Clearly the soda company and the rich still have water, so I’d hardly say it’s a “secondary cause”, but anyway, even taking all you’ve said as true, that still doesn’t explain why the west should get involved here. What would we even do? Occupy the soda factory and give free bottles to everyone?

I’d suggest reading the article. Climate change certainly plays a part, but overextraction (in particular by their homegrown Nestlé equivalent) is a major driver of this. I fail to see how that is the west’s fault.

Reading the article, it seems capitalism is the cause rather than imperialism past or present. Especially considering the Taliban were in charge in 2000 as they are today, could you explain how the situation would be meaningfully different without the (admittedly stupid) western military escapade? Would Talib like money less than they do today?

Can you expand on why they are suffering? What led to this current situation?

OK, then why is the first reflex to suggest that the west “step up”? Is this Schroedinger’s intervention, both desirable and not?

Please step up, Europe.

How is this Europe’s fault? The people of Afghanistan soundly rejected western assistance when they kicked us out and reinstalled the Taliban. Afghanistan has a government, the one its people supported and wanted. Let them take care of their own rather than turn to the “imperialists” they were so glad to be rid of.

I’m reminded of that Talib who was interviewed after the US pulled out; he missed the revolution and his new office job was sucking all the fun out of life. Who’d have thought those guys would make terrible administrators.

This roughly aligns with my xperience, although if they really get to know you some will be more forthright about their politics. Many look longingly to what we have in the west.

Not really startling. No big player other than Russia has ever been on China’s side RE Taiwan.

It’s always the ones you most expect…

Trump is so used to declaring bankruptcy that he thought declaring a ceasefire worked the same way, something you do unilaterally.

Neat. What does your OS tell you it is?

The USA was already not a serious country but this is so pathetic that it wouldn’t make it into a movie script for being too far-fetched.

Ooh here she comes… Watch out boys, she’ll chew you up!

Ok

Maybe Elon let them back in. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/2/twitter-suspends-accounts-of-palestinian-quds-news-network

PNN and WAFA come to mind, but I’m sure there are others. In any case I’m not sure why it falls upon me to prove a negative when you’re the one suggesting a grand conspiracy.

By that logic they’d all be banned, but they are not.

Thanks - straight from the horse’s ass.

This is a different Quds.