Post #711383

2026-03-22 13:53 UTC

@cstross@wandering.shop @isaackuo@spacey.space I think its even simpler - Iranian leadership has been planning for this for 50 years and are clearly prepared to extract maximum pain from the world until the us is stopped. Meanwhile us leadership appears to have thrown out 50 years of knowledge about Iran, strategic alliances, soft economic power, and every other advantage they had that wasn't "more expensive weapons" and started a war with about 5 seconds of thought More planning went into the Iraq War for fucks sake

Replies (7)

@jmax@mastodon.social 2026-03-22 14:18

@Jer @cstross @isaackuo 5 seconds is generous. I suspect imaginary numbers are necessary to quantify the planning for this one.

Open ##1626148
@isaackuo@spacey.space 2026-03-22 14:19

@Jer @cstross Be that as it may, Iranian leadership could do nothing but vaguely hunker down and wait for the bombs to stop raining ... and they'd still win.

Open ##1626150
@elricofmelnibone@mastodon.social 2026-03-22 14:22

@Jer "Until the US is stopped"? And who's going to stop them? The only way this ends is from within the US. There is zero chance of an external party forcing the US to see reason. Their poltical leadership is too far down the shitter.

Open ##1626151
@otmar@infosec.exchange 2026-03-22 14:52

@Jer @cstross @isaackuo and now Trump is trying to out-escalate religious fanatics whose fetish is martyrdom. Ain't going to work.

Open ##1626153
@faduda@mastodon.ie 2026-03-22 17:52

@Jer @cstross @isaackuo All those "so-called experts" were woke, you see. The loyalty purges were necessary to placate the Beast of Mar a Lago.

Open ##1626161
@Kathmandu@stranger.social 2026-03-22 23:19

@Jer @cstross @isaackuo US leadership appears to have gotten to the point where "The USA might not be able to control the course of events" counts as an Outside Context Problem. I don't think any of our legislators realize how the next couple years are going to go, nor that their only chance to affect that was 3 weeks ago. They seem to believe they can observe events and if, in the future, things will go too far, they'll be able to call it all off at that point.

Open ##1626167
@qhstone@mstdn.social 2026-03-23 20:21

@Jer @cstross @isaackuo Trump has never understood soft power. Just like he doesn’t understand alliances or friendship.

Open ##1626197