3 US troops killed, 25 injured in drone attack in Jordan

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Your thoughts about America don't mean a thing to me. What is New Zealand doing about the Houthis? You do know this will affect your economy also.

Actually we're part of the coalition helping you Americans. I think the new government has even sent some of our troops to help, or at least the article i read in the paper yesterday indicated as such.

Will it affect our economy? Sure but I dont measure the value of American intervention in maintaining the current global economic system as being worth protecting. Especially if that means maintaining US global hegemony.

 

[Laodicean60]

Actually we're part of the coalition helping you Americans. I think the new government has even sent some of our troops to help, or at least the article i read in the paper yesterday indicated as such.

Will it affect our economy? Sure but I dont measure the value of American intervention in maintaining the current global economic system as being worth protecting. Especially if that means maintaining US global hegemony.

"Thankfully they have suffered some major losses in the Middle East with Afghanistan and their efforts to contain the Houthis have failed."

The underlined is what upset me. I can accept my fellow Americans arguing our wrong and will accept anything they view about our country. I understand New Zealand has gone to war with the USA supporting our hegemony. You should be talking to your own government if you don't like it.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

"Thankfully they have suffered some major losses in the Middle East with Afghanistan and their efforts to contain the Houthis have failed."

The underlined is what upset me. I can accept my fellow Americans arguing our wrong and will accept anything they view about our country. I understand New Zealand has gone to war with the USA supporting our hegemony. You should be talking to your own government if you don't like it.

If you want America as it stands now to retreat from the middle East, it must suffer losses and be pushed out by regional forces. Empires rarely leave willingly unless compelled to it and unlike the British Empire the US Empire is in no mood to recede willingly. It wants to maintain Global hegemony and make sure it's power is absolute.

It may upset you that Americans in the middle East are killed, but that's the cost of Empire. Thankfully less and less people are joining the American Empire's military. In fact less and less people are willing to die for Western militaries. This to me is a good thing and only can constrain the current hegemonic order.

Also, non Americans are allowed to have an opinion, especially since you are an Empire that insists on propagating itself everywhere.

 

[wing2000]

Interesting.....

In a surprise move, an Iran-linked militia in Iraq that the Pentagon said was likely responsible for a lethal drone attack on an U.S. base in Jordan over the weekend announced on Tuesday that it was suspending military operations in Iraq under pressure from the Iraqi government and from Iran.

The announcement came shortly after President Biden said that he had decided how to respond to the attack in Jordan on Sunday that left three U.S. soldiers dead, though he did not say what that response would be. His comment raised fears in Iraq about a possibly retaliatory U.S. attack on its territory.

The militia, Kata’ib Hezbollah, or Brigades of the Party of God, is the largest and most established of the Iran-linked groups operating in Iraq. It has spearheaded a majority of the some 160 attacks on U.S. military installations in Iraq and Syria that have occurred since Israel began its ground operations in Gaza, acting in response to the Oct. 7 attack Hamas led from the enclave.

The leader of Kata’ib Hezbollah, Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, said in a statement: “We announce the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces — in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government.” It was the first time that the militia had publicly declared a suspension of operations.

The Kata’ib Hezbollah militia says it will stop attacks, hinting at pressure from Iran and Iraq.

www.nytimes.com

 

[mindlight]

I feel that I'm not.

Disagree with the drug trade because Iran has plenty of money from oil. Those people have a Religion that is strict in the use of drugs how does Iran make its money?

I grant you direct grants funded by Iranian or indeed Syrian oil often fund the Iranian-backed proxies but they are also embedded in the drug trade and this is a major issue for Jordan and other countries that are transit nations for this trade.

Syria makes as much as $6 billion a year off the trade. Since it has little else to sell right now.

As with the Taliban, the idea is that the drugs are just for stupid Westerners or Muslims with the wrong labels and that the believers do not take them. In practice, there are more than 4 million Afghan addicts for example, and 2-3 million Iranians.

Jordan is quite ok at the moment but is facing attempts to turn it into a market by the drug gangs.

 

[mindlight]

If you want America as it stands now to retreat from the middle East, it must suffer losses and be pushed out by regional forces. Empires rarely leave willingly unless compelled to it and unlike the British Empire the US Empire is in no mood to recede willingly. It wants to maintain Global hegemony and make sure it's power is absolute.

It may upset you that Americans in the middle East are killed, but that's the cost of Empire. Thankfully less and less people are joining the American Empire's military. In fact less and less people are willing to die for Western militaries. This to me is a good thing and only can constrain the current hegemonic order.

Also, non Americans are allowed to have an opinion, especially since you are an Empire that insists on propagating itself everywhere.

There is a benefit to this hidden empire. On the whole, the USA is a force for good in one of the worst regions in the world. When US hegemony ends the world will enter a time of instability in which the risks are far higher than in previous historical eras but in which the key actors are just as ruthless.

If there was a clear quality successor to the USA then maybe we could consider the end of this dominance a good thing but the choice is the USA or China. Europe (EU) in the foreseeable future is not a coherent enough force or indeed strong enough military actor to replace the USA and is more naturally aligned with it instead. Russia remains dangerous because of its nuclear capability but is seriously weakened and on a downward trajectory as a result of the Ukraine war.

 

[mindlight]

Interesting.....

In a surprise move, an Iran-linked militia in Iraq that the Pentagon said was likely responsible for a lethal drone attack on an U.S. base in Jordan over the weekend announced on Tuesday that it was suspending military operations in Iraq under pressure from the Iraqi government and from Iran.

The announcement came shortly after President Biden said that he had decided how to respond to the attack in Jordan on Sunday that left three U.S. soldiers dead, though he did not say what that response would be. His comment raised fears in Iraq about a possibly retaliatory U.S. attack on its territory.

The militia, Kata’ib Hezbollah, or Brigades of the Party of God, is the largest and most established of the Iran-linked groups operating in Iraq. It has spearheaded a majority of the some 160 attacks on U.S. military installations in Iraq and Syria that have occurred since Israel began its ground operations in Gaza, acting in response to the Oct. 7 attack Hamas led from the enclave.

The leader of Kata’ib Hezbollah, Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, said in a statement: “We announce the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces — in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government.” It was the first time that the militia had publicly declared a suspension of operations.

The Kata’ib Hezbollah militia says it will stop attacks, hinting at pressure from Iran and Iraq.

www.nytimes.com

More about the group here:

https://www.reuters.com/world/who-is-kataib-hezbollah-group-blamed-killing-us-troops-2024-01-29/#:~:text=%2D%20The%20group%20has%20a%20translational,called%20for%20their%20forceful%20expulsion.

So the motive here is the general resistance to US troops in the region coupled with a Shiite persuasion that the borders between Iraq, Iran and Syria are fictional constructs of Western powers.

The group is funded directly by Iran

National Counterterrorism Center | FTOs

Contains many features across the full range of issues pertaining to international terrorism: terrorist groups, wanted terrorists, and technical pages on various threat-related topics

www.dni.gov

 

[Laodicean60]

The leader of Kata’ib Hezbollah, Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, said in a statement: “We announce the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces — in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government.” It was the first time that the militia had publicly declared a suspension of operations.

Maybe Iran heard Biden and heard what some of the Republicans said they wanted to do.

 

[Laodicean60]

So the motive here is the general resistance to US troops in the region coupled with a Shiite persuasion that the borders between Iraq, Iran and Syria are fictional constructs of Western powers.

Thank you for Reuters I don't subscribe to NYT. Now Iran better tell the Houthis to stop What is worse than soldiers getting killed is civilians for doing their jobs. Inflation will come back maybe then it will be an issue for everyone.
You mentioned China's dominance in this area if we leave. I'm not sure it will happen because Middle Eastern religious beliefs consider us infidels. We had Shia and Sunni who kept themselves busy until we stepped in. You've heard the saying: The Enemy of my Enemy is My Friend, because we are big satan. This also holds true with Russia and China about Ukraine.

 

[Laodicean60]

I grant you direct grants funded by Iranian or indeed Syrian oil often fund the Iranian-backed proxies but they are also embedded in the drug trade and this is a major issue for Jordan and other countries that are transit nations for this trade.

Syria makes as much as $6 billion a year off the trade. Since it has little else to sell right now.

As with the Taliban, the idea is that the drugs are just for stupid Westerners or Muslims with the wrong labels and that the believers do not take them. In practice, there are more than 4 million Afghan addicts for example, and 2-3 million Iranians.

Jordan is quite ok at the moment but is facing attempts to turn it into a market by the drug gangs.

Thank you for this information.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

There is a benefit to this hidden empire. On the whole, the USA is a force for good in one of the worst regions in the world. When US hegemony ends the world will enter a time of instability in which the risks are far higher than in previous historical eras but in which the key actors are just as ruthless.

If there was a clear quality successor to the USA then maybe we could consider the end of this dominance a good thing but the choice is the USA or China. Europe (EU) in the foreseeable future is not a coherent enough force or indeed strong enough military actor to replace the USA and is more naturally aligned with it instead. Russia remains dangerous because of its nuclear capability but is seriously weakened and on a downward trajectory as a result of the Ukraine war.

The US Hegemonic order being a force for good is highly contentious. I suppose if you like the death of civilisation and the stifling rule of one power over all then yeah its good. If you desire a world where people are free to live according to different systems than 'liberal democracy' then it is bad.

Interesting you say Russia is on a downward trajectory when one could say the exact same thing regarding the USA.

Why should I want the US to dominate the world?

 

[Valletta]

..."shock and awe" over Bagdad is how we got into this mess in the first place.

The jihadists have been around for a long time and they are the source of problems. However, tactically the United States has made huge blunders, much of it do to arrogance at high levels and a lack of U.S. government transparency and accountability. Our country makes the same mistakes over and over. When Iraq was ready to invade Kuwait, the Bush administration received the highest possible intelligence community warning that an attack was coming. The Bush White House ignored the warning, they could have stopped it. That set off major conflicts. The next Bush too blundered by invading Iraq without probable cause. And now Joe's policy of appeasement with Iran is a disaster, with probably the worst yet to come.

 

[Hans Blaster]

Why should I want the US to dominate the world?

We're the only ones keeping the Aussies in check.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

We're the only ones keeping the Aussies in check.

So no actual reason then.

 

[IceJad]

The US Hegemonic order being a force for good is highly contentious. I suppose if you like the death of civilisation and the stifling rule of one power over all then yeah its good. If you desire a world where people are free to live according to different systems than 'liberal democracy' then it is bad.

Interesting you say Russia is on a downward trajectory when one could say the exact same thing regarding the USA.

Why should I want the US to dominate the world?

I don't know if you live a very secluded life or just don't understand world power balance. Hegemony is going to happen whether you like it or not. The larger and stronger nation will exert their dominance toward other smaller and weaker nations.

If you don't want to live under US hegemony then you better get comfortable living under the next hegemony and that likely means China/Russia led. So if you think "liberal democracy" is bad to live under than you're not going to enjoy autocratic more.

I don't like hegemony. However I'm not oblivious to the necessary evil. I would like to have all nations equal but that is but a fantasy since the beginning of human civilization. And spoiler alert it's not going to change.

Between a US hegemony or a China/Russia one, at gun point I would choose the US.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

I don't know if you live a very secluded life or just don't understand world power balance. Hegemony is going to happen whether you like it or not. The larger and stronger nation will exert their dominance toward other smaller and weaker nations.

If you don't want to live under US hegemony then you better get comfortable living under the next hegemony and that likely means China/Russia led. So if you think "liberal democracy" is bad to live under than you're not going to enjoy autocratic more.

I don't like hegemony. However I'm not oblivious to the necessary evil. I would like to have all nations equal but that is but a fantasy since the beginning of human civilization. And spoiler alert it's not going to change.

Between a US hegemony or a China/Russia one, at gun point I would choose the US.

I would prefer a multipolar world order where great powers have to compete for the loyalty of smaller nations and can't rely on simply exerting control like the US does.

I don't want China to become the Unipolar leader of the world, nor do I think it will, but I would prefer it rise to become equal to the USA.

 

[IceJad]

I would prefer a multipolar world order where great powers have to compete for the loyalty of smaller nations and can't rely on simply exerting control like the US does.

I don't want China to become the Unipolar leader of the world, nor do I think it will, but I would prefer it rise to become equal to the USA.

So you would want to have to power of a king maker then. Where nations have to fight for your affection. So the logical conclusion is even if the nation who doesn't align with your values gives you a better benefit you're willing to side with it.

I however look at value alignment more than being a king maker. I don't like to live in a world led by autocracy, so I'll side with the one closest to my value. There isn't a need to compete for my loyalty for you will not have it. You'll only have my support as long as our values align. So happens I like democratic values.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

So you would want to have to power of a king maker then. Where nations have to fight for your affection. So the logical conclusion is even if the nation who doesn't align with your values gives you a better benefit you're willing to side with it.

I however look at value alignment more than being a king maker. I don't like to live in a world led by autocracy, so I'll side with the one closest to my value. There isn't a need to compete for my loyalty for you will not have it. You'll only have my support as long as our values align. So happens I like democratic values.

It's more a system of patronage where the powers on top have to compete for the affection of particular nations and are less likely to be able to dictate to nations in order to compel them. Doing so can push them into the arms of your enemy after all.

I am not a king maker, but I do not think US hegemony is worth protecting because in order to protect it you will need a war in order to put down rising powers like China. Why not gracefully go out or must we have ww3 in order for American dominance to continue?

I happen to not like democratic values but prefer Christian values. So whatever allows the latter to flourish is to be preferred. The USA dominating the world will not allow Christian values to flourish because the USA and its values are Anti Christian.

 

[Laodicean60]

And the winner of the arms purchases is Poland!

The Real Victors In All The Bloodshed: US Arms Exports Hit Record High In 2023 | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

 

[wing2000]

Maybe Iran heard Biden and heard what some of the Republicans said they wanted to do.

It seems that both the Iranian and Iraqi governments were applying pressure on the group. Iran (nor Iraq) doesn't wants to avoid attacks on its soil (as some were calling for in the US Government). We'll see if Iran is calling time out temporarily or if the attacks resume.