I'm re-listening to Blowback S1, and the parallels are crazy. Saddam played by the international community's rules, too; he tried tirelessly to reassure everyone that he had no weapons of mass destruction. There's even an account of him meeting his generals and telling them that he really didn't have any WMD, and the generals didn't believe him because they assumed he just would have hidden the WMD from them, and because not having any would've been a terrible strategy.

Iran did the same thing and look at the result.

[–] Evilsandwichman@hexbear.net 30 points 1 week ago (2 children)

and the generals didn't believe him because not having any would've been a terrible strategy

I'm crying laughing because.....I can't even put it into words how this makes me feel; Saddam cooperated so hard with the 'international' community, and his reward was monstrous cruelty:

Sanctions were placed on his country on the basis of him stopping the production of 'WMDs' (offensive weaponry; let's call it for what it is, offensive weaponry), and in (1991?) he did, but the sanctions didn't end (sanctions which, BY THE WAY, the human rights coordinator to Baghdad quit his job so he could criticize it as a genocide; his replacement? ALSO QUIT CITING THE SAME REASON!)
In 2003 when the government accused him of producing WMDs, the UN demanded that he cooperate and allow their investigators to check, so he did
Our government wasn't convinced and demanded their own investigators be allowed to go check, so he did

Saddam cooperated the whole time because he trusted 'the system', and what was his reward? Not only for his country to be invaded and a million people murdered, but even THAT ASPECT, that he COOPERATED isn't front and center on every newspaper in the world, instead just constant parroting 'dictator, dictator, dictator'

Iran cooperated with the 'international community' and has worked with the IAEA and even signed the NPT, AND THE AYATOLLAH PASSED A FATWA BANNING NUCLEAR WEAPONS, and Tulsi Gabbard even recognized that no, they WEREN'T working on a nuclear weapons, and what's been their reward? The military situation with them reaching the point where the world is wondering if America might just nuke them. Iran's mistake honestly was that despite recognizing America as the greater Satan they STILL wanted to cooperate in good faith with our government! Like bro, you had it on the money when you called our government the great Satan, why would you try and engage in diplomacy with Satan?!

The DPRK recognized very sagely that America wasn't the only problem, and I'm beginning to wonder if France holding Vietnam hostage as a colony and Hong Kong by the British as a colony (nations within their region), if it may have helped them see the bigger picture. You can't cooperate with Western powers; it's not just a risk, but a guaranteed horror somewhere down the line.

[–] TraschcanOfIdeology@hexbear.net 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

but even THAT ASPECT, that he COOPERATED isn't front and center on every newspaper in the world, instead just constant parroting 'dictator, dictator, dictator'

The fact that he cooperated openly and without protest was used as further evidence of his guilt. It's so fucking backwards.

parenti Parenti's quote is over 40 years old and was about the ussr. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[–] Belly_Beanis@hexbear.net 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I think Saddam naively believed since the US helped him take power in Iraq, hijack the Ba'ath party, and invaded Iran that they wouldn't be so ghoulish as to turn on him. Why he didn't learn this lesson sooner during the Gulf War when America attacked his retreating army is anyone's guess.

[–] Evilsandwichman@hexbear.net 28 points 1 week ago

respect for international law is critical

Iran: Follows IAEA rules (and as Iran pointed out, they've been silent in the face of America's attack) and a signatory of the NPT

Israel: Refuses to be investigated for existence of nuclear weapons and not a signatory of the NPT

Ursula: rEsPeCt fOr iNtErNaTiOnAL LaW iS cRiTiCaL

Absolutely malicious tool of Western hegemony; I will celebrate when all/most of the global South finally pivots to China and Russia while Western diplomats keep rushing to African, Middle Eastern, Asian and South American countries to beg them to stop and trust them again.

[–] gueybana@hexbear.net 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

For there to be world peace, Iran must have nukes and the warmongring pigs in Amerisntreal must be silenced

[–] XxFemboy_Stalin_420_69xX@hexbear.net 6 points 1 week ago

king shit

[–] NPa@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago

The lawless Soviets are killing our brave and innocent settlers in Ukraine and Poland; Wir müssen das Völkerrecht respektieren! i-am-adolf-hitler