U.S. Tech Giants Flocked to the Persian Gulf. Now They Are Targets(www.nytimes.com)
41 pointsby standardUser14 hours ago3 comments
  • joe_mamba13 hours ago
    It was obvious for everyone with 2 brain cells to rub together, that the gulf states invited so many US companies to open up shop there, as a defence insurance policy, so that the US government has monetary interests in the area besides oil, to intervene and defend in case of an attack.

    Well played from their side, as that's how this game works.

    And for those who didn't get it before, Marco Rubio even went out and publicly said Ukraine should sell rare earth rights to the US so that they have something there to defend to justify to the public providing a security guarantee for Ukraine. He basically spelled it out in layman's terms how the game is played. You can dislike it, you can disagree with it, but this is how it always worked, even if the general public was not aware of it. It's nothing to do with defending freedom, democracy, honor, values, whatever, it's all about preserving and making money.

    • tchalla13 hours ago
      But I thought it was all for democracy and freedom.
    • ZeroGravitas10 hours ago
      Though most of the "rare earth" stuff seems to be bullshit based on memes built on not understanding that rare earths aren't rare.

      Like the Venezuela oil stuff, it's a half remembered fantasy of what was important when Trump's brain still functioned, several decades ago.

      They're destroying America's reputation and alliances for fools gold.

    • nine_zeros13 hours ago
      [dead]
    • kernal11 hours ago
      How exactly did you think Ukraine was going to pay back the hundreds of billions they borrowed from the US? Print more hryvnia?
      • subscribed39 minutes ago
        They're unwilling modern battlefield tactics tester and actually losing the Ukraine to Russia would be a pretty big blow to the Europe and to the lesser extent to NATO.

        Its not like the rest of the world is not getting anything from Ukrainians standing up to the genocidal KGB* apparatchik.

        *yes, i know, FSB. Same organisation really.

  • mindslight13 hours ago
    Elect a clown, get a circus. Elect a tyrant, get tyranny. Elect a thief, get stolen from. Elect a serial rapist, expect a crime spree as they try to outrun justice. Elect someone who is all of the above and get utter chaos that is inhospitable to long term business.
    • electtrump12 hours ago
      [flagged]
      • kemotep12 hours ago
        Is complaining about an unnecessary conflict that is disrupting the global economy really insufferable? I mean my coworkers constantly bitched and moaned about things Biden was doing that just seems quaint comparatively. Namely about the cost of living, gas prices, and instability in the Middle East. All things Trump has definitely made significantly worst in comparison to just doing nothing.
      • mindslight12 hours ago
        I'm a libertarian. You've blinded yourself by defining anything that isn't fundamentalist right reactionary as this catchall "leftist" bogeyman.

        I most certainly understand the frustration that led you to this charlatan who you thought could at least stick a fork in the eye of the status quo. The problem is you didn't listen to your fellow countrymen telling you that the fork would inevitably go into your own eye even harder. And you still aren't even as the results become ever more painfully clear.

    • kernal11 hours ago
      Elect a lying, fascist and corrupt democrat regime and get rich armed middle east terrorist countries threatening nuclear war.
      • lovich10 hours ago
        How the hell could you type that out with a straight face.

        This is some darvo tier shit.

        • mindslight10 hours ago
          Trump was a registered Democrat and he sure as Hell isn't a conservative, so in a weird way that statement actually checks out.
          • cocacola19 hours ago
            He’s definitely a conservative.
            • AnimalMuppet9 hours ago
              Depends on your definition. He's sure not what was considered "conservative" a decade or two ago. But he is what is currently labeled "conservative".

              The older definition was small government, limited federal power, fiscally conservative, protect the Constitution. The new definition is... something very different.

              • fzeroracer6 hours ago
                This hasn't been true for probably over 40 years. Every conservative presidency has resulted in causing more budgetary issues, increasing the power of the feds and chipping away at the constitution. You can look at the actions taken and the budget over the years. Reagan massively blew up the national debt with Reaganomics, George W followed in his wake and so did Trump. The new definition of the GOP is just what happens when the mask fully falls off and they don't feel a need to lie to people.
            • mindslight9 hours ago
              In the pejorative sense the word has taken on as the wheels have slowly come off the cart for the past several decades, sure. But as far as the lofty ideals outlined by conservative thinkers, an "institutional arsonist" is basically the polar opposite. The conservatives with any principles remaining got labeled "RINO" and sidelined. And that's saying a lot given what had previously passed for principles.

              A correct term is "reactionary", as Yarvin outlines in A Gentle Introduction... . Or less awkwardly and more plainly, "fascist".

          • lovich8 hours ago
            It doesn’t because he’s done all his bad shit as the Republican candidate.

            Like the Jesus with you as well and being able to type that out and believe it

            • mindslight7 hours ago
              Oh come on, there's no need to argue with everybody. I was just amplifying the absurdity and throwing it back in terms the fascists understand.
  • kernal11 hours ago
    it's amusing seeing the NYT do PR for the Iranian regime, but totally expected given that they're a propaganda arm for the democrat party. The Iranian government is running on fumes and is on the verge of collapse. They aren't a threat to any of the giant tech companies.
    • superhuzza11 hours ago
      This article isn't PR for the Iranian regime, it highlights how unstable and non-business friendly the region is. If anything it's a warning...
    • lovich10 hours ago
      Ah right, I forgot amazon was saying an object hit their data center and wasn’t admitting it was a bomb still.

      The Iranians can’t project force far enough to be an existential threat to these companies but they’ve already taken damage to their assets in the region