alt.hn

3/13/2026 at 8:09:38 PM

U.S. Tech Giants Flocked to the Persian Gulf. Now They Are Targets

 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/technology/amazon-google-persian-gulf-war.html

by standardUser

3/13/2026 at 8:27:19 PM

It was obvious for everyone with 2 brain cells to rub together, that the gulf states invited so many US companies to open up shop there, as a defence insurance policy, so that the US government has monetary interests in the area besides oil, to intervene and defend in case of an attack.

Well played from their side, as that's how this game works.

And for those who didn't get it before, Marco Rubio even went out and publicly said Ukraine should sell rare earth rights to the US so that they have something there to defend to justify to the public providing a security guarantee for Ukraine. He basically spelled it out in layman's terms how the game is played. You can dislike it, you can disagree with it, but this is how it always worked, even if the general public was not aware of it. It's nothing to do with defending freedom, democracy, honor, values, whatever, it's all about preserving and making money.

by joe_mamba

3/13/2026 at 9:04:08 PM

But I thought it was all for democracy and freedom.

by tchalla

3/13/2026 at 11:05:40 PM

How exactly did you think Ukraine was going to pay back the hundreds of billions they borrowed from the US? Print more hryvnia?

by kernal

3/14/2026 at 9:55:45 AM

There are many forms of power in the world. If you think of geopolitics purely in terms of money, you miss all the others, and then it still costs you money.

Which is not to say money doesn't do anything, it does, it's just that one of the others is "reputation", and everyone who signed up to the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances and then ignored it or weaselled out of it, damaged their own reputation. Russia moreso than the USA, obviously, but even the USA being unconcerned about this will make it very much harder if the conditions rhyme in future and someone else is expected to give up nukes in exchange for a "Security Assurance".

A damaged reputation makes it more expensive to get other things you may want; from everyone, even the non-involved.

by ben_w

3/14/2026 at 9:11:15 AM

They're unwilling modern battlefield tactics tester and actually losing the Ukraine to Russia would be a pretty big blow to the Europe and to the lesser extent to NATO.

Its not like the rest of the world is not getting anything from Ukrainians standing up to the genocidal KGB* apparatchik.

*yes, i know, FSB. Same organisation really.

by subscribed

3/14/2026 at 11:36:23 AM

It was KGB in his early career, so KGB works, too.

by ahartmetz

3/13/2026 at 11:36:33 PM

Though most of the "rare earth" stuff seems to be bullshit based on memes built on not understanding that rare earths aren't rare.

Like the Venezuela oil stuff, it's a half remembered fantasy of what was important when Trump's brain still functioned, several decades ago.

They're destroying America's reputation and alliances for fools gold.

by ZeroGravitas

3/14/2026 at 3:34:54 PM

Everyone knows they aren't "that" rare. What's rare is a country willing to poison its environment to extract and refine them. China used to be that, but now they aren't, so the west is looking for friendly nations to replace China.

That's where Ukraine comes in since they have bigger issues right now than environmental concerns and are desperate enough to be easily exploitable by the western powers that used to exploit China when it was weak. It's how it works.

by joe_mamba

3/13/2026 at 8:59:26 PM

[dead]

by nine_zeros

3/13/2026 at 9:20:02 PM

Elect a clown, get a circus. Elect a tyrant, get tyranny. Elect a thief, get stolen from. Elect a serial rapist, expect a crime spree as they try to outrun justice. Elect someone who is all of the above and get utter chaos that is inhospitable to long term business.

by mindslight

3/13/2026 at 11:08:30 PM

[flagged]

by kernal

3/13/2026 at 11:35:14 PM

How the hell could you type that out with a straight face.

This is some darvo tier shit.

by lovich

3/14/2026 at 12:06:36 AM

Trump was a registered Democrat and he sure as Hell isn't a conservative, so in a weird way that statement actually checks out.

by mindslight

3/14/2026 at 12:09:57 PM

Out of these two he is DEFINITELY not a Democrat, and the current MAGA-flavoured Republican regime supports him across the board so......

And it's quite clear he doesn't support democracy in any way possible.

by subscribed

3/14/2026 at 4:30:39 PM

I'm just curious - did you see that I also wrote the top-level comment strongly condemning Grump, that brought out the crazies in the first place? I didn't intend the follow up comment be be taken as a hyper-literal statement of facts, and it feels like that directionality should have been clear from context.

by mindslight

3/14/2026 at 2:12:18 AM

It doesn’t because he’s done all his bad shit as the Republican candidate.

Like the Jesus with you as well and being able to type that out and believe it

by lovich

3/14/2026 at 2:31:01 AM

Oh come on, there's no need to argue with everybody. I was just amplifying the absurdity and throwing it back in terms the fascists understand.

by mindslight

3/14/2026 at 12:35:40 AM

He’s definitely a conservative.

by cocacola1

3/14/2026 at 12:47:08 AM

Depends on your definition. He's sure not what was considered "conservative" a decade or two ago. But he is what is currently labeled "conservative".

The older definition was small government, limited federal power, fiscally conservative, protect the Constitution. The new definition is... something very different.

by AnimalMuppet

3/14/2026 at 4:02:35 AM

This hasn't been true for probably over 40 years. Every conservative presidency has resulted in causing more budgetary issues, increasing the power of the feds and chipping away at the constitution. You can look at the actions taken and the budget over the years. Reagan massively blew up the national debt with Reaganomics, George W followed in his wake and so did Trump. The new definition of the GOP is just what happens when the mask fully falls off and they don't feel a need to lie to people.

by fzeroracer

3/14/2026 at 12:49:19 AM

In the pejorative sense the word has taken on as the wheels have slowly come off the cart for the past several decades, sure. But as far as the lofty ideals outlined by conservative thinkers, an "institutional arsonist" is basically the polar opposite. The conservatives with any principles remaining got labeled "RINO" and sidelined. And that's saying a lot given what had previously passed for principles.

A correct term is "reactionary", as Yarvin outlines in A Gentle Introduction... . Or less awkwardly and more plainly, "fascist".

by mindslight

3/13/2026 at 9:36:40 PM

[flagged]

by electtrump

3/13/2026 at 9:42:09 PM

Is complaining about an unnecessary conflict that is disrupting the global economy really insufferable? I mean my coworkers constantly bitched and moaned about things Biden was doing that just seems quaint comparatively. Namely about the cost of living, gas prices, and instability in the Middle East. All things Trump has definitely made significantly worst in comparison to just doing nothing.

by kemotep

3/14/2026 at 7:49:38 PM

Don't worry, he's just not tired of winning yet.

by karmakurtisaani

3/13/2026 at 9:42:16 PM

I'm a libertarian. You've blinded yourself by defining anything that isn't fundamentalist right reactionary as this catchall "leftist" bogeyman.

I most certainly understand the frustration that led you to this charlatan who you thought could at least stick a fork in the eye of the status quo. The problem is you didn't listen to your fellow countrymen telling you that the fork would inevitably go into your own eye even harder. And you still aren't even as the results become ever more painfully clear.

by mindslight

3/13/2026 at 11:03:26 PM

[flagged]

by kernal

3/13/2026 at 11:18:56 PM

This article isn't PR for the Iranian regime, it highlights how unstable and non-business friendly the region is. If anything it's a warning...

by superhuzza

3/13/2026 at 11:34:10 PM

Ah right, I forgot amazon was saying an object hit their data center and wasn’t admitting it was a bomb still.

The Iranians can’t project force far enough to be an existential threat to these companies but they’ve already taken damage to their assets in the region

by lovich