Skirting U.S. sanctions, Europeans launch trade mechanism for Iran
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Re: Skirting U.S. sanctions, Europeans launch trade mechanism for Iran
#2That’s the thing with all the “soft” power the US has: you can maybe use it once or twice to bully allies into doing your bidding. But that’s a terrible way to spent all the good will built over decades of mutually beneficial cooperation.
Re: Skirting U.S. sanctions, Europeans launch trade mechanism for Iran
#3I'm surprised that Britain is even behind this, as they might have been a bit nervous about the US response, considering their ongoing Brexit.
This is a great example of how current US foreign policy means a loss of soft power all over the world.
I do think that this is a win for world stability though, trading tends to help relations, which helps stops all sort of unpleasantness. Whether this will be enough i don't know, but it seems like a good step forward.
Re: Skirting U.S. sanctions, Europeans launch trade mechanism for Iran
#4IA Link[0], for Europeans (like myself), who get "Page Not Found".
[0] - https://web.archive.org/web/20190131120900/https://www.reute...
Re: Skirting U.S. sanctions, Europeans launch trade mechanism for Iran
#5Good. I don't know how much longer Americans are going to buy the boogiemen we keep getting fed.
Sovereign nations under the the U.S.' thumb, not being able to control their own destiny only works so long as we're complacent.
I sense we're growing tired of war for war's sake, leery of ideological battles built for future blowback down the road. We see enough people profiting from these wars to wonder how much global conflict is manufactured.
I hope we stop buying in. When a politician tells us a country is evil, we need to start asking for receipts.
I don't see this having a ton of impact on U.S. relations other than a few terse, typo-laden tweets directed at Europe, but who knows these days. The notion that Western alliances are being intentionally weakened no longer seems far fetched.
Re: Skirting U.S. sanctions, Europeans launch trade mechanism for Iran
#6Good. I don't know how much longer Americans are going to buy the boogiemen we keep getting fed. Sovereign nations under the the U.S.' thumb, not being able to control their own destiny only works so long as we're complacent. I sense we're growing tired of war for war's sake, leery of ideological battles built for future blowback down the road. We see enough people profiting from these wars to wonder how much global…
I agree. I keep hearing the most wonderful things about the people of Sudan, I can't wait to get there soon and discover for myself!
Re: Skirting U.S. sanctions, Europeans launch trade mechanism for Iran
#7Wouldn't want to lose access to that oil... who cares about preserving the liberal order and not giving an incentive to states to turn rogue? But hey, President Trump is thinking about doing the same thing wrt. the Ukraine, so who am I to complain? Maybe two wrongs can make a right.
Re: Skirting U.S. sanctions, Europeans launch trade mechanism for Iran
#8Good. I don't know how much longer Americans are going to buy the boogiemen we keep getting fed. Sovereign nations under the the U.S.' thumb, not being able to control their own destiny only works so long as we're complacent. I sense we're growing tired of war for war's sake, leery of ideological battles built for future blowback down the road. We see enough people profiting from these wars to wonder how much global…
I agree. I keep hearing the most wonderful things about the people of Sudan, I can't wait to get there soon and discover for myself!
The fact that some boogiemen are not as terrible as portrayed, or that we shouldn't put too much effort to go after them, does not imply that all boogiemen are actually nice.
Re: Skirting U.S. sanctions, Europeans launch trade mechanism for Iran
#9IA Link[0], for Europeans (like myself), who get "Page Not Found". [0] - https://web.archive.org/web/20190131120900/https://www.reute...
Am in Luxembourg, no problem viewing the page. Reuters HQ is in the UK...
Re: Skirting U.S. sanctions, Europeans launch trade mechanism for Iran
#10I'm surprised that Britain is even behind this, as they might have been a bit nervous about the US response, considering their ongoing Brexit. This is a great example of how current US foreign policy means a loss of soft power all over the world. I do think that this is a win for world stability though, trading tends to help relations, which helps stops all sort of unpleasantness. Whether this will be enough i don't…
It’s mostly a win for world stability because it preserves, to a limited degree, the notion that you can mutually agree, put it in writing, and count on the other side fulfilling its obligations as long as you do.
Nobody with half a grasp of reality doubts that Iran was fulfilling its end of the nuclear deal. It’s entirely unclear why China, or North K, or really anybody should trust the US Government in the future. That means one of the arguably most important tools to avoid armed conflict was entirely eliminated from the US arsenal. What makes it even worse is that there just wasn’t any reason to do so, beyond some egotistical jingoism. Saudi Arabia is far worse in almost any observable category.