Politics and Islam in UK

[zorkan]

America spreads its tentacles around the world only when it suits it to do so.
A feature of America First is non-intervention.

"Problem is, the whole world economy runs on oil, not just the US. And the US economy doesn't function without the rest of the world to trade with.

China, for instance is the world's largest net importer of oil, and consumes about a million barrels per day of oil from the KSA. That oil is turned into many things - including the hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods the US imports from China every year.

So the United States isn't in bed with various unpleasant governments in the Gulf because the US needs the oil directly. It's in bed with those governments because the US wants the world economy to work on America's terms, and that means overseeing the flow of Gulf oil to the rest of the world."

We'll fight them on the beaches:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Stop_Oil

[billy rubin]

if trump wins the american election we re going to see a lot of realignments. the unted states props up a bunch of states that may or may not be worth propping up

In reality, foreign assistance typically makes up less than 1% of the trillions of dollars in federal spending. Still, the U.S. gives more money in foreign aid in total dollars than any other country in the world, distributing more than $640 billion globally from 2012 through 2022.Jan 18, 2024

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/countries-that-receive-the-most-foreign-aid-from-the-u-s#:~:text=In%20reality%2C%20foreign%20assistance%20typically,globally%20from%202012%20through%202022.

one major failing is the 55 billion dollars we make selling arms to the rest of the world. places like saudi, and israel, and so on. i once drove two oshkosh MATVs to the baltimore harbour from wisconsni



when i got to the harbour i drove into a lot that had a hundred of them going to the UAE . they were US$530,00 each, so there was a load of armoured vehicles going into that ship that cost US$53,000,000. to a country with 9 million people. who are the emirs going to go to war with using those machines? obviously, their own people, and we make it possible.

[zorkan]

UAE wants to protect its oil.
It has reserves for a further 300 years if no exports.
But god created oil for us to use it.

There is of course a reference in the bible.
"In Exodus 30:30-32, a special oil was mixed that God said should be used to anoint Aaron and his sons and remain set aside only for this purpose."

By popular interpretation that no doubt means the sons of Aaron are now inhabiting the earth.

[billy rubin]

maybe so

[zorkan]

God wants you to burn all the oil from the earth. Says so in the bible.

Genesis 1:26-28 King James Version (KJV)
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

We can imply he meant all the oil reserves as well.
Some UK politicians are adamant that every last drop of oil will be extracted from the North Sea and to hell with climate change.

[Asmodean]

As long as there is a market for it, I agree, it should be extracted.

When it's more commercially viable to build wind turbines (for example), the market will sort itself-self out.

[Icarus]

Yes, but there is the north sea drilling rigs that contribute much to the Norwegian economy.

[zorkan]

God provides oil to his favourite nations so they don't need to think too much and get rich naturally by sitting on black gold.
Jews and Swiss have to use their brains to get rich.
USA and Saudi Arabia are god's special people and so the most religious.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anointed-Oil-Christianity-Modern-America/dp/0465060862

[Asmodean]

Yes, but there is the north sea drilling rigs that contribute much to the Norwegian economy.

The Asmo may or may not have some oil and gas to sell at maybe- or maybe-not-reasonable price.

[The Magic Pudding..]

The Resource Curse seems to be a thing though, in countries god doesn't like.

The resource curse, also known as the paradox of plenty or the poverty paradox, is the phenomenon of countries with an abundance of natural resources (such as fossil fuels and certain minerals) having less economic growth, less democracy, or worse development outcomes than countries with fewer natural resources.[

[Asmodean]

I think there is some truth to it, but I think a lot of it also has to do with the countries exporting raw materials also often importing their "enobled" derivatives. Like, you sell aluminium and import cars and washing machines. You sell wood and import paper and furniture. Those turning the raw materials into goods will buy them from you, then sell the goods right back, where the cost of the raw materials is absolutely a part of the price.

Selling raw materials can be done quite profitably, if the amount of export sufficiently exceeds that of import - like Norway is making plenty of money selling oil, even though we import refined oil products such as gasoline. The local need for such products is more than covered by the sales of crude. Having a comparatively small population does help.

I imagine other variables like corruption, totalitarian governments, corrupt totalitarian governments and such like play a significant role as well, but I wonder if much of that role is in stifling competition and private enterprise, such that the country "forever" sells natural resources and buys "everything" those resources are used for. "Brain drain." That should probably not be ignored either. If enough of the resourceful would rather be somewhere else and find their way there... Well... Those are the potential entrepreneurs and specialists the country loses to not being good enough for them - whatever the reason may be. To put it thusly, a resourceful American is far more likely to be content-enough-not-to-do-anything-about-it with being American than a resourceful Uzbek, who would likely not mind being an American in stead.

[billy rubin]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/19/jared-kushner-gaza-waterfront-property-israel-negev?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

[Dark Lightning]

He must have taken some courses in Heartless Bastardy when he was at uni.

[billy rubin]

its the mentality of privelege.

children are dying of starvation in gaza but what he sees is a potential business opportunity.

[Asmodean]

Is it not the mentality of privilege to care about children dying elsewhere?

I mean, where do you think the war in Gaza is, priority and debate-wise, in the favelas of Rio or slums of Mumbai?

War (and/or its aftermath) is good for business. People with business on their mind are likely to see it, whether or not they find the realization of said business distasteful or some degree of immoral. People looking to make the ends meet... If it's not their war, they have more immediate concerns.