emptywheel

You should look into who al-Sadr is if you’re comparing him to Trump.

Thanks. I knew who he was when I made the comparison. Maybe you need to look up who Trump is?

If you do, you’d not make the offhanded comparison.

Please don't tell me what kind of comparison is legit to make between populists inciting violence.

al-Sadr doesn’t just incite, interfering with his objectives, at times, has resulted in horrific violence on a grand scale. Trump just makes you seethe. Big difference.

Admittedly thus far Trump has just incited smaller terrorist attacks in multiple countries (only giving him partial credit for Charlottesville). But he's just getting started.

Agree, any political violence here at home should be immediately condemned, or it allows ppl to imagine there’s tacit support. al-Sadr is different though, violence is a tool and always within his calculus if he feels inciting it is warranted. We don’t live in that environment.

We don't? Then why won't Trump condemn those who conduct violence in support of him? Again, i think you need to read up on this Trump fellow.

US foreign policy in a nutshell: It has been long on wishful thinking & short on planned projected results. Wonder if that ever dawns on our foreign policy think tanks & punditry?

I bet it has but talking heads like to discuss short term, immediate implications or audience I think loses interest. We are such an instant gratification society with short attention spans, and the media to their credit gives us exactly what we want.

Only a madman repeats the same insanity expecting different results. I don't think the entire US establishment for decades was made up of madmen; hard to see this happening w/o the military industrial complex--which profits from this madness--having hijacked US fp.

The MIC certainly had a significant effect, but the wishful thinking of US foreign policy far predates the MIC. 100, even 200 hundred years ago, the US foreign policy establishment was enthralled with itself & its crusade to shape the world in our own imagined image.

Whether it was an accident of history, the US was formed by some amazingly thoughtful people. Since then, many stupid, and yes, even evil things have been done by those sheltering behind that brilliant creation.

We invaded Russia in support of the "White Russians" 100 years ago. To support a Czarist regime where corruption & autocratic rule doomed millions for centuries. We've continued to support autocratic & deeply inhumane regimes to this very day.