which side are you on

[Dr. MB]

Important world conflict coming up! Which side do you choose?

[Upper Canada Tory]

Whichever one recognizes Israel first.

[Jim Crow]

I voted for the Taliban, but the U.S. should never get involved in international conflicts unless they threaten our freedoms.

[darklordoftech]

The one that didn’t provide a launching pad for Al-Qaeda.

[PSOL]

Whichever one recognizes Israel first.

Iran is the most likely bet here lol

I do hope the Taliban know what they are doing poking the most powerful neighbor they have. If endless insurgency and invasion is what they want instead of fair wager agreements, then they’ll have their heads blown off in a few months. The Iranian and Pakistani army should do a joint invasion to settle things out.

[bagelman]

Shame they can't both lose.

[Alben Barkley]

Harlan County coal unions

[PSOL]

Shame they can't both lose.

Ideally this is the best bet, but in all likelihood it might be an Iranian Pyrrhic victory which ain’t too bad

[Damocles]

Not the thugs for J. H. Blair.

[beaver2.0]

Harlan County coal unions

Tfw a bunch of Appalachian coal miners fly to Asia and topple two governments

[Damocles]

Tfw a bunch of Appalachian coal miners fly to Asia and topple two governments

Unfathomably based.

[Alben Barkley]

Harlan County coal unions

Tfw a bunch of Appalachian coal miners fly to Asia and topple two governments

Congratulations, you've just written the script for the next Hollywood blockbuster.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

The Tankie and/or Red Velvet response if either Iran or the Taliban get into a war will be funny to watch.

[dead0man]

bad guys using American gear from the 70s vs bad guys using American gear from past 10 years

[Middle-aged Europe]

Iran is clearly the lesser evil here and in an ideal scenario they're gonna occupy Afghanistan, reopen education for girls which then (unintentionally) paves the way for women rebelling against theocratic authority like they did in Iran.

Which also proves that the Taliban have a point, I guess, from their perspective. From a pro-human rights perspective however there's something to be said for a (slightly) looser grip creating an opening for dissent.

[PSOL]

Iran is clearly the lesser evil here and in an ideal scenario they're gonna occupy Afghanistan, reopen education for girls which then (unintentionally) paves the way for women rebelling against theocratic authority like they did in Iran.

Which also proves that the Taliban have a point, I guess, from their perspective. From a pro-human rights perspective however there's something to be said for a (slightly) looser grip creating an opening for dissent.

The Taliban have no point. Not allowing women to receive an education or be treated equally leads to resentment among all women, including Pashtuns. People and women in Iran are rebelling because the boot on their neck isn’t worth it and the regime’s messaging and promises since 2013-4 has been out of wack.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Iran is clearly the lesser evil here and in an ideal scenario they're gonna occupy Afghanistan, reopen education for girls which then (unintentionally) paves the way for women rebelling against theocratic authority like they did in Iran.

Which also proves that the Taliban have a point, I guess, from their perspective. From a pro-human rights perspective however there's something to be said for a (slightly) looser grip creating an opening for dissent.

The Taliban have no point. Not allowing women to receive an education or be treated equally leads to resentment among all women, including Pashtuns. People and women in Iran are rebelling because the boot on their neck isn’t worth it and the regime’s messaging and promises since 2013-4 has been out of wack.

There's clearly a linkage between Iranian women's level of education and the (relative) success of the  Woman, Life, Freedom movement in the country, in particular since the leaders of the movement tend to be more educated women. On the other hand, you can't exactly write protest signs with the words "Woman, Life, Freedom" on it when you can't, well, write.

While there may be resentment among Afghan women (again, particularly the more educated ones who had held prominent positions in Afghan society prior to 2021) you won't have any resentment any longer if you succeed in raising a generation which doesn't even know what they should be resented about exactly, because they lack the necessary knowledge to draw such a conclusion in the first place.

It shouldn't be underestimated that, up to certain point, sheer brutality works. When German colonial authorities exterminated all the Herero in present-day Namibia there wasn't any resentment among Herero anymore because there simply weren't that many Herero around anymore. And last year I went to  Prague. The fact that barring one exception all the synagogues in the old Jewish quarter have been converted into museums is a testament to the long-term "effectiveness" of Nazi tactics. That should serve as a warning. Totalitarianism works, it it isn't stopped.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

The problem with the Taliban is that they simply ran out of things to fight for, and all they have is soldiers, no administrators or educated people.

[PSOL]

Bruh, tell that to the Tajik and Hazara women who participated with men in holding territory and engaging in a much more vicious insurgency after Afghanistan fell. In a couple years another violent outburst heavily involving women will take place plunging Afghanistan into more violence.

The problem with the Taliban is that they simply ran out of things to fight for, and all they have is soldiers, no administrators or educated people.

In many ways they are Democrats without any Republicans or even Trump to hate for. That cannot last for long.