Global Events & Politics Überthread

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Can you imagine that our "US" companies are actually helping China?

We have to completely rethink what true capitalism really is.
 
Woooooo. Sounds like they are really taking our imminent climate death very seriously.

If Trump were smart, he'd donate $25M personally

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Interesting stuff happening in Britain. The PM has asked the Queen to suspend Parliament. This is usually a normal occurrence. At the end of a parliamentary session, the PM asks the Queen to suspend Parliament (usually ranging from a few days to a couple of weeks) and then a new session begins.

However, the timing of this is meant to derail Brexit opposition. It denies opposition MPs time to get laws passed to avoid a no deal Brexit.

There are a couple of interesting legal aspects to this. First, the Queen's official position is that she is constitutionally bound to suspend Parliament upon the advice of the PM. So while the Queen's name is attached to this, it's really Johnson's move. Second, suspending Parliament is part of the Queen's prerogative powers and the exercise of a prerogative power cannot be challenged in court in the UK. There is apparently going to be an attempt to challenge Johnson's advising of the Queen but I'm dubious as to it's chances of success.

It looks like Johnson has done something we've seen done many times in the US in recent history. He found a crack in the law and leveraged it to his advantage in a way prior PMs had likely been unwilling to do. We've seen things like the filibuster go down or the President legislating through "prioritization of executive resources." This use of the suspension of Parliament has a similar feel.
 
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Great day for the people of HK. Keep fighting against the Tyranny of the State.
 
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Great day for the people of HK. Keep fighting against the Tyranny of the State.

That’s really meaningless. She has no real power. Only thing that has a chance to save the people in Hong Kong is for Britain to come out and claim that the people of Hong Kong are British citizens
 
That’s really meaningless. She has no real power. Only thing that has a chance to save the people in Hong Kong is for Britain to come out and claim that the people of Hong Kong are British citizens

It has been common for some time now for Hong Kong families who can afford it to send expectant mothers overseas to give birth so the children will have another passport. I wouldn't be surprised if this has also become a practice among upper class mainland Chinese.

Edit: It is not hard to find articles on "birth tourism." Here is one.

https://jingdaily.com/los-angeles-chinese-birth-tourism/
 
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Sanctions increased on Iran showing yet again that this administration will do whatever it takes to stop us from enterring a needless war.

Nice departure from the last few presidents.
 
Sanctions increased on Iran showing yet again that this administration will do whatever it takes to stop us from enterring a needless war.

Nice departure from the last few presidents.

What kind of response do you think this is going to generate from Iran.
 
They will get more hostile as they always do.

What should have been done other than this?

I don't claim there is an easy solution. I had my doubts about the nuclear deal struck by Obama. I have my doubts about this "maximum pressure" campaign. I think the most sensible policy might be to encourage the outside parties to work toward an end to the war in Yemen. It is a tough nut to crack.

I got a 5-week teaching gig lined up out there later this fall. Hopefully, things simmer down.
 
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I don't claim there is an easy solution. I had my doubts about the nuclear deal struck by Obama. I have my doubts about this "maximum pressure" campaign. I think the most sensible policy might be to encourage the outside parties to work toward an end to the war in Yemen. It is a tough nut to crack.

I got a 5-week teaching gig lined up out there later this fall. Hopefully, things simmer down.

Be safe bud
 
I personally think both the Obama and Trump camps are handling Iran wrong. I'd go the opposite direction. I'd be pushing for as much trade as possible. I'd have pallets of iPhones ready to ship into Iran. I'd be trying to find ways to broadcast free, uncensored wifi all over the country. I'd do everything I could to flood western culture into that country.

Defeating countries like Iran through force is messy. External force breeds resentment.

I think our greatest weapon in this area of the world is western culture. Western culture is a narcotic. Once you turn the culture of a country to your side, the government will eventually follow.
 
I personally think both the Obama and Trump camps are handling Iran wrong. I'd go the opposite direction. I'd be pushing for as much trade as possible. I'd have pallets of iPhones ready to ship into Iran. I'd be trying to find ways to broadcast free, uncensored wifi all over the country. I'd do everything I could to flood western culture into that country.

Defeating countries like Iran through force is messy. External force breeds resentment.

I think our greatest weapon in this area of the world is western culture. Western culture is a narcotic. Once you turn the culture of a country to your side, the government will eventually follow.

hip hop as foreign policy...that's already happened in most countries in that part of the world, including Iran
 
hip hop as foreign policy...that's already happened in most countries in that part of the world, including Iran

Yep. And its growth needs to be encouraged. Sanctions just cut off the flow of culture. It needs to be turned on full blast.
 
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