this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2024
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United States | News & Politics

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[–] Pollux 38 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

We live in an interesting time where a nation can successfully pull off a blockade for this long even without the sheer budget of navies like the US's

Weren't there so many tweets saying how "The Houthis are about to find out why we don't have free healthcare"? Well, the Houthis are still wondering why.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 3 weeks ago

In fact the whole world is wondering why the US doesn't have free healthcare.

It's a no brainer.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 weeks ago

A small nation that's been getting bombed for the past few years by Saudi with US and UK backing at that. Other countries should take notes.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I read the article and that headline is clickbait as fuck. The tl;dr was that the US sent ships but...

It wasn’t deterring the Houthis and it wasn’t reassuring shipping so they might as well go and do something else.

Anybody that has ever tried to picnic outside knows that all it takes is a handful of persistent mosquitoes to ruin the whole thing and have the entire party pick up their gear and move it indoors.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

The problem is that the Houthis are effectively irregular Iranian troops. You don't win a war by hunting down every band of irregulars, because that wastes a lot of time and resources for little gain. You win a war by destroying the immobile assets that enable the enemy to supply the irregulars. The Houthis wouldn't be firing Iranian anti-ship missiles if Iranian munitions factories were bombed, but the USA chooses not to do that.

IMO treating any attack by Iranian-made missiles as if it were launched by Iran would be a reasonable policy, but thanks to GWB's Iraq adventure the USA is still too tired from that counterproductive war to vigorously defend its interests in the Middle East. (We did Iran a big favor by overthrowing a strong centralized government in Iraq which was quite hostile to Iran and replacing it with a weak government over which Iran wields a great deal of influence.)

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago

The Houthis wouldn't be firing Iranian anti-ship missiles if Iranian munitions factories were bombed, but the USA chooses not to do that.

big "the us didn't really lose vietnam" cope energy

exploiting political reality is a valid military strategy

IMO treating any attack by Iranian-made missiles as if it were launched by Iran would be a reasonable policy

this stance would be an insane own-goal given what's going on in ukraine

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

I read the article and that headline is clickbait as fuck.

it's clickbait in the same way that vietnam defeated the us in that war they had that one time

probably the purpose of the us navy above all else is to protect shipping. like yes they're set up to fight other navies and project power, but at the end of the day, that's all so that nobody can fuck with the country's logistics.

and even given how much money gets shoveled into it, it completely failed to do so against a group of fighters with a shoestring budget.

all it takes is a handful of persistent mosquitoes to ruin the whole thing and have the entire party pick up their gear

when i go to a picnic i don't normally bring my billion-dollar mosquito killing machine, and when i do, i expect it to protect me

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

They will just keep running out of expensive interceptor missiles and have to flee again soon enough. That definitely qualifies as defeat in a military sense.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I think I missed something. OP do you have a link to an overview of the topic you're referring to?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago

About Yemen and the blockade in general? GER made an overview on it around when it started, and it hasn't changed much with the US navy unable to stop it.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago

The second line makes me want to barf: "But the EU and France haven’t given up. They’re still fighting for freedom".

Freedom from what? whom?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago

Houthis will find out why we don't have free healthcare soypoint-1

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago

he ain't the sharpest tom in the shed

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)

Pardon me, but is there a link to a reputable source that backs this up? Or is this just typical .ml chicanery?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

It's primarily to make fun of the author and Telegraph, but it's not going very well for the US navy or israel as you can see from the blockade still being up almost a year later.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It doesn’t seem to be going particularly well for anyone, really…

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago

That is true, and I doubt that will stop until the genocide does.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

No you don’t understand. The Houthis sunk 3 aircraft carriers and also destroyed Israel. It’s true I was there

[–] Pollux 5 points 3 weeks ago

We can certainly hope 😔

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

Wow, that’s… a lot. No wonder Israel is so mad, no longer existing and all…

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] -4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Only if the houthis get to define “winning”

So, not really a “reputable source”

as I suspected: .ml chicanery ;P

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

for the record, i hate that you are making me defend the tankies

  • us navy went in to protect shipping
  • the shipping was not protected
  • us navy left

what definition of "winning" are you using

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)