I agree, that does sound plausible, if they had a listening station nearby.

While I agree with the broad strokes of what you’re saying, we do have enough intelligence penetration into the Russian military to predict an invasion even their own soldiers did not know about. We could potentially find out where their listening stations are. One would have to be very nearby.

Also, we have multiple subs. Revealing one temporarily does not compromise our deterrence. Nor is this move without any value, I think it’s important that we occasionally sabre-rattle back at them. It seems to be a language they understand.

All that said, I doubt nuclear WW3 is around the corner with MAD still being the case. I doubt non-nuclear WW3 is around the corner unless China joins Russia in a military alliance. What I do think is within the next few years is chipping away at the Russian economy and morale of the populace until they sue for peace in Ukraine.

It does not provide the details, but I highly doubt the polling was done anonymously online. You’re right, that would be completely useless.

However, polling done offline also needs to be anonymized, even though it is offline and the pollster knows the identities of the participants, simply to protect them from repercussions.

After WW2 everyone felt really bad. And it was a west-leaning country in a region full of oil and big trade routes.

Most of the calculus has slowly changed over the years. The Congressionally-passed treaties all still remain though.

… using the internet for fake bullshit? Impossible.

Certainly, a journalist could be an asset or informant or whatever you’d want to call it, for an intelligence service. He’s putting himself and his professional reputation at risk though. If the intelligence service wanted x piece of information about whatever, there are simply easier ways to get it. Bribe a Russian.

You don’t need to ask the American guy that everyone already knows about and is probably being watched to go look at it for you.

I also haven’t heard of any journalists being arrested for espionage in the west.

I see, I wasn’t aware the last outbreak had actually spread beyond the region. Thank you for the correction.

That said, I do not think reporting on every possible future pandemic actually helps more than it harms, in the grand scale of global mental health.

To me it looks like N Korea wanting to acquire some direct combat experience to continue to develop their skills and capabilities.

But yes, personally I was not expecting this.

We have vaccines, the last outbreak was contained. New ones can be contained as well. There is nothing mobilized support is needed for.

Unless they don’t have enough vaccines or something?

Funniest comment I’ve read in a pretty long time, props.

I just don’t really see the value of stories like this.

There is a vaccine, and it’s not capable of becoming a pandemic when it can only be transmitted through contact.

What is the benefit of updating us every time it mutates? Asides clicks for BBC.

Well, yeah, of course I cannot be certain. I am not that guy. That’s why I’m just trying to apply some basic sense. A spy to me is a person doing espionage work specifically for their government. The difference with a journalist is a journalist is not working specifically for their government, and will publicly publish their findings where a spy would usually not.

Yeah, I think it’s pretty easy to say he’s not a spy. If he was, he’s the dumbest spy in the history of spies.

Whether the CIA is interested in the guy is one thing, they’re probably interested in a lot of things. The guy working for them is another.

Spies being interested in you, and being a spy, are not the same thing.

He specifically withheld an order of cluster munitions over concerns the Israelis were using them improperly, well after the invasion was underway.

Not too different from Biden withholding the bomb shipments over Rafah.

Pretty sure that if you’re a spy, reporter is probably the worst possible cover, since a reporter is already someone that very clearly snoops, and snooping people get watched closely.

I think a much better spy would be a native born Russian, working in a lower-level job where people don’t pay a whole lot of attention to them.

People like saying Israel can’t genocide Gazans on their own. They need the US help, just because they say that and they’re getting it. Are you sure they’re not just lying about really needing it, and couldn’t use other, lower-tech methods like starvation or napalm to do it if they were forced to? Or even trebuchets if they really, really felt like it?

It’s a very tiring line. I understand wanting to pressure the US to halt military assistance, but do not think that would magically save Gaza. Biden has to deal with the harsh reality that it would not, because this isn’t a movie, or a peer-peer war where 1000lb bombs are actually genuinely necessary.

The IDF would take more casualties without 1000lb bombs 155mm artillery shells, definitely. But that’s it. They are human beings capable of adaptation and problem-solving, and could solve the problem of how to accomplish a goal without enough explosives.

Now, to fight Hezbollah on the other hand, that’s a pretty big army. Probably do need the big bombs for that.

A politician loyal to his own laws and courts, sure, I absolutely trust them more. They’re aren’t all, though. Ultimately a terrorist and a politician with no regard for their own law are very similar. Power-mad. A terrorist can even become a politician, it happens sometimes.

Yes, hamas is not good people, I do not trust them. I don’t trust politicians either though, especially the more extreme ones.

That’s why I say what sort of people the Israelis are remains to be seen. We don’t know yet. We won’t know until this is all over and we see what has become of those Gazans that are innocent. Will they be alive or dead? That will be telling.

I’m sorry for upsetting you, but don’t put words in my mouth. I’m not arguing to let Gazans “do whatever they want”, I have not said that or anything similar. If you remember, I said earlier that terrorists need to be dealt with, right?

It’s those innocents, those that are not part of hamas, that’s the sticking point. For whatever good or bad reasons they cannot leave, the fact is that today, they 100% cannot leave. So, they should not be callously butchered and/or starved simply because of what their fathers and neighbors have done.