“Oceania was at war with Eurasia; therefore Oceania had always been at war with Eurasia”
But on a more serious non-political note, what is the end game here? It's not hard to see a future with a barren and destroyed landscape of Middle Eastern energy infrastructure, where neither the Gulf states nor Iran can reliably produce and export their energy due to continual risk.
The US can never fully defang Iran, unless it happens internally. And from history, we know that aerial bombing campaigns typically don't reinforce the civilian will for revolution.
So now we have a pariah state with a decapitated leadership structure, an array of Gulf states who cannot reliably defend their energy assets, and no will for a global detente because of the thousands of entangled interests that sit in the Gulf region.
Either this festers, or escalates, but no party seems to be willing to step down and accept a loss.
The endgame is a wasteland of miserable neighbours that Israel can control, occupy and plunder without encountering any resistance. As for the US, they are not in control of their own actions, they're a puppet moved by Israel.
Well, Isreal has already destroyed several of their neighbors. Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Gaza, now Iran. Infact, Israel was born out of extreme and mass violence (1948). I would be fearful too... maybe its time for peace?
1) It's the current Iranian state has always been at war. They are at war with "the little Satan" (Israel) and "the Big Satan" (US). I know this sounds like a joke but they're absolutely 100% serious.
Serious enough to organize massacres ("terrorism") on unrelated individuals, like the Argentina bombing in the beginning and the Hezbollah massacres in Syria just last year.
And yes, there was a time of military cooperation between Iran and Israel (just after the beginning. Israel was instrumental and helped Iran avoid getting conquered by Iraq/Saddam Hussein and got intelligence on the Iraqi nuclear program in return). This has not changed anything for the ayatollahs.
And btw: the Soviet Union has had a much similar experience. They helped the mullahs get to power, helped defend against Iraq, and got an enemy in return, because the mullahs ... well presumably they saw what was happening in Afghanistan.
2) Blocking of the strait of Hormuz by Iran did not start when the current war started. Iran has always created problems for ships' passage through the strait. It has obviously been 10x'ed as a result of the recent aggression, but it's not like they left it alone before.
1) Yes, clearly Iran is run by extremist zealots who are horrifyingly committed to their cause. I don't think any reasonable person disagrees with this. To invert my original comment, 'Eurasia has always been at war with Oceania,' right? But that doesn't mean that indiscriminately bombing them is a coherent military strategy. Nor is it leading to the mass civilian uprising that was clearly hoped for.
2) I think the more important difference is that a large amount of gulf state energy infrastructure is being literally blown up. That has not happened before. We also don't know where it will end.
My understanding is that its Israel that is in endless war. Their state was birthed in 1948 by war and violence and they have been at war with their neighbors ever since. First it was the Arab states. When they made peace, they then pivoted to Iran and made them their enemy. Before this, Iran was a very pro western country (and we all know the historical lead up to this).
The question is, how do we get Israel out of this forever war state?
Russia and the US, from a “market share” standpoint, will be massive benefactors… but the knock-on effects of having a crippled global energy economy will be significant.
As much as it may seem like a narrow political win for the US to prevent Chinese access to energy infrastructure, China will continue to electrify. At the same time, the US is still massively dependent on shipping and industrial outputs from China.
It's all entangled. As are the interests of most energy companies.
They have a heavy dependence on imported crude from the middle east, and their alternative sources like pipelines from russia do not have enough to cover them, their domestic resources are max tapped and thier strategic supply cannot last for an extended period.
Ask Elon Musk, he has an AI that he can use to cut money from the poor ang give it to Trump family and his billionaire pedo friends to continue this war, true genius negotiation this Trump, in fact I can't believe he did not received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Seriously what is in MAGA heads now, they voted this guy because they claimed Biden was spending money on wars like helping Ukraine, and now the peace maker, Trump needs a ton of money for his own wars.
I think the country isn't officially at war without an act of congress, but whether a conflict is a war is probably a property of the conflict and not government declarations of the beligerants or the legallity of their participation.
Anyway, the Department of Whatever its name is needs money.
Probably because it's 'political' news — but I don't think this is political as such. The Pentagon is (or should be) an inherently non-political government agency. @dang curious on your thoughts here though.
It's completely intertwined to current United States politics and, I understand the hypocrisy of this statement as I'm commenting on it, doesn't really bring out meaningful discussions. The same arguments are made by both sides over and over again. I flagged it because, to me, the discussion is better suited somewhere else.
To put this into perspective, the US provided Ukraine with $64.62bn of military aid and $50.72bn of humanitarian and financial support in the four years between January 2022 and December 2025.
“Oceania was at war with Eurasia; therefore Oceania had always been at war with Eurasia”
But on a more serious non-political note, what is the end game here? It's not hard to see a future with a barren and destroyed landscape of Middle Eastern energy infrastructure, where neither the Gulf states nor Iran can reliably produce and export their energy due to continual risk.
The US can never fully defang Iran, unless it happens internally. And from history, we know that aerial bombing campaigns typically don't reinforce the civilian will for revolution.
So now we have a pariah state with a decapitated leadership structure, an array of Gulf states who cannot reliably defend their energy assets, and no will for a global detente because of the thousands of entangled interests that sit in the Gulf region.
Either this festers, or escalates, but no party seems to be willing to step down and accept a loss.
I agree with what you just said except, the leadership structure in Iran is absolutely not “decapitated”.
There is a loooooooooooooooooooooong queue to pick up the torch.
To make the analogy much more gruesome, I guess you could say the the ears and nose have been cut off, but the head remains.
The endgame is a wasteland of miserable neighbours that Israel can control, occupy and plunder without encountering any resistance. As for the US, they are not in control of their own actions, they're a puppet moved by Israel.
The endgame is a place the Israel can exist without fear of be destroyed by their jihadist neighbors.
Well, Isreal has already destroyed several of their neighbors. Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Gaza, now Iran. Infact, Israel was born out of extreme and mass violence (1948). I would be fearful too... maybe its time for peace?
insanity!
I know I'm going to get destroyed for this, but:
1) It's the current Iranian state has always been at war. They are at war with "the little Satan" (Israel) and "the Big Satan" (US). I know this sounds like a joke but they're absolutely 100% serious.
Serious enough to organize massacres ("terrorism") on unrelated individuals, like the Argentina bombing in the beginning and the Hezbollah massacres in Syria just last year.
And yes, there was a time of military cooperation between Iran and Israel (just after the beginning. Israel was instrumental and helped Iran avoid getting conquered by Iraq/Saddam Hussein and got intelligence on the Iraqi nuclear program in return). This has not changed anything for the ayatollahs.
And btw: the Soviet Union has had a much similar experience. They helped the mullahs get to power, helped defend against Iraq, and got an enemy in return, because the mullahs ... well presumably they saw what was happening in Afghanistan.
2) Blocking of the strait of Hormuz by Iran did not start when the current war started. Iran has always created problems for ships' passage through the strait. It has obviously been 10x'ed as a result of the recent aggression, but it's not like they left it alone before.
1) Yes, clearly Iran is run by extremist zealots who are horrifyingly committed to their cause. I don't think any reasonable person disagrees with this. To invert my original comment, 'Eurasia has always been at war with Oceania,' right? But that doesn't mean that indiscriminately bombing them is a coherent military strategy. Nor is it leading to the mass civilian uprising that was clearly hoped for.
2) I think the more important difference is that a large amount of gulf state energy infrastructure is being literally blown up. That has not happened before. We also don't know where it will end.
My understanding is that its Israel that is in endless war. Their state was birthed in 1948 by war and violence and they have been at war with their neighbors ever since. First it was the Arab states. When they made peace, they then pivoted to Iran and made them their enemy. Before this, Iran was a very pro western country (and we all know the historical lead up to this).
The question is, how do we get Israel out of this forever war state?
that's a huge boon for US dominance actually. Exporting oil for $$$, china having no way to get massive quantities of cheap oil, etc.
Russia and the US, from a “market share” standpoint, will be massive benefactors… but the knock-on effects of having a crippled global energy economy will be significant.
As much as it may seem like a narrow political win for the US to prevent Chinese access to energy infrastructure, China will continue to electrify. At the same time, the US is still massively dependent on shipping and industrial outputs from China.
It's all entangled. As are the interests of most energy companies.
ConocoPhillips and Exxon just announced a 20 billion hit due to attacks. No one will leave this thing unscathed.
China will be just fine mate :) They are smartly just watching US destroy itself from within and outside and chillin'
They have a heavy dependence on imported crude from the middle east, and their alternative sources like pipelines from russia do not have enough to cover them, their domestic resources are max tapped and thier strategic supply cannot last for an extended period.
Which will resume trading in Yuan. Anyone who bends the knee, will get to buy oil.
But not the US, and not in dollars. Serious 20D chess, it’s so genius it’s incomprehensible.
yea, this is why they are sitting idle and doing nothing right now, makes sense /s
Yes, foreign nation building with murky win conditions and a steadily increasing cost ledger are famously pretty good for US dominance
Whatever israel wants.
Should probably ask Congress for permission as well?
Ask Elon Musk, he has an AI that he can use to cut money from the poor ang give it to Trump family and his billionaire pedo friends to continue this war, true genius negotiation this Trump, in fact I can't believe he did not received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Seriously what is in MAGA heads now, they voted this guy because they claimed Biden was spending money on wars like helping Ukraine, and now the peace maker, Trump needs a ton of money for his own wars.
I thought it wasn't a war until congress approves it?
I think the country isn't officially at war without an act of congress, but whether a conflict is a war is probably a property of the conflict and not government declarations of the beligerants or the legallity of their participation.
Anyway, the Department of Whatever its name is needs money.
Special military operation
Unless laws are enforced, the laws don't matter.
Do we now call it a war? I thought it was an excursion?
Legally the administration claims it's not a war. Publicly they all call it a way.
"They have no shame, do they? They don't even bother to lie badly anymore. I suppose that's the final humiliation" - Senator Mon Mothma, Andor
At least it’s “ahead of schedule”!
Is it? Haven't seen POTUS on a carrier flight deck with a "Mission Accomplished" banner yet, so we got at least 15 years of war ahead.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c24d410m3g4t?post=asset%3A0575...
I don't know that I'd trust the words of a President that "starts a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate."
https://youtu.be/5KV_nIgg008
Why is this flagged?
Probably because it's 'political' news — but I don't think this is political as such. The Pentagon is (or should be) an inherently non-political government agency. @dang curious on your thoughts here though.
It's completely intertwined to current United States politics and, I understand the hypocrisy of this statement as I'm commenting on it, doesn't really bring out meaningful discussions. The same arguments are made by both sides over and over again. I flagged it because, to me, the discussion is better suited somewhere else.
To put this into perspective, the US provided Ukraine with $64.62bn of military aid and $50.72bn of humanitarian and financial support in the four years between January 2022 and December 2025.
sophies choice? fund a war, or fund DHS.
Actual true cost of Iraq + Afghanistan war was $8 TRILLION
https://theintercept.com/2026/03/17/trump-iran-war-cost/
total spent on war and military from 2002-2021 was $21 TRILLION
https://ips-dc.org/report-state-of-insecurity-cost-militariz...
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