this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2023
776 points (94.7% liked)

World News

39102 readers
2262 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Former President Barack Obama said a way forward for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is only possible if people acknowledge the “complexity” of the situation.

“If there’s any chance of us being able to act constructively to do something, it will require an admission of complexity and maintaining what on the surface may seem contradictory ideas that what Hamas did was horrific, and there’s no justification for it. And … that the occupation and what’s happening to Palestinians is unbearable,” Obama said in an interview on the podcast “Pod Save America.”

The former president’s comments come as the Israeli military focuses its offensive against Hamas in Gaza City and northern parts of the enclave.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] stevehobbes@lemmy.world -3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The government of Gaza is Hamas, elected in 2007.

Israeli civilians have also been caught in the crossfire. You know from the terrorist attack they committed 3 weeks ago that killed 1,400 and then the 200 innocent people they kidnapped and imprisoned as hostages somewhere in Gaza, which is what this is all about?

If Hamas freed the hostages, Israel would have a much harder time conducting this war in the way they are, but you can’t literally kidnap someone’s citizens and expect anything less.

[–] rhizophonic@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

What about Netanyahus relationship with the PLO before Hamas. He's been playing both sides using the fear of Palestinian militants as a political football, just trying to stay elected and ignoring the views of the average secular Israeli.

Israel is being led by a group of religious extremists.

It's complicated, and both sides have committed unbelievable atrocities, but Israeli leadership have overplayed their card. Their crimes over the last few weeks will echo for decades to come.

My guess it will have the opposite effect than they intended, Israel will lose out in the long term.

[–] stevehobbes@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Time will tell.

You’re right that both sides have been awful.

While Israel may be led by a group of religious extremists, so is Palestine and Gaza specifically by extremist terrorists.

This round of tit for tat will echo like all the previous rounds over the last 70 years.

Until Hamas frees the hostages, it’s virtually impossible to overplay the hand.

This will just be another footnote of ugly killing on both sides in a long history of ugly killings.

[–] rhizophonic@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I'm not so sure. The current geopolitical outlook leaves Israel in a tough spot. With the failure of globalisation and the declining importance of the Middle Eastern hydrocarbons, there is actually a breaking point.

I don't necessarily think that breaking point would be reached, but if the current government does not restrain themselves and play their card correctly, it will count against them going forward.

Despite what Americans think, their previous actions have counted against them, too.

I'm the modern information age. The old tactics of statecraft and economic dominance fall apart. The opposing axis wanted Israel to respond like this. It's a huge mistake for them to continue with this approach.

It's a multipolar world these days.

[–] stevehobbes@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Which are the poles you see in this multipolar world than were different from the poles over the last 50 years?

[–] rhizophonic@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Suppose when you take the foreign policy of globalisation out of the equation, the geopolitical arena looks a lot different.

It's hard to know how the relationships will develop. Israel geographical location has become at least 50% less important.

When you consider the possible impact of climate change and demographics over the next decade, coupled with the increasingly fragile financial outlook.

It's not unfathomable that Israel ends up in an extremely exposed position without significant support from the West.

China and Russia are bound together by mutual interest in hydrocarbons, and Irans leaders would attempt to capitalise on every opportunity.

In a destabilised world, everyone will try to sieze the opportunity. It's going to get very busy, Netanyahu is assuming a lot when he thinks that Israel is going to stay relevant in the long term.

Just wanted to add that it's going to be multifaceted threats along with the multipolar geopolitical outlook. In situations like that, things get very simple. Things start to boil down to very simple decisions.

[–] stevehobbes@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This doesn’t seem particularly internally consistent.

If the ME doesn’t matter because hydrocarbons don’t matter, why are Russia and China bound by them? Isn’t Russia in even deeper trouble since most of their hard currency is from exporting hydrocarbons?

When is the world being more destabilized than today and by who? Is the world stable right now?

Who is the financial outlook fragile for?

What are the impacts of climate change and demographics over the next decade?

How does this disproportionately work to the detriment of Israel?

I’m not even saying you’re wrong, but there’s a lot missing connecting this to the point you’re trying to make I think.

[–] rhizophonic@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I always find it hard to explain the leaps in logic so bear with me.

-You just have to view everything that's happening right now in the world with the understanding that a post hydrocarbon energy economy has ramifications for western economies financial systems while also on the opposite end of the spectrum, affecting developing nations ability to catch up.

The strength of the American dollar genuinely has been bolstered in the fact that it was the main currency used in the trade of hydrocarbons, this is no longer the case.

If China intends to continue its current military ambitions their demand for hydrocarbons is going to persist, as America retracts from the policy of globalisation a vacuum is being created which the Chinese would be more than happy to take advance of. Developing economies/regimes etc. won't stymie themselves, they will continue to use them.

There is an obvious split in world geopolitics because of this post hydrocarbon/globalisation shift. unwrapping the ramifications of the effects of climate change and the switch to renewables coupled with energy independence it's pretty complex, but it's not unreasonable to expect destabilisation as we enter a new phase.

  • The first mention of modern cyber psychological warfare I've seen from the Chinese think tanks was published in 2004. I'd argue that the world has become increasingly unstable since then. I'd argue that while the world is unstable right now, but we are on an upswing, if me and you are discussing this right now more capable people have discussed this before us. Everyone has become much more aware in recent times.

https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RRA800/RRA853-1/RAND_RRA853-1.pdf

  • Outlook is not looking good for everyone's financial systems IMO, core economics and demographics are the best indicators of where the card lie at this time (US is always #1 in this regard). People look at inflation right now and analyse the Fed's actions without taking into account that this is Cold War economics. Increase the amount of money you increase the amount of productivity, you stay ahead. There is undoubtedly restructuring ahead.

  • Well let's talk demographics from a military perspective, A lot of the analysis of the Chinese military has been taken into account the fact that their demographics say they will have the most amount of eligible military personnel in the next decade, beyond that their numbers will be decreasing.

But then the question arises, are demographics going to matter in military situations in the future. Do you even need humans fight. Could it just become a AI powered military machine building contest?.

  • In a world with this much restructuring and destabilisation proxy wars are the preferred means of interacting, If I were to draw a line between these two opposing groups on the map, just like Ukraine, Israel would be right on it. As this plays out over the coming decade Israel is going to be continually tested in many different ways, when you look at the long term possibilities of how this is going to develop things are not as clear cut.

  • Netanyahu is not just battling Hamas he's antagonising everyone on the other side of that line right now, essentially drawing a target on the country for eternity.

As public opinion in support of Israel decreases in the west the chances of an American boot on the ground in Israel decreases. What if the Chinese move on Taiwan, American resources focus elsewhere. American politics presents a majority which oppose the spending. Climate change and AI are certainly going to impact the political status quo in the coming year. Even presuming military dominance is in the balance. American foreign policy is obviously different in recent years, focusing on insular tactics.

I digress, Israeli leadership are all for playing their cards wrong.They are acting exactly like their enemies wanted them to, the would have been better just to pay them off.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nothing justifies war crimes.

[–] ParsnipWitch@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But people justify Hamas attacks all the time by claiming they just defend themselves.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Did you really just just conflate every Hamas operation as a war crime?

That's... Impressive.

[–] SwampYankee@mander.xyz 2 points 1 year ago

Netanyahu also stoked the anti-Oslo crazies to the point that Rabin was assassinated. He's more responsible for the current state of the conflict than anyone, period.