With Gaza, Maybe We Need To Just "Give War a Chance" • The Havok Journal
Our money, and our policies, are a large part of what's fueling the fighting in the Middle East. Given Iran a ton of money was a huge mistake, and they used it to attack us and our allies and our interests. Giving money to Gaza and Hamas (wait, they're more or less the same thing) is a huge mistake, and they use it to attack us and our allies and our interests.
If our money isn't buying the desired results, we should stop giving it out. And if they're using it to harm us... then we should make them pay.
The Quartermaster
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So the new vet left narrative is to not thank them for their service if voting for Trump.
I didn't know thanking someone for being selfless was conditional. That's not being selfless, in fact that's being selfish.
I didn't know thanking someone for being selfless was conditional. That's not being selfless, in fact that's being selfish.
It's part of the Left's ongoing criminalization of Republicans. If you're not one of them, you should be in jail.
Fun with machines! Ask your Amazon Alexa Why you should vote for Trump or Harris and you amazingly get some wildly different answers 
There is no deep state, the media does not hold a bias against conservatives. Be careful of what you think, you don't want to end up on the wrong side.
Amazon Alexa gives starkly different answers when asked why to vote for Trump versus Kamala Harris
There is no deep state, the media does not hold a bias against conservatives. Be careful of what you think, you don't want to end up on the wrong side.
Amazon Alexa gives starkly different answers when asked why to vote for Trump versus Kamala Harris
