Reeves will be hoping the 4D game of chess she is playing with the country’s delicate finances

So sick of seeing this reference everywhere

Having read the article, it sounds like this is an issue within some of their immigrant cultures. The boy the movie is about was from the DRC.

Pretty sure the US can wait this out longer than the Kremlin can. I don’t see the US sending donkeys

While I don’t disagree, I feel like we need to talk more about how disconnected the Democratic Party is from what their base actually wants. Them being diet republicans ain’t cutting it

I know about the CIA/MI6 backed coup in ‘53. I think it definitely led to the revolution, but I also feel that revolution was co-opted by autocratic religious extremists.

I think the crackdowns during the protests that came in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s murder support my view that they’re autocratic. They have taken no concrete steps to improve women’s rights, and any and all presidential candidates must be approved by the Ayatollah so they’re really just controlled opposition at best.

Don’t interpret any of this as saying the US has any moral high ground to stand on, because what bits of American policy I have been proud of are rapidly evaporating.

While I agree with him in this specific context, I don’t find Khamenei intelligent or honorable either, which is why I said what I said.

I was not happy when Trump unilaterally pulled out of the deal; I have wondered if Hamas’ October 7th attack even happens if rapprochement with Iran continued rather than what ended up happening, but I am also not convinced Iranian leadership was much interested in changing much beyond getting sanctions relief. US actions aren’t the reason why they’re oppressive to women and LGBT folks or why they’re supplying arms to Russia in aid of their invasion of Ukraine. Maybe the latter would be different if Russia wasn’t one of their only options for trading partners, it’s tough to say.

I didn’t advocate for any of that. All I did was point out Iran’s leadership also sucks.

I know. That doesn’t change the fact that Khamenei is an oppressive autocrat, and power ultimately doesn’t preside with the presidency there.

Yeah. At the same time, pot meet kettle

Oops all conflicts

They turned to stop and inspect the vehicle and noticed a pungent smell coming from the trunk. They asked the three Russian national occupants, aged 27, 29 and 39, to open it up.

This has me imagining some type of spoof comedy about the Russian mob and their illegal wild garlic harvests going up against the Mexican cartels and their avocado racket.

Forced to flee for having a divergent opinion, fucking dumb even by Taliban standards

Edit: thinking about this some more, I feel like this situation perfectly encapsulates why authoritarianism is so self destructive. You end up with a rigid set of ideas that are completely inflexible. Reality must bend to the ideas of the party rather than the other way around, until the party’s line becomes so incongruent with reality that things come tumbling down in an instant. It’s a shame the Taliban seem ok with Afghanistan remaining impoverished so long as they can continue treating women like shit.

Yes, they’re the S in the acronym, although the bloc has grown to the point where the acronym doesn’t make much sense anymore.