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Imperator is where we are headed, Trump has at least slowed that dreaded day.
My god...you're serious aren't you. The guy says that president-for-life is "great". And suggests that we "give that a shot some day"
And you think he's at least slowed down the imperium.
Dude. What in the hell is wrong with you??
“He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”
and that's not exactly the only time he's talked about how great autocracy is, and how he's besties with autocrats, lol.
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov
Imperator is where we are headed, Trump has at least slowed that dreaded day.
In a way. Imperator was an acclamation of troops for a general who successfully lead them in battle. Given Trumps reticence to serve and age it seems unlikely that such an acclamation could be earned by him. Dictator or Tyrant is what I think others mean rather than Imperator. Augustus was Princeps politically basically meaning something "first Senator" in today's terms. Sure he was hailed "Imperator" too but that held no political position but was more akin to claiming that a general deserved a Triumph.
During the cold war everyone was besties with autocrats at the expense of democracy in many countries. Made for a more stable world order
If you had the misfortune of coming from a country that was important strategically or otherwise resource rich you were as good as screwed.
not personally admired, though.
ie the quote attributed at times to either FDR, Truman, or LBJ was: "he's a bastard, but at least he's our bastard."
now we have a President who openly admires the bastards.
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov
Nixon, not LBJ. And in all three cases in its correct version it was directed at the Somozas in Nicaragua. All three generations of them. I guess the - relatively common - LBJ attribution is because "it's gotta be a Democrat who said that, and of course it couldn't be JFK. Or Carter."
Maybe Kato could comment on this for me since there isn't much in U.S. news regarding how the various European countries are approaching this situation.
The German government to some extent had a "rally the allies first" approach - two-prong, with Merkel visiting Russia and China while Maas was gonna work the G20 summit. They were a bit overrun in this approach not just by other European governments (under the leadership of Macron and Federica Mogherini, our EU foreign minister) but also by the German industry which has increasingly been stating that "enough is enough".
Macron in my opinion is just trying to prove the French populace wrong, which has been accusing him in recent months of being too buddy-buddy with Trump.
The one to look for is Italy. Biggest trade partner of Iran within the EU, representing one-quarter of all trade between Iran and the EU. Not represented in the E3 that represent Europe in the JCPOA talks. In political turmoil as usual, and that's important in the current situation - besides Mogherini (who used to be with Renzi) making her statements in Italy instead of from Brussels the still incumbent government is also using the opportunity for publicity. And Italy does have enough throw-weight within Europe to move something. If you look at Iranian press agency releases they're currently really trying to lobby in that geographic direction too.
In a way, it seems like it's no win for Trump vis a vis Russia. If he tries a concerted effort to rebuild relations with Russia, the Trump-haters no matter what'ers -- the majority of whom are so-called progressive Democrats -- will claim this is proof he was a stooge of Putin all along and part of the Grand Russia Collusion Conspiracy. But if he toughens the US into a more adversarial stance to Russia (not much stooge behavior here) including increasing the US military as mentioned in the article, he'll be condemned for reverting to the same old unproductive pattern that has plagued US-Russia from administration to administration.
Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!
it remains unclear to what extent New Delhi’s support will impact the actions of Indian companies when it comes to trading with Iran. However, what is clear is that large Indian companies such as Reliance Industries, which have immense interests in the US and world economy, will likely abide by Washington’s sanctions, just as their Chinese and European counterparts will.
However, state-owned and small- or medium-sized enterprises may continue their interactions with Iran. Therefore, while Tehran can be hopeful about New Delhi’s support for trade and investment, Indian business leaders can be assumed to side with Washington.
Iran says will begin uranium enrichment at Fordow if nuclear deal unravels
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran will begin uranium enrichment at its Fordow plant and will install new nuclear equipment at its Natanz facility if it withdraws from a nuclear deal with major powers, said the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI).
The fate of the 2015 nuclear deal is unclear after the United States withdrew from it. The other signatory nations - Russia, China, Germany, Britain and France - are trying to salvage the accord, which imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in return for a lifting of some economic sanctions.
Iran has two vast enrichment sites, at Natanz and Fordow. Much of Natanz is deep underground and Fordow is buried inside a mountain, which is widely believed to protect them from aerial bombardment.
AEOI spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said in an interview published on Wednesday that new work would begin on the nuclear program on the orders of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He did not specify what kind of new equipment might be installed at Natanz.
“Currently the Supreme Leader has ordered that the programs be carried out within the parameters of the nuclear deal,” Kamalvandi told the Young Journalists’ Club (YJC) in an interview.
“And when he gives the order we will announce the programs for operating outside of the nuclear deal for reviving Fordow,” he added.
Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the AEOI, announced last week that Iran had begun work on a facility to construct advanced centrifuges at Natanz.
The announcement appeared at least in part to be an effort to pressure the remaining signatories to preserve the 2015 deal.
"Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."
Thing is even if the remaining signatories stick to the deal its unclear how long it will hold after. For the deal to survive the world would have to apply counter sanctions. All up in the air at the moment.
What are the milestones to be aware of here. Any dates from the american side.
The answer to the question what happens now from me is -- don't know
Pompeo warns Iran on nuclear arms; hopes military force will never be needed
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday warned Iran not to pursue nuclear weapons, saying it would face the “wrath of the entire world” if it did so, but added that he hoped it would never be necessary for the United States to take military action against the country.
In an interview with political columnist Hugh Hewitt conducted on Friday and broadcast the following day on MSNBC, Pompeo said that whatever the fate of the international nuclear deal with Iran, it would not be in Tehran’s interest to seek nuclear arms.
“I hope they understand that if they begin to ramp up their nuclear program, the wrath of the entire world will fall upon them,” he said.
“Wholly separate from if they spin a couple of extra centrifuges, if they began to move to a weapons program, this is something the entire world would find unacceptable and we’d end up down a path that I don’t think is in the best interests of Iran,” Pompeo said.
He said, however, he was not talking about a U.S. military response.
“When I say wrath, don’t confuse that with military action. When I say wrath, I mean the moral opprobrium and economic power that fell upon them. That’s what I’m speaking to. I’m not talking to military action here. I truly hope that that’s never the case. It’s not in anyone’s best interests for that.”
Pressed on whether the United States would do whatever it had to do to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Pompeo said: “President Trump has been unambiguous in his statements that say Iran will not be able to obtain a nuclear weapon.”
"Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."
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