1 minute ago, BangkokHank said:

Iranians are chanting "death to America" because Israel gets America to do its dirty work against Israel's enemies. The Iranians are not enemies of America.

Israel just uses America. With friends like Israel, who needs enemies?

Iranians are enemies of the US and have been since I was in school.

2 hours ago, riclag said:

Common sense discussion at the UN security counsel the other day ,its another Takeaway from the strike on Iran ,the state sponsor of Terror.

"Iran’s continued pursuit of advanced missile capabilities, coupled with its refusal to abandon nuclear ambitions despite diplomatic opportunities, presents a grave and mounting danger. The international community has long affirmed a simple and necessary principle: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That principle is not a matter of politics; it is a matter of global security. ".

https://usun.usmission.gov/remarks-at-an-emergency-un-security-council-briefing-on-iran/

The USA ambassador to the UN envokes "The international community has long affirmed a simple and necessary principle: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That principle is not a matter of politics; it is a matter of global security". He sites numerous instances (brings the receipts,sanctions,suspensions & resolutions over decades) and it is responded by a thumbs down.This further proves my point the international left who supports the authoritarian state sponsor of terror has lost the plot.

55 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Iranians are enemies of the US and have been since I was in school.

Whats the international left to do once other Arab nations join in with Israel/USA in defiance against the Iranian regime efforts at disrupting global peace.

As the US-Israel war with Iran intensifies, countries like Morocco, UAE, and Bahrain boost military cooperation with Israel, strengthening regional alliances.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-889389

Just now, riclag said:

Whats the international left to do once other Arab nations join in with Israel/USA in defiance against the Iranian regime efforts at disrupting global peace.

As the US-Israel war with Iran intensifies, countries like Morocco, UAE, and Bahrain boost military cooperation with Israel, strengthening regional alliances.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-889389

The Abraham Accords were the beginning of the end for Iran. Biden did what he could to derail it, but fortunately Trump beat the feckless Harris and got it shored up.

On 3/2/2026 at 2:17 PM, BLMFem said:

If you're using negotiations as a tactic to take out those you pretend to negotiate with, expect not to be trusted, ever again.

Iran agreed to basically every demand the US gave them, and they bombed the Iranians when the Iranian leadership gathered to discuss the latest proposals.

It's all about the Israel lobby wanting to help Israel gain more land like it says in the old testament AND US deluded world control of oil.

Anyone remember Iraq?

It's pathetic that these rogue terrorists are not being stood up to yet.

Come on China, make your move and flatten them.

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

Iranians are enemies of the US and have been since I was in school.

But WHY? The Jew never asks WHY. There's no reason for Iranians to be enemies of the US and vice versa, since they are on opposite sides of the world. But Iranians are enemies of the US because of what the US does for Israel, which the US does because America's politicians are being blackmailed by Israel. (See the Epstein scandal.)

2 minutes ago, JimCM said:

It's all about the Israel lobby wanting to help Israel gain more land like it says in the old testament AND US deluded world control of oil.

Anyone remember Iraq?

It's pathetic that these rogue terrorists are not being stood up to yet.

Come on China, make your move and flatten them.

You are advocating for China to take out America and Israel?. Those Chinese aryan enough for you?

1 minute ago, BangkokHank said:

But WHY? The Jew never asks WHY. There's no reason for Iranians to be enemies of the US and vice versa, since they are on opposite sides of the world. But Iranians are enemies of the US because of what the US does for Israel, which the US does because America's politicians are being blackmailed by Israel. (See the Epstein scandal.)

Ah, the Jew, 'nuff said.

Go with God brother.

11 hours ago, JimCM said:

I'm confused, do you support this illegal invasion?

Absolutely and it isnt illegal

11 hours ago, JimCM said:

Do you deny the US middle struck a primary school on the first day, killing over 100 schoolgirls?

I dont really care, if we did, we will pay compensation Im sure

11 hours ago, JimCM said:

Yet, you seem to support him and Israel- please clarify.

I dont need to explain anything to anyone who not only waves the symbol of the enemy, but is a conspiratorial and eliminationist anti semite whose main hero is a one balled man named Shicklgruber, a drug addict former rent boy who died screaming in a hole.

12 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Ah, the Jew, 'nuff said.

Go with God brother.

13 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

You are advocating for China to take out America and Israel?. Those Chinese aryan enough for you?

be nice be respectful just got thrown out the window promoting threats of violence and antisemitic tropes violates the "Be Nice, Be Respectful" principle big time.

21 minutes ago, BangkokHank said:

The Jew never asks WHY.

"The Jew" doesnt need to. He just takes over and rules. What are you going to do about it? Screech on a forum being monitored for jew haters like you? You think you have anonymity from "the jew"?

"The Jew" is everywhere and sucessful. You know why? Because "the jew" makes something of his life as opposed to spewing hate against his betters.

"The Jew" is your boss, boy. He is the reason you are a failure posting hate on message boards.

26 minutes ago, BangkokHank said:

But WHY? The Jew never asks WHY. There's no reason for Iranians to be enemies of the US and vice versa, since they are on opposite sides of the world. But Iranians are enemies of the US because of what the US does for Israel, which the US does because America's politicians are being blackmailed by Israel. (See the Epstein scandal.)

The reasons for Irans hostility towards the USA .

Nothing to do with Israel

• 1953 Coup: The U.S. and UK overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, after he nationalized the oil industry, reinstating the Shah and suppressing Iranian sovereignty.

• Support for the Shah: The U.S. propped up Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for 26 years, training his secret police and supporting a government viewed as a Western puppet.

• 1979 Revolution & Hostage Crisis: The Iranian Revolution aimed to remove US influence, culminating in the seizure of the US Embassy and 52 hostages for 444 days, establishing the US as "the Great Satan".

• Economic Sanctions: Since 1995, the U.S. has enforced strict embargoes, crushing Iran's economy and fueling resentment.

Iran says it wants to build nuclear power plants. America think it wants to make nuclear weapons. So why doesn't a third party step in and offer to build nuclear power plants for Iran at a discounted price?

On 3/8/2026 at 7:51 PM, BLMFem said:

"What period of time are these fair and balanced 🤢 news sites measuring? They measured the beginning of Trump's second term only when inherited and new crises erupted like Iran, Venezuela, Islamist in Nigeria, Russia/Ukraine, Hezbollah and the Houthis had to be dealt with immediately."

Which crisis in Venezuela, Nigeria and Iran, that "had to be dealt with immediately", are you referring to?

A crisis is basically a moment when a situation becomes unstable and could quickly get worse or better. The important point here is that the crises I mentioned were already happening when Donald Trump took office. A new president doesn’t get a pause button on world events. When an administration starts, it inherits the global situation as it already exists and has to respond right away.

One clear example is Venezuela. Under Nicolas Maduro, the country experienced one of the worst economic collapses in modern history. Hyperinflation, food shortages, and political repression caused millions of people to leave the country. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration, more than 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the country since about 2014, making it the largest displacement crisis in modern Latin American history.

Most of those people went to nearby countries like Colombia and Peru, which suddenly had to deal with millions of new migrants. But the migration didn’t stop there. Over time, more Venezuelans began appearing at the U.S.–Mexico border, where they became one of the largest national groups encountered by border police. Venezuela’s collapse wasn’t just a domestic problem. Millions fled the country, and the migration eventually began affecting the United States too.

Another reason the Venezuelan crisis began affecting the United States more directly was the migration route through the Darién Gap, a dangerous jungle corridor between Colombia and Panama. This is why for several years Venezuelans became one of the largest groups traveling through this route while heading north toward the United States. According to migration authorities in Panama, hundreds of thousands of people crossed the Darién Gap in recent years, many of them Venezuelans. This surge showed how the collapse inside Venezuela was increasingly turning into a broader regional migration crisis.

Venezuela also matters because of its natural resources and international connections. The country actually has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, about 303 billion barrels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

On top of that, Venezuela has built strong relationships with countries like Russia, China, and Iran. Because of that, instability in Venezuela isn’t just about its own economy. U.S. policymakers have always been concerned about rival powers gaining influence in the Western Hemisphere. That concern goes back at least to the Cuban Missile Crisis during the Cold War. So when a country with huge oil reserves and ties to U.S. rivals is collapsing politically and economically, it naturally gets attention in Washington.

The scale of Venezuela’s economic collapse was extreme. For comparison, during the Great Depression the U.S. economy shrank about 26–30 percent between 1929 and 1933. Venezuela’s economy contracted by roughly 75 percent between 2013 and 2020 according to analyses from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Brookings Institution, and the Council on Foreign Relations. In other words, Venezuela’s collapse was dramatically deeper than the worst economic downturn in modern U.S. history!

Hyperinflation shows just how bad things got. In simple terms, hyperinflation meant that money quickly became almost worthless. At one point inflation reached about 1,000,000 percent. That number is hard to picture, but the effect is simple: prices increase about 10,000 times. Imagine going to the store where a candy bar used to cost $1. After hyperinflation, that same candy bar could cost around $10,000. Your dollar that used to buy the whole candy bar would now only buy a tiny crumb of it.

Because of this situation, the United States had to make immediate policy decisions.

One of the big ones was whether to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate president and impose sanctions on the Maduro government.

There were also security concerns. In 2020, the United States Department of Justice charged Maduro and several Venezuelan officials with narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. Prosecutors alleged that government officials helped protect drug-smuggling operations sometimes called the “Cartel de los Soles.” The charges also claimed cooperation with the Colombian guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Bad dudes.

Nigeria was dealing with a different type of crisis. In northern Nigeria, jihadist groups like Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province were already carrying out attacks, kidnappings, and territorial insurgencies across the region. These groups killed thousands of people and forced millions from their homes.

Nigeria’s stability matters because it’s Africa’s most populous country, with more than 200 million people, and one of the continent’s biggest economies. Violence from Boko Haram has already spread beyond Nigeria’s borders into nearby countries like Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Because of the growing threat, Nigeria sought security cooperation with partners including the United States.

Iran was another big ongoing challenge. The government of Iran had been expanding uranium enrichment while continuing to develop ballistic missiles and drones. At the same time, Iran supported proxy groups across the Middle East.

Groups backed by Iran, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, were involved in conflicts affecting Israel, Gulf countries, and international shipping routes. These problemss raised immediate strategic questions for the United States about nuclear proliferation, regional stability, and protecting allies.

The reason Iran’s nuclear program grabs the attention of policymakers is that nuclear weapons could dramatically change the balance of power in the Middle East. If Iran were to obtain nuclear weapons, neighboring countries might feel pressure to develop their own, which could trigger wider nuclear proliferation in the region. That possibility is one of the reasons U.S. administrations—regardless of party—have treated Iran’s nuclear program as a major strategic issue.

None of these situations suddenly started on the day Trump became president. They were already happening. But when a new administration takes office, it has to deal with those situations right away.

So the real question isn’t whether these crises existed—they clearly did. A reasonable debate is about how governments should respond to them.

A new administration might choose a different policy approach. But it can’t ignore the crises themselves, because global events don’t stop just because a new president takes office.

If someone argues that these weren’t active crises at the time, it would be fair to ask which one they think wasn’t: Venezuela’s economic collapse and migration wave, Nigeria’s jihadist insurgency, or Iran’s nuclear and proxy expansion.

In the end, the question isn’t whether these crises existed—they clearly did. Venezuela’s economic collapse was already pushing millions of people out of the country, jihadist insurgents were attacking civilians and expanding territory in Nigeria, and Iran was continuing to develop nuclear capabilities while supporting armed proxy groups in the region. Those situations were already unfolding before the new administration took office. Any president stepping into office would have had to respond to them immediately. Global crises don’t wait for a new administration to get comfortable.

If Iran wants to build Nuclear Weapons, Russia will be only too happy to sell them weapons grade enriched material.

12 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

The reasons for Irans hostility towards the USA .

Nothing to do with Israel

• 1953 Coup: The U.S. and UK overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, after he nationalized the oil industry, reinstating the Shah and suppressing Iranian sovereignty.

• Support for the Shah: The U.S. propped up Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for 26 years, training his secret police and supporting a government viewed as a Western puppet.

• 1979 Revolution & Hostage Crisis: The Iranian Revolution aimed to remove US influence, culminating in the seizure of the US Embassy and 52 hostages for 444 days, establishing the US as "the Great Satan".

• Economic Sanctions: Since 1995, the U.S. has enforced strict embargoes, crushing Iran's economy and fueling resentment.

Facts matters not to mentally ill folks who use terms like "the Jew". Thats a classic National Socialist epithet. Arguing with him would be like trying to convince an unmedicated paranoid shizophrenic that he isnt controlled by space aliens.

4 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Iran says it wants to build nuclear power plants. America think it wants to make nuclear weapons. So why doesn't a third party step in and offer to build nuclear power plants for Iran at a discounted price?

The Trump administration offered to provide fuel for Iran's nuclear program free for ten years, and Iran turned them down.

11 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

If Iran wants to build Nuclear Weapons, Russia will be only too happy to sell them weapons grade enriched material.

Or save the work and just sell/give them the weapons and just use Iran as their proxy!

10 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

The Trump administration offered to provide fuel for Iran's nuclear program free

Please proved proof of that!

59 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

Please proved proof of that!

After you quit clipping my posts, and after you provide proof that the bombing of Iran was unconstitutional.

3 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Iranians are enemies of the US and have been since I was in school.

Cost Carter the election.

2 hours ago, Yagoda said:

I dont really care, if we did, we will pay compensation Im sure

And there we have it, Yagoda doesn't care that 100+ innocent schoolgirls were murdered and thinks throwing some money at it ,makes it all ok.

What a despicable human being.

2 hours ago, mymonkeyhusb said:

A crisis is basically a moment when a situation becomes unstable and could quickly get worse or better. The important point here is that the crises I mentioned were already happening when Donald Trump took office. A new president doesn’t get a pause button on world events. When an administration starts, it inherits the global situation as it already exists and has to respond right away.

One clear example is Venezuela. Under Nicolas Maduro, the country experienced one of the worst economic collapses in modern history. Hyperinflation, food shortages, and political repression caused millions of people to leave the country. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration, more than 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the country since about 2014, making it the largest displacement crisis in modern Latin American history.

Most of those people went to nearby countries like Colombia and Peru, which suddenly had to deal with millions of new migrants. But the migration didn’t stop there. Over time, more Venezuelans began appearing at the U.S.–Mexico border, where they became one of the largest national groups encountered by border police. Venezuela’s collapse wasn’t just a domestic problem. Millions fled the country, and the migration eventually began affecting the United States too.

Another reason the Venezuelan crisis began affecting the United States more directly was the migration route through the Darién Gap, a dangerous jungle corridor between Colombia and Panama. This is why for several years Venezuelans became one of the largest groups traveling through this route while heading north toward the United States. According to migration authorities in Panama, hundreds of thousands of people crossed the Darién Gap in recent years, many of them Venezuelans. This surge showed how the collapse inside Venezuela was increasingly turning into a broader regional migration crisis.

Venezuela also matters because of its natural resources and international connections. The country actually has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, about 303 billion barrels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

On top of that, Venezuela has built strong relationships with countries like Russia, China, and Iran. Because of that, instability in Venezuela isn’t just about its own economy. U.S. policymakers have always been concerned about rival powers gaining influence in the Western Hemisphere. That concern goes back at least to the Cuban Missile Crisis during the Cold War. So when a country with huge oil reserves and ties to U.S. rivals is collapsing politically and economically, it naturally gets attention in Washington.

The scale of Venezuela’s economic collapse was extreme. For comparison, during the Great Depression the U.S. economy shrank about 26–30 percent between 1929 and 1933. Venezuela’s economy contracted by roughly 75 percent between 2013 and 2020 according to analyses from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Brookings Institution, and the Council on Foreign Relations. In other words, Venezuela’s collapse was dramatically deeper than the worst economic downturn in modern U.S. history!

Hyperinflation shows just how bad things got. In simple terms, hyperinflation meant that money quickly became almost worthless. At one point inflation reached about 1,000,000 percent. That number is hard to picture, but the effect is simple: prices increase about 10,000 times. Imagine going to the store where a candy bar used to cost $1. After hyperinflation, that same candy bar could cost around $10,000. Your dollar that used to buy the whole candy bar would now only buy a tiny crumb of it.

Because of this situation, the United States had to make immediate policy decisions.

One of the big ones was whether to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate president and impose sanctions on the Maduro government.

There were also security concerns. In 2020, the United States Department of Justice charged Maduro and several Venezuelan officials with narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. Prosecutors alleged that government officials helped protect drug-smuggling operations sometimes called the “Cartel de los Soles.” The charges also claimed cooperation with the Colombian guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Bad dudes.

Nigeria was dealing with a different type of crisis. In northern Nigeria, jihadist groups like Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province were already carrying out attacks, kidnappings, and territorial insurgencies across the region. These groups killed thousands of people and forced millions from their homes.

Nigeria’s stability matters because it’s Africa’s most populous country, with more than 200 million people, and one of the continent’s biggest economies. Violence from Boko Haram has already spread beyond Nigeria’s borders into nearby countries like Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Because of the growing threat, Nigeria sought security cooperation with partners including the United States.

Iran was another big ongoing challenge. The government of Iran had been expanding uranium enrichment while continuing to develop ballistic missiles and drones. At the same time, Iran supported proxy groups across the Middle East.

Groups backed by Iran, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, were involved in conflicts affecting Israel, Gulf countries, and international shipping routes. These problemss raised immediate strategic questions for the United States about nuclear proliferation, regional stability, and protecting allies.

The reason Iran’s nuclear program grabs the attention of policymakers is that nuclear weapons could dramatically change the balance of power in the Middle East. If Iran were to obtain nuclear weapons, neighboring countries might feel pressure to develop their own, which could trigger wider nuclear proliferation in the region. That possibility is one of the reasons U.S. administrations—regardless of party—have treated Iran’s nuclear program as a major strategic issue.

None of these situations suddenly started on the day Trump became president. They were already happening. But when a new administration takes office, it has to deal with those situations right away.

So the real question isn’t whether these crises existed—they clearly did. A reasonable debate is about how governments should respond to them.

A new administration might choose a different policy approach. But it can’t ignore the crises themselves, because global events don’t stop just because a new president takes office.

If someone argues that these weren’t active crises at the time, it would be fair to ask which one they think wasn’t: Venezuela’s economic collapse and migration wave, Nigeria’s jihadist insurgency, or Iran’s nuclear and proxy expansion.

In the end, the question isn’t whether these crises existed—they clearly did. Venezuela’s economic collapse was already pushing millions of people out of the country, jihadist insurgents were attacking civilians and expanding territory in Nigeria, and Iran was continuing to develop nuclear capabilities while supporting armed proxy groups in the region. Those situations were already unfolding before the new administration took office. Any president stepping into office would have had to respond to them immediately. Global crises don’t wait for a new administration to get comfortable.

"So the real question isn’t whether these crises existed—they clearly did. A reasonable debate is about how governments should respond to them".

*Venezuela . narco terror authoritarian state. Biden/Harris put a reward out for the leader .that was upped by the next admin, as hard core drugs & terrorist gangs infiltrated my country.

**Iran a authoritarian terror state have been described as the worlds state sponsor of terror over 40 years +.

*https://www.state.gov/reward-offer-increase-of-up-to-50-million-for-information-leading-to-arrest-and-or-conviction-of-nicolas-maduro#:~:text=The%20Department%20of%20State%20and,Designated%20Global%20Terrorist%20(SDGT).

** https://www.state.gov/state-sponsors-of-terrorism

5 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

And there we have it, Yagoda doesn't care that 100+ innocent schoolgirls were murdered and thinks throwing some money at it ,makes it all ok.

What a despicable human being.

Thank you. Who said I said it was OK though?

I guess the stipends makes IED martyrs OK?

As to your flame, I can only say that you are the one that runs from debate

1 hour ago, Yagoda said:

Thank you. Who said I said it was OK though?

I guess the stipends makes IED martyrs OK?

As to your flame, I can only say that you are the one that runs from debate

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I don't engage with people who tag me in random topics that I have no interest in and have never expressed an interest in. It's just weird, a bit creepy, and odd.

Reply to me in any thread that I am involved in with an intelligent reply or argument and I'll reply. I understand that criteria may be a struggle.

11 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I don't engage with people who tag me in random topics that I have no interest in and have never expressed an interest in. It's just weird, a bit creepy, and odd.

Reply to me in any thread that I am involved in with an intelligent reply or argument and I'll reply. I understand that criteria may be a struggle.

Got it. It all speaks for itself LOL

12 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

The reasons for Irans hostility towards the USA .

Nothing to do with Israel

• 1953 Coup: The U.S. and UK overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, after he nationalized the oil industry, reinstating the Shah and suppressing Iranian sovereignty.

• Support for the Shah: The U.S. propped up Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for 26 years, training his secret police and supporting a government viewed as a Western puppet.

• 1979 Revolution & Hostage Crisis: The Iranian Revolution aimed to remove US influence, culminating in the seizure of the US Embassy and 52 hostages for 444 days, establishing the US as "the Great Satan".

• Economic Sanctions: Since 1995, the U.S. has enforced strict embargoes, crushing Iran's economy and fueling resentment.

You make some potentially valid points, Nick. So unless I can find evidence that Israel was involved in any of the points that you mentioned, I will concede that I was wrong about this matter.

3 minutes ago, khaosokman said:

Lefties always lie. That guy won't pay up.

You really are short of comprehension. I must have told you a dozen times now that I am right of center.

Just now, JBChiangRai said:

You really are short of comprehension. I must have told you a dozen times now that I am right of center.

Ok Mr Righty I will meet you in a gym in Chiang Rai. Lat pull down. 40kgs. See who can do the most reps in 1 hour. Loser pays winner 1m baht. June 5th suits me 4pm.

15 hours ago, mymonkeyhusb said:

A crisis is basically a moment when a situation becomes unstable and could quickly get worse or better. The important point here is that the crises I mentioned were already happening when Donald Trump took office. A new president doesn’t get a pause button on world events. When an administration starts, it inherits the global situation as it already exists and has to respond right away.

One clear example is Venezuela. Under Nicolas Maduro, the country experienced one of the worst economic collapses in modern history. Hyperinflation, food shortages, and political repression caused millions of people to leave the country. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration, more than 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the country since about 2014, making it the largest displacement crisis in modern Latin American history.

Most of those people went to nearby countries like Colombia and Peru, which suddenly had to deal with millions of new migrants. But the migration didn’t stop there. Over time, more Venezuelans began appearing at the U.S.–Mexico border, where they became one of the largest national groups encountered by border police. Venezuela’s collapse wasn’t just a domestic problem. Millions fled the country, and the migration eventually began affecting the United States too.

Another reason the Venezuelan crisis began affecting the United States more directly was the migration route through the Darién Gap, a dangerous jungle corridor between Colombia and Panama. This is why for several years Venezuelans became one of the largest groups traveling through this route while heading north toward the United States. According to migration authorities in Panama, hundreds of thousands of people crossed the Darién Gap in recent years, many of them Venezuelans. This surge showed how the collapse inside Venezuela was increasingly turning into a broader regional migration crisis.

Venezuela also matters because of its natural resources and international connections. The country actually has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, about 303 billion barrels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

On top of that, Venezuela has built strong relationships with countries like Russia, China, and Iran. Because of that, instability in Venezuela isn’t just about its own economy. U.S. policymakers have always been concerned about rival powers gaining influence in the Western Hemisphere. That concern goes back at least to the Cuban Missile Crisis during the Cold War. So when a country with huge oil reserves and ties to U.S. rivals is collapsing politically and economically, it naturally gets attention in Washington.

The scale of Venezuela’s economic collapse was extreme. For comparison, during the Great Depression the U.S. economy shrank about 26–30 percent between 1929 and 1933. Venezuela’s economy contracted by roughly 75 percent between 2013 and 2020 according to analyses from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Brookings Institution, and the Council on Foreign Relations. In other words, Venezuela’s collapse was dramatically deeper than the worst economic downturn in modern U.S. history!

Hyperinflation shows just how bad things got. In simple terms, hyperinflation meant that money quickly became almost worthless. At one point inflation reached about 1,000,000 percent. That number is hard to picture, but the effect is simple: prices increase about 10,000 times. Imagine going to the store where a candy bar used to cost $1. After hyperinflation, that same candy bar could cost around $10,000. Your dollar that used to buy the whole candy bar would now only buy a tiny crumb of it.

Because of this situation, the United States had to make immediate policy decisions.

One of the big ones was whether to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate president and impose sanctions on the Maduro government.

There were also security concerns. In 2020, the United States Department of Justice charged Maduro and several Venezuelan officials with narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. Prosecutors alleged that government officials helped protect drug-smuggling operations sometimes called the “Cartel de los Soles.” The charges also claimed cooperation with the Colombian guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Bad dudes.

Nigeria was dealing with a different type of crisis. In northern Nigeria, jihadist groups like Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province were already carrying out attacks, kidnappings, and territorial insurgencies across the region. These groups killed thousands of people and forced millions from their homes.

Nigeria’s stability matters because it’s Africa’s most populous country, with more than 200 million people, and one of the continent’s biggest economies. Violence from Boko Haram has already spread beyond Nigeria’s borders into nearby countries like Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Because of the growing threat, Nigeria sought security cooperation with partners including the United States.

Iran was another big ongoing challenge. The government of Iran had been expanding uranium enrichment while continuing to develop ballistic missiles and drones. At the same time, Iran supported proxy groups across the Middle East.

Groups backed by Iran, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, were involved in conflicts affecting Israel, Gulf countries, and international shipping routes. These problemss raised immediate strategic questions for the United States about nuclear proliferation, regional stability, and protecting allies.

The reason Iran’s nuclear program grabs the attention of policymakers is that nuclear weapons could dramatically change the balance of power in the Middle East. If Iran were to obtain nuclear weapons, neighboring countries might feel pressure to develop their own, which could trigger wider nuclear proliferation in the region. That possibility is one of the reasons U.S. administrations—regardless of party—have treated Iran’s nuclear program as a major strategic issue.

None of these situations suddenly started on the day Trump became president. They were already happening. But when a new administration takes office, it has to deal with those situations right away.

So the real question isn’t whether these crises existed—they clearly did. A reasonable debate is about how governments should respond to them.

A new administration might choose a different policy approach. But it can’t ignore the crises themselves, because global events don’t stop just because a new president takes office.

If someone argues that these weren’t active crises at the time, it would be fair to ask which one they think wasn’t: Venezuela’s economic collapse and migration wave, Nigeria’s jihadist insurgency, or Iran’s nuclear and proxy expansion.

In the end, the question isn’t whether these crises existed—they clearly did. Venezuela’s economic collapse was already pushing millions of people out of the country, jihadist insurgents were attacking civilians and expanding territory in Nigeria, and Iran was continuing to develop nuclear capabilities while supporting armed proxy groups in the region. Those situations were already unfolding before the new administration took office. Any president stepping into office would have had to respond to them immediately. Global crises don’t wait for a new administration to get comfortable.

+100 !!.. Outstanding summary - though I suspect for some it will unfortunately fall straight into the TLDR category, which is a shame given the thought and effort that clearly went into putting together such a well-structured response.

It does get exhausting having to constantly rebut these dumbed-down, weaponised one-liners that try to compress complex events into simplistic bullet points. Properly addressing issues like this requires a layered, thought-through response, and that inevitably takes more than a lazy one-line retort. But that effort is rarely matched - and not many seem willing to put in the work required for an intellectually honest discussion.

The reality is that issues like this are messy, complex, and full of nuance. Yet they’re repeatedly repackaged into neat anti-Trump jabs or partisan talking points rather than being examined on their actual merits.

This makes me wonder - if Trump weren’t involved at all, would the same voices be quite so quick to score political points, or might there be a more serious attempt to debate the facts and grapple with the complexities of what’s actually happening.