ChristerMLB

That’s silly, even RealClearPolitics has him at a significantly lower approval rating than back when he was elected. Same with favorability. They don’t have him quite as low as Nate Silver, but still significantly lower than around the election.

I think Sauron should be our nickname for Peter Thiel, actually

“a landslide defeat for President Donald Trump in November’s midterm elections is exactly what is required if the country is to start reversing his deliberate and rapid erosion of its democracy”

that… seems unlikely to me. I mean, he’s not popular, but his approval ratings aren’t significantly worse than the last time he was president.

anarchist praxis is a lot easier under nice capitalism than it is under fascism

You misunderstood me. What I meant is that who I am, or what my opinions are on other matters, is quite irrelevant as to whether I’m right about this.

But for the record: I am not American, I’m European, I consider the war to be a tragic and embarrassing mistake, and I think the threats and whole attitude of the American administration reeks of naiveté and macho bullshit. It would be wonderful if the US would aid in rebuilding and cleaning up the mess they’ve made (and maybe just recognize for half a second the damage that can’t be repaired, like all the lives lost), but given past experiences I wouldn’t hold my breath.

However, while those rules may have been enforced by the US, they have been internationally agreed upon, and they benefited pretty much everyone else as well. In fact, as far as I’m aware, the goods flowing through the strait are mostly headed towards Asia. Americans are unlikely to be much directly affected by these tolls - but just like everyone else, they will be indirectly affected by friction being added to global trade.

I doubt Iran will find many friends here - especially since there are other straits as well, and countries that trade through them will likely want to set an example, so no one thinks to copy Iran’s attempts. Because of this, I’m pretty sure the sanctions (which are also internationally agreed upon) are unlikely to be lifted without free passage through the strait.

yes, the charade of “doing something”, or “the cult of action” as Umberto Eco called it

I’m at a bit of a loss as to where to start replying to this. Nowhere did I imply that I was in favor of Trump, or that I don’t consider this war to be an embarrassing and horrific mistake, or that I found the previous status quo to be ideal - and even if I did imply it, it is quite irrelevant as to whether or not what I posted was true.

…and it is true. The closure of the strait is a huge threat to global trade, and the rules and norms that keep it flowing - and thus it’s a threat to all of our economies.

Right now, for everyone except Israel and Iran, the war is about opening the Strait of Hormuz and stopping Iran from collecting a toll there. Letting Iran continue like they do now would set a terrible precedent for global trade.

that’s been my impression as well, yeah

I seem to recall that Bernie polled better against Trump than Hillary did during primary season in 2016