I'll just drop this here and then quickly leave before some geniuses try to tell me how a 3 hour operation to remove a narco-terrorist and human rights abuser is the same as spending 4 years (and counting) annexing a democracy, stealing its children and resources and flattening every inhabited area you pass through... and then somehow drags the British Empire into the conversation before temp-banning me for suggesting that they might not be geniuses.
National drug policies are bound by commitments to international law. The three key treaties shaping international law on drugs are The 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, The 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substance, The 1988 UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs...
transformdrugs.org
Venezuela: Harsh repression and crimes against humanity ongoing Fact-Finding Mission says
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-rele...-crimes-against-humanity-ongoing-fact-finding
Venezuela’s National Guard linked to killings, torture and repression, UN probe finds
Technical Difficulties
https://www.justice.gov/archives/op...-venezuelan-officials-charged-narco-terrorism
Welcome back Paddy . How was your tour of duty in the international regiment fighting for Ukraine? Came to the same conclusion as the rest of the world that Russia's bleeding the EU economies dry by indulging in a war of attrition which the Russians can afford but not the EU member states ?
As far as the rest of your tripe goes , we've seen how al Shar'a was wined & dined , hosted & feted in the US & Europe . How was yesterday's terrorist leader rehabilitated ? How was he suddenly beatified ?
Let me add to the list . There's KSA who've been indulging in similar repression since ages. Then there's Egypt . Then there's your favourite DPRK & China. Then there's Nigeria . They've oil too . Lots of it . And the Islamic groups there have been literally genociding the Xtians & other non Muslim religious groups there since long.
The list is a long one. How come your conscience wasn't troubled by all their deeds Paddy ?
Basically, if you're a scumbag narco-terrorist dictator, with multiple human rights abuses, then you need to be sure that at least one of the following is true:
a) You are not a friend of Russia or China; or
b) You live in a worthless sh1t-hole.
This is clearly better than the adversaries' approach of, we'll remove you anyway and impose a sock-puppet dictator regardless of democratic status and absence of crimes if it's convenient to us, or inconvenient to our opponents.
Those are your two choices, pick one.
That said, I'm yet to be convinced there has been a regime change in Venezuela. What Trump says and what actually is, often bear no correlation.
Thanks for the candidness Paddy. Finally you're seeing geo politics the way it is meant to be seen . As realpolitik .
Wonder if you're part of the experiment Musk's running with neural networks . I mean if they're proven on Paddys they can work on any other ethnicity around the world.
For this is the most intelligent post I've seen from you in all the 10 years I've had the misfortune of reading your posts.
I mean AI coupled with neural networks are meant to benefit the underprivileged in society. There's hope for all those afflicted with the disease now having already assumed the shape of a pandemic in the west namely the Paddyfication of the west.
Returning to the points you've raised , wonder if you've considered the repercussions of this and previous moves by the US & its vassals in Europe or across the world.
For one the USD is on the decline. Countries are gradually moving away from US bond markets to invest in bullion. That's the theme for the rest of this century where precious metals will stage a comeback after a brief period of being overshadowed by the petro dollar.
This is the direct outcome of the west seizing close to 300 billion USD in Russian assets in the west to pay for the war in Ukraine. The rest of the world has taken note & are gradually diversifying their investments.
Now comes this move of taking a head of state as prisoner. Short term it puts all those opposed to the US on guard . Long term the west's rules based order has been flushed down the commode.
If the CCP didn't have a bee in its bonnet about taking Taiwan by the end of this decade , this would truly be China's century.
Fortunately for the world that's not going to be the case & like in WW-2 where peer nations clashed giving rise to a new world order where the previous super powers UK & Little Britain were replaced by the USSR & the US , with the allies winning a Pyrrhic victory , something similar is in store this time around.
The Chinese are betting on the decline of the US & the US led west. They're right . Just not in the way the Chinese think this is going to unfold for they will be to precipitate the end the west led existing world order with them going down in the bargain.
The EU would face the same fate with the Russians in war in Ukraine once the current instalment ends & war is joined in a few years around the same time the Chinese move in on Taiwan , DPRK unleashes hell on RoK , Iran initiates war in the ME or an over confident Israel does so.
The upshot is no Marshal Plan to bail out the allies with the US economy & the USD being in free fall. Long term the US doesn't remain United but that's a long way off.
In the meanwhile Europe is pauperised & what's more there are all those lovely lovely set of Muslims you've imported wholesale to add colour to your rather dull existence. Add falling native TFR while their's is exploding & you're in for real Rock n Roll times Paddy.
I'd be cautious if I were you . Unlike Germany , the UK has always been prosperous pimping on its Empire . With that gone there's the UK's been in a state of slow decline.
And with the collapse of the existing rules based global order Little Britain would be tempted to resurrect the empire beginning with Paddyland.
Let's see how many of these predictions come true in a decade or a decade and a half.
Alhamdulillah !
PS - since we go back a long way & what the hell , you've been a great pal , may I recommend moving to Australia . That's the only western country with a bright future .
Alternatively if you choose to stay back in Little Britain , may I suggest classes in Arabic for better understanding of the Koran .
It's a virile man's religion . And that's exactly what Europe especially Little Britain needs to rejuvenate their society much like what Constantine 1700 years ago when he got the Roman Empire to adopt Xtianity.
Alhamdulillah once again.