@cenkuygur Based on recent polls the majority of Lebanese from every sect (except the Shias) want Hizbollah gone. But 100% of Cenk Uygurs want Lebanon to continue to be dominated by a jihadist mafia.
@suastusa@Jaamennn@PeterBeinart Literally the PA is a kleptocracy which is what pushed people to vote for Hamas in their last election. Only problem is Hamas is a jihadist kleptocracy. That’s why I say that incentives are important and are not straightforward in this equation.
@suastusa@Jaamennn@PeterBeinart So there’s a different in scale and a difference between behavioural and systemic. Bibi is corrupt compared to prime ministers of western democracies, but that is very far from the entire Palestinian system that is corrupt from foundation in its entirety.
@BenMclaine@derJamesJackson Palestine Solidarity supports a jihadist cause thousands of miles away. People should be more outraged about beheadings in their own neighbourhood.
@suastusa@Jaamennn@PeterBeinart I mean you might not want to accept this but Hamas and Hizbollah are more like a mafia than a government . They steal funds aimed at helping their people and they also shake down the locals “for the cause”. No one from Gaza should be a billionaire yet Hamas leaders are.
@suastusa@Jaamennn@PeterBeinart Im talking about incentives and value structure. Right now there is zero incentive structure for Hizbollah to disarm for example, even though that is the will of the majority of Lebanese. They are not the ones that would “benefit” from the peace.
@suastusa@Jaamennn@PeterBeinart How do you think all these Hamas leaders like Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyah (RIP) become billionaires? Do they manage tech companies on the side? It’s all from stolen funds. The conflict keeps them rich and keeps them relevant.
@suastusa@Jaamennn@PeterBeinart I mean are you arguing that a culture that sends suicide bombers cares about their people as much as a culture that invented the iron dome?
@suastusa@Jaamennn@PeterBeinart Also this has nothing to do with Lebanon. Israel does not “want” any Lebanese land, what they want is to not have to evacuate their northern towns and cities every few months.
@suastusa@Jaamennn@PeterBeinart Of course they do. There is absolutely no doubt that they do. Israel is an advanced society that benefits from peace so they can build startups, boost their economy and continuously raise their standard of living. No Israeli parent wants to have to send their kids to the army.
@suastusa@Jaamennn@PeterBeinart It’s not that they “want” their children to die it’s that their warfare strategy depends on a numerical advantage you use to overwhelm your enemy. This naturally results in more deaths on the jihadist side, which they’ve been indoctrinated to accept.
@BIssahary@yudapearl@davidmdraiman There’s some wise elders trying to tell you to “drink in moderation” but a lot of Americans just want to get fucked up (on antisemitism).