Serious Professional
@blazeduncle.bsky.social
I do important work.
Azov is a ticking time bomb and I’ll leave it at that.
December 6, 2025 at 6:41 AM
Azov is a ticking time bomb and I’ll leave it at that.
I’ve heard that’s something of a problem
December 6, 2025 at 6:28 AM
I’ve heard that’s something of a problem
Weird place to take this. I’m gonna call it a night.
December 6, 2025 at 6:06 AM
Weird place to take this. I’m gonna call it a night.
Now I haven’t studied this specifically, but I’d wager that “interest convergence” doesn’t apply when the much more powerful party’s interests are, on the long term, deeply antagonistic to the weaker party’s interests. Eventually those interests violently diverge.
December 6, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Now I haven’t studied this specifically, but I’d wager that “interest convergence” doesn’t apply when the much more powerful party’s interests are, on the long term, deeply antagonistic to the weaker party’s interests. Eventually those interests violently diverge.
And if it’s in US leaders’ interest to prolong the war and rake in as much money as it can for weapons manufacturers, regardless of the costs regular Ukrainians will have to suffer, that wouldn’t affect your judgement?
December 6, 2025 at 5:49 AM
And if it’s in US leaders’ interest to prolong the war and rake in as much money as it can for weapons manufacturers, regardless of the costs regular Ukrainians will have to suffer, that wouldn’t affect your judgement?
And if it’s in the US’s interest to use its power and influence to keep Ukraine in a state of war, because that brings a nice windfall to US and European weapons manufactures, it is right for the US to supply weapons to Ukraine now and in the future.
Yeah I see what you mean it’s pretty simple.
Yeah I see what you mean it’s pretty simple.
December 6, 2025 at 5:46 AM
And if it’s in the US’s interest to use its power and influence to keep Ukraine in a state of war, because that brings a nice windfall to US and European weapons manufactures, it is right for the US to supply weapons to Ukraine now and in the future.
Yeah I see what you mean it’s pretty simple.
Yeah I see what you mean it’s pretty simple.
Making ethical judgements requires actually understanding the situation enough to make an informed judgement. You can go ahead and keep stepping on rakes in a morally pure way if you’d like, but I doubt that helps anyone.
December 6, 2025 at 5:39 AM
Making ethical judgements requires actually understanding the situation enough to make an informed judgement. You can go ahead and keep stepping on rakes in a morally pure way if you’d like, but I doubt that helps anyone.
We’re not talking about grain speculation, we’re talking about militaries and diplomacy. Those don’t exist in a vacuum but are the constantly evolving interactions of power and interests. To set those interests aside as morally irrelevant is to blind yourself to likely potential future developments
December 6, 2025 at 5:35 AM
We’re not talking about grain speculation, we’re talking about militaries and diplomacy. Those don’t exist in a vacuum but are the constantly evolving interactions of power and interests. To set those interests aside as morally irrelevant is to blind yourself to likely potential future developments
It goes beyond academic interest. All of your examples exist within a simple snapshot in time, but that’s not how international relations work. They’re not a series of one-offs. Motives indicate future actions and must be considered always.
December 6, 2025 at 5:31 AM
It goes beyond academic interest. All of your examples exist within a simple snapshot in time, but that’s not how international relations work. They’re not a series of one-offs. Motives indicate future actions and must be considered always.
Those considerations actually matter a lot because they indicate the direction of future behavior, which needs to be taken into account when you’re dealing with the most powerful military machine in human history
December 6, 2025 at 5:28 AM
Those considerations actually matter a lot because they indicate the direction of future behavior, which needs to be taken into account when you’re dealing with the most powerful military machine in human history
I don’t think it’s asinine to consider the motives of the most powerful actors in a situation
December 6, 2025 at 5:26 AM
I don’t think it’s asinine to consider the motives of the most powerful actors in a situation
You’re making it sound like U.S. weapons transfers exist in a vacuum where all other considerations about U.S. power and influence are irrelevant
December 6, 2025 at 5:21 AM
You’re making it sound like U.S. weapons transfers exist in a vacuum where all other considerations about U.S. power and influence are irrelevant
It’s not so much the self-interest of the country writ large but the interests of the most powerful factions within whichever country. It wasn’t in US imperial interests to invade Iraq but it sure made Dick Cheney a lot of money.
December 6, 2025 at 5:13 AM
It’s not so much the self-interest of the country writ large but the interests of the most powerful factions within whichever country. It wasn’t in US imperial interests to invade Iraq but it sure made Dick Cheney a lot of money.
The building’s still burning and instead of hauling you out, they’re barring the door and giving you little cups of water to put it out
December 6, 2025 at 5:07 AM
The building’s still burning and instead of hauling you out, they’re barring the door and giving you little cups of water to put it out
I’ve heard it has something to do with the peculiar shape of the Russian skull
December 6, 2025 at 5:05 AM
I’ve heard it has something to do with the peculiar shape of the Russian skull
Wow, history really is pretty simple and straightforward. That’s neat.
December 6, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Wow, history really is pretty simple and straightforward. That’s neat.
I mean if you’re referring to actual history, the entire ruling class was pretty ambitious. The rapid expansion of the “republic” (but really empire, pre-principate) brought in massive amounts of centralized wealth making one-person rule basically there for whoever could take and hold it.
December 6, 2025 at 4:53 AM
I mean if you’re referring to actual history, the entire ruling class was pretty ambitious. The rapid expansion of the “republic” (but really empire, pre-principate) brought in massive amounts of centralized wealth making one-person rule basically there for whoever could take and hold it.
I wasn’t talking to you, weirdo
December 6, 2025 at 4:50 AM
I wasn’t talking to you, weirdo
I learned that monologue in high school too. It’s a good one.
December 6, 2025 at 4:48 AM
I learned that monologue in high school too. It’s a good one.
Trump 2 is certainly going in some wild directions but it remains to be seen how much US foreign policy has really changed since Biden, who for his part left Trump 1’s foreign policy largely intact.
December 6, 2025 at 4:47 AM
Trump 2 is certainly going in some wild directions but it remains to be seen how much US foreign policy has really changed since Biden, who for his part left Trump 1’s foreign policy largely intact.
Usually quotes are meant for words somebody actually said, not your interpretation of said words
December 6, 2025 at 4:45 AM
Usually quotes are meant for words somebody actually said, not your interpretation of said words
I’m curious where the Prussians and the Ottomans fit in here
December 6, 2025 at 4:44 AM
I’m curious where the Prussians and the Ottomans fit in here