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Posted
11 minutes ago, Vegas64 said:

Seems like a legitimate seizure, if this were in a vacuum or normal times. Obviously Trump has destroyed any notions of normalcy.

A lot of this.

Had this happened in a vacuum -- as in, had any of the previous 6 or so US presidents ordered such a seizure -- it would be a pretty ordinary story, pretty legitimate all things considered.  In a vacuum, I actually think it's a fair exercise of our sanction power.

But as it is part of the pretext to create a completely unnecessary war in Latin America solely to distract from a criminal president's criminal presidency and his habit of lusting for and fucking underage girls and lots of other shit, then it goes in the pile of "corrupt shit done for bad fucking reasons."

Posted
1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

A lot of this.

Had this happened in a vacuum -- as in, had any of the previous 6 or so US presidents ordered such a seizure -- it would be a pretty ordinary story, pretty legitimate all things considered.  In a vacuum, I actually think it's a fair exercise of our sanction power.

But as it is part of the pretext to create a completely unnecessary war in Latin America solely to distract from a criminal president's criminal presidency and his habit of lusting for and fucking underage girls and lots of other shit, then it goes in the pile of "corrupt shit done for bad fucking reasons."

But I also read a pretty interesting analysis for why this seizure was a foreign relations double-whammy, which I think is kinda good international police work, Lou:

Quote

 

the US is accusing the ship it seized off Venezuela of transporting oil for Venezuela and Iran.

These two rogue players (along with North Korea, Russia, and others) don’t have much in common beyond their shared interest in ushering in a post-US-led world. But it’s actually in oil markets where their cooperation goes beyond photo opps and press releases.

While both Iran and Venezuela face oil sanctions, Iran’s are tougher and more strictly enforced. As soon as Iran loads oil at its Kharg Island, that triggers red flags everywhere. The result is the shadow fleet servicing Venezuela has maintained more access to insurance and ports, enabling it to offload its oil at higher prices.

Venezuela’s waters (especially around Amuay and José terminal) are also among the few places left where massive dark-fleet transfers can still happen with almost no oversight.

So Iran has no shortage of oil, but blending its crude with Venezuela’s output (where technically possible) solves lots of problems. Ditto, seizing the Skipper sends a message to two US foes at once.

 

 



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