Nerd Mentality

U.S. weighs labeling Iran Guard "terrorist": report

1 hour, 16 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is preparing to declare Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist organization, The New York Times reported in Wednesday editions, citing senior administration officials.
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If the declaration is imposed, it would be the first time that the United States has placed the armed forces of any sovereign government on its list of terrorist organizations, the newspaper reported.

The U.S. government has long considered Iran an active state sponsor of terrorism. Singling out the guard would signal a more confrontational turn in the administration's approach to Iran, the newspaper said.

The United States accuses Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear arsenal and of arming militant groups throughout the Middle East attempting to destabilize Iraq and Afghanistan, all charges Tehran denies.

Naming the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group would allow the United States to block financial accounts and other assets controlled by the military unit which has moved increasingly into commercial operations under Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Times said, citing U.S. officials.

Separately, The Washington Post reported that the main goal of the new designation would be to target the Revolutionary Guards' vast business network, including foreign companies conducting business linked to the unit and its personnel, the Post said.

The administration plans to list many of the Guards' financial operations, the Post said.

The State Department had no immediate comment.

The New York Times cited senior administration officials as saying that current plans call for the declaration to be made this month, but cautioned that it could be put off or dropped if the U.N. Security Council moved more quickly to impose broad sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

Labeling a foreign armed forces a terrorist organization because you don't like it. Good job Bush.

Who wants to bet Bush just switched on the bomb that is world war 3?

Next step is for Bush to invade Iran, piss off China, and start world war 3.
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The Dragons are Gone!

Batist

China can easily collapse the US's economy if it wanted to. Everything is "made in china" today. What would happened if they just stopped?

Uhh... then the Chinese economy would also collapse.

The Chinese economy is export based. It's GDP growth is also based mostly on foreign investment.

The way the Chinese can collapse the US economy is by liquidating their $1 Trillion USD currency reserve, thusly destroying the value of the USD.

China is also Iran's major export for oil, so they won't have it with an invasion.

Lots of nations depend on Iran for oil. Japan does too. A lot of people also depend(ed) on Iraq.

And with American-Russian ties right now....I don't see russia supporting the US either.

It's not like it matters, but it would actually help Russia's bottom-line to hurt another nation's oil production anyway.

Either way, I don't want my country to enter another war. I (vicariously) miss the good old days of non-preemptive war.
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steamid: chowdy

Batist

China can easily collapse the US's economy if it wanted to. Everything is "made in china" today. What would happened if they just stopped?

thats retarded, foreign investors virtually run everything in china. Chinese are just as dependent on other countries as we are on them.
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ch0wdy

Warning: IANAEANAY

(I Am Not An Economist And Neither Are You)

Uhh... then the Chinese economy would also collapse.

You know that China's exports don't all go to China. A lot go to european countries. and more.

Not to mention they have probably the strongest hold on natural minerals and labor in africa at this moment.
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The Dragons are Gone!

ch0wdy

Warning: IANAEANAY

(I Am Not An Economist And Neither Are You)

Uhh... then the Chinese economy would also collapse.

You know that China's exports don't all go to China. A lot go to european countries. and more.

Not to mention they have probably the strongest hold on natural minerals and labor in africa at this moment.

Us europeans and americans probably don't like it, but in a very short time. 5 years. 10 years. 15 years. soon. China will be stronger economically and militarily.
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Batist

Labeling a foreign nation's armed forces a terrorist organization because you don't like it. Good job Bush.

From a political/diplomatic standpoint this may not be the best move, but in reality the declaration isn't all that far from the truth... Iran is far from an innocent foreign nation.
Now I don't agree with many if not allmost all of Bush's politics (nor care that much since I'm not an U.S. citizen), but I'd still trade living in America under Bush over living in Iran under a theocratic dictatorial regime (religious democracy isn't democracy, let alone the enormous disregard for human rights and minorities).
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Batist - The Frenchy formerly known as Majinbuu -

... and Knight of Cydonia. die. just die. die in a hellpit of fire from satan's ass.

Batist - The Frenchy formerly known as Majinbuu -

... and Knight of Cydonia. die. just die. die in a hellpit of fire from satan's ass.

Batist

You know that China's exports don't all go to China. A lot go to european countries. and more.

Yea, I don't really know for sure what you mean. I'm going to go ahead and assume that the 2nd China is supposed to be "The United States."

And you're right. Not all of China's exports go to the US. Only a staggering 21.4%. The US and Chinese are so heavily dependent upon each other that the two nations are great allies without even liking each other (or knowing it).

Not to mention they have probably the strongest hold on natural minerals and labor in africa at this moment.

Awesome story. Do you have any more from the FUD machine...?

Us europeans and americans probably don't like it, but in a very short time. 5 years. 10 years. 15 years. soon. China will be stronger economically and militarily.

...looks like you do.

This is the big question of the decade, and perhaps even the century. China's amazing economic growth is just that, amazing. But beyond the shock value of headlines touting "11% yearly GDP growth" and the like, what you have is a very down to earth situation with very realistic obstacles.

It's not a Cinderella story. Ever-increasing wages, complete and utter dependence on foreign direct investment (as pandas noted earlier), and growing civil unrest from the hundreds of millions of Chinese missing out on this economic miracle are just a few of the PRC's very real challenges.

So 5, 10, 15 years from now, we may see a world much like one 15 years ago, divided between the East and the West in economic and military strength. Or we might not, because there's no guarantee that China's economic miracle is going to have enough steam to get it over the obstacles before it.

Fun fact: Between the EU and the US, we spend nearly $1 Trillion/Year on our military budgets. Too much, in my opinion, but still leaps and bounds beyond China. And Russia. And the rest of the world combined.

This reminds me of a conversation I had with Bleeper the other day. What you Europeans need to do is start fucking, because your rapidly aging population is what you should be worrying about in 5, 10, 15 years. No, the US is not safe from the baby-boomers' demise either, but we have a ridiculous birth and immigration rate. Hop to it!

Actually, you Frenchies are alright in that respect. How about you go over to Germany and teach them a thing or two.
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steamid: chowdy

Paul Weller

and yeah, they're an enemy, but they're not a terrorist organization. yeah if they went to war that would be terror on us. but war = terror.

iraq = terror.

that's the whole point.

that's a double sided sword because for them, they are "terrorized" thus you become terrorist too.
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Batist

Yeah, I think us in France have a bigger kid per parents ratio then the whole of europe or something. even bigger then the US.

Close. France is 1.98, US is 2.09 births per woman.
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steamid: chowdy

Batist

yeah i guess it helps with all those huge mexican families you have down there

And don't forget the mormons!
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steamid: chowdy

Rogue

French girls are hot.

I have to agree, Constance is the hottest girl on this planet.
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