If one flounces international law in the way General Soleimani has (he wasn’t even supposed to be in Iraq due to a UN imposed travel ban), then one can’t expect international law to come to ones aid when it’s required.

So a mechanic who didn't fix broken brakes before said fender bender would not be given a (large!) share of the blame?

Hmm.

Also, English Forum, so car accident, bump, prang, etc. Not Fender Bender.

Whatever has led to a series of events is totally irrelevant, that's the point. They made a mistake and shot an airplane down.

Totally comparable with the Malaysian plane shot down in Ukraine some years ago. Nobody cares about what led to the series of events. People only care about WHO shot the plane down.

Trump showed no real feelings here. He has not learnt how to feel!

So you are saying that if you are suspected of breaking a law you automatically lose all protections you have under those laws.

Goodness grief, of course it's not "totally irrelevant" (seriously, think about how utterly illogical that statement is), the assassination event was a direct influence on this event. One would not have happened without the other. Lets just agree to disagree rather than waste time arguing this any further.

Depends what he means by "flounces". I'm guessing he's confusing it with "flouts".

Flouts.

Dear oh dear, busy morning for us pedants this today. Must be Friday.

You could go back even further, don´t forget what the British and the yankees did to the Iranians, because the Iranians havn´t forgotten, not one teeny-tiny little bit.
Read up on the Anglo-Persian oil company, now known as BP and how with some very wet and messy help of the CIA they disposed of the Persian prime minister Mossadegh by means of a coup after which the Shah, again with help from the CIA and indeed Mossad, unleashed SAVAK and a regime of terror on the Iranians which then lead to the Ayatollah Komeini.
The Iranians and indeed the entire Moslem world have no reason to trust "the West" in any way or form, so yes in my opinion the US, the UK and the Jews are directly responsible for the wretched mess the middle east is in today.

__________________
Back in Bavaria, god´s own belly button.

A completely British response, not.

Was thinking that myself.

I am not British. I am allowed to use the English I grew up with.

....which sort of English is that?

I'm sure you didn't intend this. But I don't think I'm being pedantic when I ask you to please, do not refer to Israel as "the Jews." It's inaccurate in that there are Jews all over the world and it confounds actions of a state with that of the ethnicity. It's not unlike Trump and his ilk super-imposing the actions of Al Qaeda or ISIS on all Muslims. Especially now, where the largest group advocating their support for the state of Israel are not Jewish, but Evangelical Christians living in the US (in some ways they are both anti-Semitic and zionist).

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On your other point, I agree that the US, Russia, Saudia Arabia (+ other monarchs), Iran, and recently Israel all have some blame to go around. But IMO, the most important and regionally defining feature of the last 40 years of the middle east is the Saudia Arabia vs. Iran cold war. Every proxy war can be seen through this lens. Also, the Sunni/Shia rivalry really wasn't that violent until you had these wealthy two interest groups funding extremists on either side.

No, what I am saying is that General Soleimani got what he deserved. He ignored international law habitually, just like the Iranian regime. International law only works when it is followed, selective adherence to it does not work, nor should it.

Oh dear oh dear

You're too smart not to know that an American Jew (for instance) is an American like every American and not an Israeli? Seriously, please refrain from pointing a finger to an ethnicity and not a state/country, if that was indeed what you had in mind.

It's disturbing for people whose countries had a direct contribution to the Holocaust.

Good that he didn't make a joke about a tennis player...

I found that "joke" old and in terribly bad taste tbh. And not even "realistic" (are any racist jokes...), men are way stronger than women - physically/endurance, yes, even a relatively mediocre 100 top male tennis player would beat Serena even though she looks like she could use a diet now...

Can you give me a list of ethnicities and professions that are fine to racially abuse please? Hard to keep up without one. So far:

OK
Black Female tennis players

Not OK:
Jews

I agree but I think the point he made is valid, despite the incorrect terminology. We shouldn't allow the choice of word to invalidate his otherwise good point.