I wouldn’t be surprised if they had tried.

including potentially on future security arrangements for Ukraine

Ukraine already signed a security, non-aggression arrangement with Russia back when they annexed Crimea. Russia violated that one, so why would Ukraine expect Russia to not violate this one?

Ah, yes, just one last search. “In days” based on “new leads.”

There’s no geopolitical or moral reason for China to step out of its yard, so to speak, is what I meant.

It’s one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, which China uses to send its goods to the West. I feel like protecting that major trade route would be a geopolitical reason for China to step up. I get that they are currently targeting Israel’s allies in the attacks, but sometimes mistakes happen and sometimes rebel groups don’t share the same goals as their financial backers.

I think you misunderstand what the person you are replying to is saying. He isn’t saying that the majority of Taiwan considers itself part of the CCP and wants to reunite with the current Chinese government. He is saying they consider Taiwan as part of Taiwan’s China and would like to rule over China again with the CCP gone. Taiwan is where the Chinese ruling party fled to when the rebels won the civil war, which was then taken over by another country, then another country, then set free to be independent, and now the CCP/China wants Taiwan to be in their fold.

I disagree with the assessment that the CCP won’t risk an invasion in the next decade, though.

I’m sorry, but a 10% drop isn’t a “plummet.” That’s a dip. Sure, it’s a big dip; but when prices have gone up 300% in 15 years and roughly 10% every year in general the last 2 decades, this is just a down year.

I feel like corrupt police officers should know better than to steal from a fucking cartel.

but I don’t think requiring agreement on international politics should be required for citizenship

It’s almost like you didn’t actually read what I said.

Misleading title. There’s a big difference between recognizing the right to exist of a country vs “supporting” a country.

That said, I also think there’s a big difference between recognizing the right to exist of a country and the right to exist of a people. Human rights is one thing, but I don’t think requiring agreement on international politics should be required for citizenship. I don’t support a lot of things the US does, so I don’t think that should be a requirement for citizenship.

A) They are not getting an increase in aviation accidents. You are just hearing about it more.

B) This specific “plane-icopter” has been a dangerous piece of shit since it was first flown in 1989 (and not introduced until 2007 because of all the troubles they had with it).

C) The Osprey is 35 year old technology that’s showing its age.

It really needs emphasized how sparse the country is. They only have 800,000 people in a country the size of Kansas. Kansas is known as barely populated farmland, and they have 3,000,000 people. They are 83rd in the world by size of country but 166th in the world by population.

They are in the Rio pact, which has most South American countries including Venezuela, but not Guyana.

Brazil has already mobilized forces on the border with Venezuela. I thought Guyana also had a mutual defense treaty with the US, but I’m not finding it right now. They aren’t part of the Rio Pact, but Venezuela is.

From what I read, the results of that referendum weren’t completely above the board. Some ridiculous percentage of the total population cast votes, which isn’t typical of a country where voting isn’t compulsory.

I see a big difference between Russia (one of the world’s largest armies who has invaded Ukraine and Georgia in very recent times) possibly invading a country without any mutual defense treaty, and Venezuela (who hasn’t been in any type of war since the civil wars in the early 1900s) invading a country with a mutual defense treaty with the US. Brazil has already mobilized troops on their border with Venezuela. EDIT: I can’t find whether they still have a mutual defense treaty with the US. They aren’t part of the Rio Pact.

I was not one of the people saying “nothing is going to happen” on Reddit about Ukraine. After Crimea and Georgia, I didn’t doubt Putin would do something.

I’ll categorize this under “nothing is going to happen.”

There is a mutual defense treaty that pretty much all North/South American countries signed. Venezuela is not going to war with the US. That wouldn’t end well, and Maduro knows it. This is just posturing to gain the support of nationalists.

And modern ICE cars have all those same diodes. It isn’t like you trade 2000 moving parts in an ICE vs 20 in an EV for 20 electronic parts in an ICE vs 2000 in an EV. The EVs have some extra battery conditioning electronics that ICEs don’t have and some regen braking stuff, but they also don’t have ignition timing, transmission controllers, etc. I’d venture that all washes out.

From my very limited experience with Freemasons here in Southern California, they are religious but very tolerant and accepting. No girls, though.

I’m shocked, SHOCKED, that it is Murfreesboro.

Appropriate username with this post.

If you want to use the couples therapy analogy, it would be more like you were forced into an arranged marriage with an abusive person, then you got forcefully divorced and remarried, then divorced again and your first ex-spouse started beating you (again) and trying to remarry you, then after decades of separation that ex-ex is now forcing you at gun point to go to couples therapy because they don’t want you to keep the property you got in the divorce settlement.

If you want to talk about the yankees, it would be more like the south successfully seceded but later decided they wanted to start a war to be one country again.