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Some absolutely bloodthirsty fucks in that thread
Not strictly true. This operation could be successful if it was treated like an actual war. Target C2 elements and political leadership, supply lines, and have some tolerance for civilian casualties. That allows for interfering with communications between the arms supplier (Iran) and the user (Houthis), disrupting areas of control and forcing them to content with rival Yemeni factions, and reduces cross-coordination between the groups firing.
Ok but just listen, if we killed a few civilians it would be worth it for me to get my Funko Popperinos faster.
The wild thing is that all of this is because they're already killing MASSIVE amounts of civilians. They're literally doing a genocide. So basically this guy is saying "Well maybe we just need to do TWO genocides and that'll stop it!"
Technically correct I guess though. If you genocide everyone then humanity at least won't have any more wars. Malthusian libs are extra weird.
Step back from dunking on the clowns, and it's a harrowing example of where we're at as a people, a planet. "Vicious Cycle" doesn't begin to do it justice. It's easy to industrialize the slaughter of people. But it isn't easy to stop. It has inertia. Mass. It distorts all further decision making, bends it all inward. "Ceasefire"? "Just stop"? To the individuals in charge, they're already past the point where that's unthinkable. "We're already at speed, the machine at full throttle! If we try to stop now, it could break. Can't do that. Don't you see? We live in this thing!"
From that position, as far as they are willing to think about it, the only logical thing to do is steer. To push the black hole towards the cities and towns and peoples that they think deserve it. And that perspective trickles down down. Down to the little functionaries. The tissues and cells working within the machine. "Randos" throwing their voice into the digital void are more likely to empathize with the pilot of the death machine. Because the people being eaten are far away. Because they don't look like me. Because they don't speak my language, so as far as I know they don't even think like people do. They mirror death-pilot thoughts, and spew out justification while claiming to be clear-eyed,
rational. "I'm just telling it like it is."
forcing them to contend with rival factions
Conservatives have the One Joke, neolibs have the One Strategy
OK just hear me out, there's this moderate rebel faction that could really pop off with some discrete arms shipments from Uncle Sam...
Divide et Impera? Yes, it's a classic of empire management.