[Skynet]

Iran also has its own terrorists.

I doubt they are Terrorists... But Iran should learn more by Lebanese Hezbollah they have an hard foreign policy but internaly they do not terrorize the own people with strict religous rules, the Islamic Republic lost the youth they are more secular then the Turkish youth...

[litwin]

[litwin]

[RealPolitic]

Hopefully, the take away that people have from the past several decades of wars in various places is dispelling they myth and illusion that states benefit from war. That's a total illusion. States do not benefit from war. That fact that states are constantly competing with each other for more power leads to wars and conflict which benefit nobody. It is for this reason that strengthening international institutions like the United Nations and the International Criminal Court are necessary.

Moreover, it is also essential that the natural rights of weaker states be respected. Stronger states cannot take away the natural rights of other states or people to their own sovereignty and agency. People and states have natural rights that a state or stronger states have no right to take away. And it is for this reason why strengthening international institutions to help manage relations between states and to protect human rights are important.

Without strong international institutions, the competition for power between states goes unchecked, unregulated, and can lead to disastrous consequences in many parts of the globe and possibly the rest of the world. Hence, why the strengthening of international institutions to resolve disputes between states and to protect human rights are crucial to making the world a better place.

Without strong international institutions, it will obligate states to seek to gain as much power as possible, often at the expense of other states and human rights to assure their own security given they would have not have any strong international institutions to turn to. Currently, as it stands, international institutions have not been effective.

[Rich]

It is for this reason that strengthening international institutions like the United Nations and the International Criminal Court are necessary.

If any group of people should be swinging from gibbets its the judges and prosecution lawyers of the ICC, with their phony impartiality. They are parasites that live off the sufferings of others, while fueling the continuation of conflict. Their actions bring the whole of the legal profession into disrepute. The ICC is a tool of The United States world order, while the United States itself is not subject to the ICC.

A legal system means nothing unless ultimately there's an army backing it up. But an army is the beginnings of a state. The whole nonsense of International law is the attempt to have a legal system outside of state. The United States is an excellent example of what it takes to be a democratic state. The United States only exists because George III was willing to go to war to deny self determination to the colonies. This necessitated the union and construction of a common army. The Common army ultimately necessitated a common tax system to support it and the common struggle of the war created the political will to agree to a common market.

A dictatorship like the Ottoman Empire can be multicultural for centuries. Stable deeply multicultural democracies rarely survive for long. The United States was divided over slavery, that was unworkable long term. Democracies can also not tolerate fundamental differences over marriage or the status of women. Hence why the Mormons were not given statehood until they abandoned polygamy. This is why democracy and Islam are incompatible.

[JohnRawls]

It seems the FSB are clowns, the photos that they gave yesterday were wrong.

a)1 of the people is in Russia somewhere far far away from Moscow and he just reported himself to the police just to say "hey, what the fuck"
b) 2 others are in Tadjikistan right now and they reported themselves to the police or police came to them for a visit to proove that they are not involved.

[late]

If any group of people should be swinging from gibbets its the judges and prosecution lawyers of the ICC, with their phony impartiality. They are parasites that live off the sufferings of others, while fueling the continuation of conflict. Their actions bring the whole of the legal profession into disrepute. The ICC is a tool of The United States world order, while the United States itself is not subject to the ICC.

A legal system means nothing unless ultimately there's an army backing it up. But an army is the beginnings of a state. The whole nonsense of International law is the attempt to have a legal system outside of state. The United States is an excellent example of what it takes to be a democratic state. The United States only exists because George III was willing to go to war to deny self determination to the colonies. This necessitated the union and construction of a common army. The Common army ultimately necessitated a common tax system to support it and the common struggle of the war created the political will to agree to a common market.

A dictatorship like the Ottoman Empire can be multicultural for centuries. Stable deeply multicultural democracies rarely survive for long. The United States was divided over slavery, that was unworkable long term. Democracies can also not tolerate fundamental differences over marriage or the status of women. Hence why the Mormons were not given statehood until they abandoned polygamy. This is why democracy and Islam are incompatible.

Take a look at Congress, you could easily say democracy and Christianity are incompatible. In fact, our Founding Fathers insisted the government be secular, separating church and state...

Modern governance has to be secular.

Just because you don't see it happening, doesn't mean that, at some point in the future, it won't happen.

It took 5 centuries for Unions to be accepted. It took centuries to end slavery in the West. You have a point, policing implies the ability to enforce. But I am of the opinion that one day we will get there.

[Rich]

Its important to recognise the International Criminal Court for the fascist scum that they are.

In a well functioning liberal democracy, we try to establish "The rule of law". The reality will always be a long way from the ideal in its impartiality, in its lack of "fear or favour", but its way better than the alternatives. Even the Nazis and the Bolsheviks didn't want to completely throw out the "rule of law" system even if they corrupted it and supplemented it with other enforcement systems.

So in the ideal we have a state with borders. An army that defends the borders of that state and a legal system to enforce the "rule of law" within those borders. The police are there to support the enforcement of the legal system. The police are supposed to be the servants of the legal system. The legal system are not the servants of the police, let alone the army. Normally the army are not involved in imposing the legal system. Anytime the army are used for policing as we did in North Ireland during "The Troubles" you're in deep trouble, and all your liberal principles are in severe jeopardy.

The International Criminal Court is the servant of the American Armed Forces. An organisation of which I and most of the people on the planet have no control. The ICC exists to give phony legitimacy to a semi would be world dictatorship.

[Skynet]

@RealPolitic The nuclear superpowers who have a Veto right in the UN can invade other countries... We still have the law of the Jungle this is sad but this is real politics

[Rich]

Take a look at Congress, you could easily say democracy and Christianity are incompatible. In fact, our Founding Fathers insisted the government be secular, separating church and state...

Modern governance has to be secular.

I remember the British spring. The British spring kicked off a little bit earlier than the Arab Spring. Actually I think it was the 1640s. In some ways it went rather similar to the Egyptian Spring. We got rid of the hated dictator Charles I. I don't know that he was hated by everyone, i believe he was actually quite popular in Ireland and in parts of Britain. But a lot of people with guns and pikes hated him and made their disgruntlement known. Having got rid of the hated dictator, demented theocrats took control. This led to a counter revolution and the restoration of the Stuarts, followed not that long later by a counter-counter revolution which ditched the Stuarts for good.

Anyway by the time of the American Revolution in 1775 the Church of England was actually quite mild by the standards of the time and its removal was hardly the great victory over tyranny that the Americans have made it out to be. The United States was founded as a racially European Protestant State for racially European Protestant people, despite the propaganda of the founders and despite the fact that many were not believing Christians themselves. The ruling morality and values were Protestant Christian, and accepted by most even if they did not believe in the Christian mythology.

But I am of the opinion that one day we will get there.

My opinion is that we will get further and faster in a good direction, if we stop conflating war and foreign policy with the rule of law.

[JohnRawls]

Outstanding news, Political decision was made by Putin to use this to further his needs for mobilization and blame Ukraine for it although those guys are ISIS. We should instigate this behavior further. Russians in defense are more problematic than Russians charging head long in to fortified positions behind minefields, drones and artillery with meet charges especially after we have basically solved the short term ammo re-supply problem and long term one after the end of 2024. Hopefully the US election will also be resolved and we will move on in that regard also.

3-4-5-6 More Avdeevkas should be enough to drain Russia out of their material stocks fully and damage the credibility of the regime even further.

[Istanbuller]

Outstanding news, Political decision was made by Putin to use this to further his needs for mobilization and blame Ukraine for it although those guys are ISIS. We should instigate this behavior further. Russians in defense are more problematic than Russians charging head long in to fortified positions behind minefields, drones and artillery with meet charges especially after we have basically solved the short term ammo re-supply problem and long term one after the end of 2024. Hopefully the US election will also be resolved and we will move on in that regard also.

3-4-5-6 More Avdeevkas should be enough to drain Russia out of their material stocks fully and damage the credibility of the regime even further.

Suspects seems to be white. They are not ISIS.

ISIS is now pretty much dead and they are not able to conduct anything. ISIS always claim to be behind attacks around the world because they want to bounce back by being on news.

[JohnRawls]

Suspects seems to be white. They are not ISIS.

ISIS is now pretty much dead and they are not able to conduct anything. ISIS always claim to be behind attacks around the world because they want to bounce back by being on news.

We already know who they are and there are pictures. They are citizens of Russia and Tadjikistan that recently returned to Russia through Turkey. They are pretty much Muslims by the looks of it on top of their "story" being is that they got paid by preacher "Abdul" whose prayers they attended. I won't believe their story though that much.

[Istanbuller]

We already know who they are and there are pictures. They are citizens of Russia and Tadjikistan that recently returned to Russia through Turkey. They are pretty much Muslims by the looks of it on top of their "story" being is that they got paid by preacher "Abdul" whose prayers they attended. I won't believe their story though that much.

There is almost zero chance for them to be ISIS. They are probably some Ukrainian guys and some anti-Russian central asian guys. They are caught while driving toward Ukraine.

[JohnRawls]

There is almost zero chance for them to be ISIS. They are probably some Ukrainian guys and some anti-Russian central asian guys. They are caught while driving toward Ukraine.

Whatever really, you will never admit the obvious but okay. The best thing possible is already happening, it seems that a decision was made to blame Ukraine for this in some way to spur mobilization. This is the best thing possible, now we don't need to plan any further offensives and just grind down Russian meet in meet charges. If they do a mobilization now then it will take 3-4 months until end of summer to train them and they will attack through September until probably February-March next year. With re-supplied ammo we should be able to destroy the last remaining material stocks of relevance in a sped up format.

And after Russia runs out of stupid Soviet Stock then we can plan our next move. No need to complicate it. Dig in behind minefields, drones, artillery and anti-air and slaughter them.

[JohnRawls]

There is almost zero chance for them to be ISIS. They are probably some Ukrainian guys and some anti-Russian central asian guys. They are caught while driving toward Ukraine.

Well, ISIS went out and publicly admitted it was them as revenge for fighting ISIS and posted a pre-recorded video of the terrorists.

[Istanbuller]

I would tell you if they were Middle Eastern. But they are not.

Ukrainian link is obvious even it is Muslims or not. ISIS were long trained and financed by America to target Russian positions in Syria. You can't be so naive to not know that, can be?

[litwin]

[RealPolitic]

@Skynet

The nuclear superpowers who have a Veto right in the UN can invade other countries... We still have the law of the Jungle this is sad but this is real politics

I know we do. Without strengthening international institutions, then states have little choice but to seek more power to ensure their own security. This of course comes at the expense of weaker powers whose strategic locations might be important to the major nuclear powers or whose resources the major nuclear powers want to further their own power and assure their own security. Lastly, it will also encourage nuclear weapons proliferation as weaker states seek security guarantees against the stronger major nuclear powers such as China, the US, and Russia.

One of the reasons that India acquired nuclear weapons was after losing a border war with China. So, in response, India acquired nuclear weapons to assure its own security against China and most of their weapons are aimed at China. Of course, this also led to Pakistan acquiring nuclear weapons to counter India's acquisition of nuclear weapons.

What this example demonstrates is why there is a need to have strong international institutions so that states do not feel the necessity to acquire more power, such as through acquiring nuclear weapons, to assure their own security. Currently, as it stands, there is no higher authority than states. States cannot turn to any strong international institutions to resolve disputes and ensure their security and rights as sovereign states are protected.

Given that it is still the law of the jungle rather than the rule of law in the international arena, this obligates states to acquire as much power as possible to guarantee their security and the security of their citizens. This obligation to seek and acquire more power will inevitably come at the expense of other states, especially weaker states and such competition has the danger of spiraling out of control into a global catastrophe.

So, until international institutions are strengthened and are actually effective for both strong and weaker states, then states that have a smart foreign policy will have little choice but to take the Realist perspective on international relations while attempting to work with other states to strengthen international institutions to actually make them effective.

[JohnRawls]

I would tell you if they were Middle Eastern. But they are not.

Ukrainian link is obvious even it is Muslims or not. ISIS were long trained and financed by America to target Russian positions in Syria. You can't be so naive to not know that, can be?

They are not middle eastern, they are Russian or Tadjik. Tadjikistan and Russia are not in the middle east.