While there were some light moments about the former secretary of state’s sleeping habits and legal fees, much of the day was dedicated to examining the circumstances surrounding the attacks on the American compound in Libya, her email practices and, of course, the real intentions of the investigation.
BremboTheFourth@piefed.ca
on 03 Mar 22:24
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The impression I’ve been getting is that there wasn’t any time to make a plan anyway. I mean, even if there had been time, I doubt this group of geniuses would have been able to put together anything coherent , but it seems to me as though US negotiators were getting close to a good peace deal, Israel got wind of it, decided to literally bomb it, and this admin is too fascist and spineless to refuse to follow Israel into a war of aggression.
So, yeah, not that there would have been a good plan anyway, but I think this was almost as much of a surprise to the admin as it was to the rest of us.
To be fair, Israel fired the first shots when they learned about a gathering of high profile diplomats who could all be murdered together. They did the schoolgirls at the same time just because that’s how Israelis roll.
It seems like the US didn’t anticipate things popping off at this somewhat earlier than expected juncture. But also, that US leadership doesn’t really give a shit how many American lives are lost fighting Israel’s wars for them, so there’s that too.
AbidanYre@lemmy.world
on 03 Mar 18:34
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Maybe I’m showing my ignorance here, but isn’t that like one of their major responsibilities?
fossilesque@mander.xyz
on 03 Mar 18:38
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Kind of. Their main purpose, though, is to represent the state for relations and dealings with the host, citizen services are secondary to this. Political capital within that relationship will determine what kind of things that they can help with, but overall you as an individual are responsible for yourself. There’s many places you’re kind of SOL even with an embassy.
UnspecificGravity@piefed.social
on 03 Mar 19:18
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Ransoming countrymen of the represented country is literally one of the oldest diplomatic functions on earth and is a big part of why embassies were established in the first place.
Your own source literally defines the term “diplomatic mission” as:
The basic role of a diplomatic mission is to represent and safeguard the interests of the home country and its citizens in the host country
So no, looking after the citizens of the represented country is NOT “secondary to the diplomatic mission” it IS the diplomatic mission.
Embassies can deprioritise citizen services when diplomatic relations within the host state make it politically costly to physically impossible, which is exactly what’s happening here. That’s the substantive point about the article and why citizen services are not even mentioned in the introduction.
UnspecificGravity@piefed.social
on 03 Mar 19:32
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Shame that’s not what you said when I replied to you and then repeated several times in the course of this discussion.
Their main purpose, though, is to represent the state for relations and dealings with the host, citizen services are secondary to this.
I meant is it’s not a service I’d depend on in a regional crisis as they can and will deprioritse it. It is not the main mission as the following passage to that sentence shows:
The functions of a diplomatic mission consist, inter alia, in representing the sending State in the receiving State; protecting in the receiving State the interests of the sending State and of its nationals, within the limits permitted by international law; negotiating with the Government of the receiving State; ascertaining by all lawful means conditions and developments in the receiving State, and reporting thereon to the Government of the sending State; promoting friendly relations between the sending State and the receiving State, and developing their economic, cultural and scientific relations.[18]
It’s not even rare for embassies outside of the first world’s to be openly hostile or outright useless to their own citizens in a pinch during times of peace.
Except that for Americans specifically, relying on the embassy for support and evacuation when a regional crisis arises has been a safe bet for nearly 100 years.
Certainly in the post-WWII era, if you followed the advice of the state department on not traveling to really dangerous places, and didn’t do something to get yourself into trouble (like getting involved in crimes), the US would use considerable resources to ensure an American citizen’s safe passage home. In fact, the hostility to Iran has some basis in the fact that Iran took over the American embassy during the revolution in 1978 and held the personnel hostage, a pretty blatant rejection of standard diplomatic norms. From a legal standpoint that was effectively an invasion of the US because an embassy is sovereign territory.
So regardless of your wording, this represents a pretty basic shift away from previous norms, especially given that the crisis people are fleeing is entirely a creation of the US government.
I lived in Saudi Arabia pre 9-11, and when Sadaam was getting Scudsy, they had people come from the embassy that gave my parents a card with instructions on what to do if there was a war. Part of that was a phone number where they could call anywhere in the country, and if you couldn’t follow the instructions they’d send someone to collect you.
Man this is fucking pathetic seeing our government this fucking incompetent.
threaded - newest
US didnt think or care about our own people when “planning” this? Shocking.
I do hope they find a way out…
Not a part of the leadership’s plan. Now if we were made of crude oil, we’d be carefully extracted.
They did. They just don’t care.
Remember Benghazi?
The impression I’ve been getting is that there wasn’t any time to make a plan anyway. I mean, even if there had been time, I doubt this group of geniuses would have been able to put together anything coherent , but it seems to me as though US negotiators were getting close to a good peace deal, Israel got wind of it, decided to literally bomb it, and this admin is too fascist and spineless to refuse to follow Israel into a war of aggression.
So, yeah, not that there would have been a good plan anyway, but I think this was almost as much of a surprise to the admin as it was to the rest of us.
To be fair, Israel fired the first shots when they learned about a gathering of high profile diplomats who could all be murdered together. They did the schoolgirls at the same time just because that’s how Israelis roll.
It seems like the US didn’t anticipate things popping off at this somewhat earlier than expected juncture. But also, that US leadership doesn’t really give a shit how many American lives are lost fighting Israel’s wars for them, so there’s that too.
Maybe I’m showing my ignorance here, but isn’t that like one of their major responsibilities?
Kind of. Their main purpose, though, is to represent the state for relations and dealings with the host, citizen services are secondary to this. Political capital within that relationship will determine what kind of things that they can help with, but overall you as an individual are responsible for yourself. There’s many places you’re kind of SOL even with an embassy.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomatic_mission
I said one of.
I’m saying it’s a bonus to a diplomatic mission rather than a duty.
Got it. Fair enough.
Ransoming countrymen of the represented country is literally one of the oldest diplomatic functions on earth and is a big part of why embassies were established in the first place.
Your own source literally defines the term “diplomatic mission” as:
So no, looking after the citizens of the represented country is NOT “secondary to the diplomatic mission” it IS the diplomatic mission.
Embassies can deprioritise citizen services when diplomatic relations within the host state make it politically costly to physically impossible, which is exactly what’s happening here. That’s the substantive point about the article and why citizen services are not even mentioned in the introduction.
Shame that’s not what you said when I replied to you and then repeated several times in the course of this discussion.
I meant is it’s not a service I’d depend on in a regional crisis as they can and will deprioritse it. It is not the main mission as the following passage to that sentence shows:
It’s not even rare for embassies outside of the first world’s to be openly hostile or outright useless to their own citizens in a pinch during times of peace.
Except that for Americans specifically, relying on the embassy for support and evacuation when a regional crisis arises has been a safe bet for nearly 100 years.
Certainly in the post-WWII era, if you followed the advice of the state department on not traveling to really dangerous places, and didn’t do something to get yourself into trouble (like getting involved in crimes), the US would use considerable resources to ensure an American citizen’s safe passage home. In fact, the hostility to Iran has some basis in the fact that Iran took over the American embassy during the revolution in 1978 and held the personnel hostage, a pretty blatant rejection of standard diplomatic norms. From a legal standpoint that was effectively an invasion of the US because an embassy is sovereign territory.
So regardless of your wording, this represents a pretty basic shift away from previous norms, especially given that the crisis people are fleeing is entirely a creation of the US government.
I totally agree with you here, this is the important, intended subtext I left out. We just are not used to not having a monopoly on political capital.
US Embassies exist to protect the *people of the US in foreign settings.
*people as defined by Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
Corpos only
I lived in Saudi Arabia pre 9-11, and when Sadaam was getting Scudsy, they had people come from the embassy that gave my parents a card with instructions on what to do if there was a war. Part of that was a phone number where they could call anywhere in the country, and if you couldn’t follow the instructions they’d send someone to collect you.
Man this is fucking pathetic seeing our government this fucking incompetent.
If competent people in so many departments got purged, can we still call this incompetent? I think it’s about time we move over to malice.
I 1000% believe that it’s malice, unfortunately.
Can'tWon'tCould not or would not
😆😅🤣!!!
What were they doing in a war zone?
Guess they don’t get to ignore this war in the Middle East like they usually do 😂
They’re too busy helping israel, soz.