Russian Boots On The Ground In Syria

[redandguilty]

Ha! I googled the rare earth thing, because I thought I had heard that we actually have rare earth resources, but it would take 10 years to get a mine going. ...only kind of true. According to Forbes, you can get a mine going in 2 years in Australia, but in the US, it takes 10 years to get the permits.

If we were cut off, we could fix that.

 

[Michchamp]

I don't understand exactly where our own government stands on this.

I think it's similar to Egypt, where we publicly support the people's fight for democracy, and quietly downplay all the aid or support we've given to the Syrian government. the human rights issue is irrelevant, and we don't really care about that anyways, as evidenced by the way we shield our own troops from any criminal liability when they slaughter innocent civilians in other countries...

I'm guessing if it is true that Russia has troops in Syria, privately the U.S. gov't is pissed they beat us to the punch.

 

[byco42]

MC: What's your opinion on U.S. foreign aid?

 

[Michchamp]

MC: What's your opinion on U.S. foreign aid?

I don't really see a problem with it, as long as it's being used to benefit the interests of the U.S. as a whole, and not dictated by some narrow special interest.

 

[byco42]

I don't really see a problem with it, as long as it's being used to benefit the interests of the U.S. as a whole, and not dictated by some narrow special interest.

I'd like to see the U.S. not invest in governments that are blatantly tyrannical, but what I know about Realpolitik can fit on the period at the end of this sentence.

 

[Michchamp]

I'd like to see the U.S. not invest in governments that are blatantly tyrannical, but what I know about Realpolitik can fit on the period at the end of this sentence.

yeah, I agree. When we're propping up a guy doing awful things to his own people, it's super sketchy.

it seems like it's always a bad long term strategy, regardless of the rationale they use in the short term. Like we suffer the blowback when his people toss him out, like in the case of the Shah in Iran.