this post was submitted on 03 Jun 2025
591 points (97.1% liked)

Middle East and North Africa

144 readers
2 users here now

Rules:

Rule 0. Comments must be on topic, off topic comments lead to immediate ban. Off topic comments are any comments that will lead to diverging from the post's topic. If you want to discuss something post about it.

Rule 1. No refutation without a source. Any bias against MENA sources could lead to a ban if not backed with evidence. The burden of proof is on you.

Rule 2. This community is first and foremost for people from the region. Foreigners trying to justify military intervention or genocide are not welcomed.

Breaking of these rules may result in a 500-3000 day ban.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 
top 27 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat 104 points 4 days ago (3 children)

This isn’t completely true. The US only overthrew the leader of Iran, armed Saddam to fight against his successor, and then fucked up the aftermath of Saddam’s removal in such a brutal and careless fashion that it led to the creation of ISIS. They didn’t create and fund ISIS on purpose like they did with the others, or with Osama bin Laden.

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 37 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Look it's not like I wanted sharks to show up when I started dumping pig blood on those surfers

[–] PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat 14 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Or when I trained all those other sharks to attack surfers, that was different

What they did with their surfer attack training was their choice.

/s because JFC you can't tell sometimes

[–] blazeknave@lemmy.world 0 points 4 days ago (2 children)

No. The US did not intentionally architect ISIS.

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Neither did I intentionally architect the Great Shark Massacre of '05, it was just a funny prank. How was I supposed to know sharks like blood?

[–] blazeknave@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Sorry but that isn't applicable. And honestly it's incredibly general. You're saying consequences exist. Yes, they do. For all things. That doesn't actually mean there's direct causality with strategic intent though

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

does that make it better, frankly? like oh no no they didn't do it ON PURPOSE, they just fucked it up! they're not intentionally evil, just incompetent!

[–] blazeknave@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

I didn't say that. I said it's an inaccurate analogy.

[–] workerONE@lemmy.world 19 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Colin Powell went to the UN and gave a 20-minute speech about Al-zarqawi, the future founder of ISIS, and claimed he was a link between Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein to try to link them together to justify invading Iraq. No one had ever heard of Al-zarqawi before Powell's speech because he was pretty much a common pimp and criminal, but that allowed him to get notoriety and start his caliphate and form ISIS

Like you said they didn't directly form ISIS but they gave the founder the ability to do it.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 3 points 4 days ago
[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 81 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

This post is dedicated to the brave Mujahideen fighters of Afghanistan

[–] Laser@feddit.org 23 points 4 days ago (1 children)
[–] Rooskie91@discuss.online 56 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

You're gonna have to go back further than that if you truly want to capture all the meddling that's been done in the middle east by the west.

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 27 points 4 days ago

all the meddling that’s been done in the middle east by the west.

Hey, I'll have you know that the ottomans came in through the east.

*gong sound effect, calendar rolls from 1800 to 1299*

[–] SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 24 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Hamas exists because the Zionist party in Isreal funded them while suppressing their opponents and helping them cheat in elections so the Zionists could use the unstable leadership to force their own influence over the country of Palestine, so they could take Palestinian land for their citizens.

The Zionist movement was also just a group of russian oppurtunist jews who successfully made themselves the jewish negotiators for the WW2 reperations.

Most jews don't think anyone owes us their land just for existing.

[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Well technically Iran as well as the multinational militant group "Society of the Muslim Brothers", which Hamas actually branched off of from their branches in Egypt decades ago, funded Hamas, but yes Israel facilitated the transactions and intentionally inhibited any possibility of someone other than Hamas controlling the Gaza Strip.

Thank you! People need to hear this more.

[–] Zess@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago

They basically arm the whole world all the time because no other country shits out firearms like that dumbass country does.

[–] RockBottom@feddit.org 11 points 4 days ago

That model was trained taking native lands. Tecumseh was aware of it all.

[–] 7bicycles@hexbear.net 7 points 4 days ago

Oh Shit...allright. Haha, I love this show. Huh? Uhh yeah hi, this is Saddam Hussein. Who is this, Bush? I'm fine yeah, I'm just having a snack. Some Dates. No, Dates, it's a fruit I don't think you have them there. They're like plums...or big raisins. Yeah I'm watching it on TV right now, are you serious about this? Oh. Why? Ummm, what's that got to do with me? Who? Oh yeah, who says that? Yeah! I asked who! What weapons!? Look, let me tell you something, I'm not sure if you know this, your dad and I we used to work together - just hold on - back in the 80s, he and I were working on this project I started, the Iran-Iraq war, you ever heard of that? HEY! HOLD ON! Okay? Your dad and rumsfeld, we did some great stuff together. He invited me to his uhhh, you know, ranch. Well, yeah except his buddies told me to borrow a bunch of money. So I try and, you know, jump on some assets in Kuwait and he freaks out! So! I don't know that that's about! But you know what? It's forgotten, okay? I don't even care now. WHAT WEAPONS!? THERE ARE NO WEAPONS! ASK YOUR DAD! I DON'T HAVE ANY JETS EITHER! FINE! I'M happy to cooperate, send inspectors, make yourself at home! Reverse what? So now we're not even doing inspectors? What happened to the inspectors? What is your problem? Put your dad on. No, no, no no, you listen to me, hee haw, put your dad on, put him on right now. PUT YOUR FATHER ON THE PHONE! That little....

[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I am wholeheartedly abhored and opposed to actions such as these, including Operation Timber Sycamore, but I think it's worth adding context that there were other players in this field on all sides. The USA also cooperated with SA, UAE, Afghanistan, UK, and Israel in many such examples and the affiliations were usually public. Likewise, Russian was actively supporting the opponents in almost every single one of these conflicts and China is currently actively supporting and arming militants in nations west of India, in Iran, and in West Africa.

So yes, horrible things are happening and should stop. It's not better that everyone else is also doing them, if anything it's much worse, but to truly oppose these actions we need to find more direct and honest approaches to opposing the world's largest dictatorships in the east.

It's still missing the CIA operation that repeatedly air-dropped extremist Islamic texts in the region to radicalize the area so they would fight the Soviets for us during the Cold War (which is the cause of the current cultural climate today and the backward slide of women's rights and freedoms).

[–] GreatAlbatross@feddit.uk 5 points 4 days ago

When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 4 days ago

Sounds like me trying and failing to play a game of Hearts of Iron IV once every couple of years.

[–] danc4498@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

Ice is coming got you Spike!