Pentagon approves Qatari facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho

[Polds4OSU]

Then it is a crap report as it only uses info from 7 years ago.

And this is the first line of their recommendations:

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

The first step the United States should take should be to reaffirm the U.S. government’s willingness to work with Qatar on counterterrorism through shared initiatives and cooperative frameworks.

I don't disagree with the path forward , I don't disagree with Qatar and US working together. It just VERY odd for it to go from where it was to where it is in the last 7 years and all the different ways the Trump admin and family has personally been financially enriched

Why didn't the US govt move this much closer to Qatar before the Trump admin and the exchange of $Billions in gifts and deals that are directly tied to the POTUS ?

Why only move closer to Qatar after all the $$$. ??

 

[steross]

So human rights abuse in one country should be ignored because it's going on in our own ?

You think that abuses 4 years ago at a soccer tournament that are nothing more than the status quo of the entire middle east for decades and all of our other partners there do the same thing are going to be solved by stopping a joint exercise program in Idaho?

If we really wanted to stop those abuses we would need to:
1. Cut relations with nearly all the Arab countries
2. Send billions in aid to the impovershed Asian nations that send them workers so that the workers have better alternatives.
3. Get Europe and China to do the same.

Not doing all that and picking a random joint exercise to say, "Nope, we decided ThIS oNE tHiNG we will not do with you because of rights abuses" would be incredibly stupid.

 

[steross]

I don't disagree with the path forward , I don't disagree with Qatar and US working together. It just VERY odd for it to go from where it was to where it is in the last 7 years and all the different ways the Trump admin and family has personally been financially enriched

Why didn't the US govt move this much closer to Qatar before the Trump admin and the exchange of $Billions in gifts and deals that are directly tied to the POTUS ?

Why only move closer to Qatar after all the $$$. ??

I find is insanely odd that of all the things we do wrong in the Middle East, bringing some pilots of planes we sell them to Idaho where they are completely under our surveillance is what worries you.

 

[Polds4OSU]

You think that abuses 4 years ago at a soccer tournament that are nothing more than the status quo of the entire middle east for decades and all of our other partners there do the same thing are going to be solved by stopping a joint exercise program in Idaho?

If we really wanted to stop those abuses we would need to:
1. Cut relations with nearly all the Arab countries
2. Send billions in aid to the impovershed Asian nations that send them workers so that the workers have better alternatives.
3. Get Europe and China to do the same.

Not doing all that and picking a random joint exercise to say, "Nope, we decided ThIS oNE tHiNG we will not do with you because of rights abuses" would be incredibly stupid.

You are aware they took away migrant workers Visa's and wouldn't let them leave the country and an estimated 6500 migrant workers DIED building the infrastructure for them to host the WC right ?

6500 dead

How many migrant workers have died in Qatar? What we know about the human cost of the 2022 World Cup | World Cup 2022 | The Guardian https://share.google/12NbeLxAbOOB43QPm

 

[steross]

You are aware they took away migrant workers Visa's and wouldn't let them leave the country and an estimated 6500 migrant workers DIED building the infrastructure for them to host the WC right ?

6500 dead

How many migrant workers have died in Qatar? What we know about the human cost of the 2022 World Cup | World Cup 2022 | The Guardian https://share.google/12NbeLxAbOOB43QPm

I am very aware because:
1. In 2003 as a deployed serviceman, I saw our country use TCNs (likely through contractors) treated the same way in the countries I was deployed to.
2. In 2017 I travelled to Dubai and talked with many workers who were treated exactly the same way. I had a cab driver take me around and show me workers doing incredibly dangerous things for very little pay.

This is the way of the region. Nice job ignoring what I said about this already to pull some "holier-than-thou" BS about a subject that I guarantee I have more real world experience and knowledge than you. Read my post that already tells you what it would take to really fix this and the fact that nobody in our nation, including you, is ready to do so. Indignant to me on a college sports message board may make you feel better about yourself, but it ain't doing shit for these workers.

 

[Polds4OSU]

In Trump's own words

+
In 2017, Donald Trump accused Qatar of being a "high level" sponsor of terrorism and called for the Gulf nation to stop funding extremist ideology. His comments came during the Gulf diplomatic crisis, in which several Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia imposed a blockade on Qatar.
Key quotes from Trump in 2017 on the matter include:
"The nation of Qatar unfortunately has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level".
He added that "the time had come to call on Qatar to end its funding" of terrorism.
During a meeting in Riyadh, Trump said his focus was "no longer... funding of radical ideology," suggesting his trip contributed to the blockade against Qatar by Arab countries.
Despite the harsh criticism, Trump later said the U.S. would maintain a good relationship with Qatar and that the U.S. airbase in the country would not be moved.
He also told reporters, "We have to stop the funding of terrorism...We ask Qatar and other nations in the region to do more and do it faster".
Trump's statements stood in contrast to comments from his own Secretary of State at the time, Rex Tillerson, who had initially urged Saudi Arabia and its allies to ease the blockade against Qatar. However, Trump eventually offered to mediate the crisis.
Qatar later signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. to combat terrorist financing, which the State Department praised.

 

[steross]

In Trump's own words

+
In 2017, Donald Trump accused Qatar of being a "high level" sponsor of terrorism and called for the Gulf nation to stop funding extremist ideology. His comments came during the Gulf diplomatic crisis, in which several Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia imposed a blockade on Qatar.
Key quotes from Trump in 2017 on the matter include:
"The nation of Qatar unfortunately has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level".
He added that "the time had come to call on Qatar to end its funding" of terrorism.
During a meeting in Riyadh, Trump said his focus was "no longer... funding of radical ideology," suggesting his trip contributed to the blockade against Qatar by Arab countries.
Despite the harsh criticism, Trump later said the U.S. would maintain a good relationship with Qatar and that the U.S. airbase in the country would not be moved.
He also told reporters, "We have to stop the funding of terrorism...We ask Qatar and other nations in the region to do more and do it faster".
Trump's statements stood in contrast to comments from his own Secretary of State at the time, Rex Tillerson, who had initially urged Saudi Arabia and its allies to ease the blockade against Qatar. However, Trump eventually offered to mediate the crisis.
Qatar later signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. to combat terrorist financing, which the State Department praised.

You've done an amazing job proving this would be controversial in 2017. You have spent a lot of time googling and still haven't answered what I wanted in my first post at 9:00am today.

 

[Polds4OSU]

I am very aware because:
1. In 2003 as a deployed serviceman, I saw our country use TCNs (likely through contractors) treated the same way in the countries I was deployed to.
2. In 2017 I travelled to Dubai and talked with many workers who were treated exactly the same way. I had a cab driver take me around and show me workers doing incredibly dangerous things for very little pay.

This is the way of the region. Nice job ignoring what I said about this already to pull some "holier-than-thou" BS about a subject that I guarantee I have more real world experience and knowledge than you. Read my post that already tells you what it would take to really fix this and the fact that nobody in our nation, including you, is ready to do so. Indignant to me on a college sports message board may make you feel better about yourself, but it ain't doing shit for these workers.

I would prefer a government that doesn't reward these behaviors you personally witnessed

I would prefer a government who stood up and rebuked these things your personally witnessed to the UN and pull financing and support when those countries don't make a real effort to change


Qatar has shown good faith they will try. They have yet to prove they've the steps they have taken are working towards positive change....but they come dump a lot of money in in our POTUS lap and he has now pulled a complete 180 on his OWN WORDS and rewards them, but only after the money started flowing

I don't feel comfortable with that

 

[Polds4OSU]

You've done an amazing job proving this would be controversial in 2017. You have spent a lot of time googling and still haven't answered what I wanted in my first post at 9:00am today.

What has changed since 2017 ?

 

[steross]

I would prefer a government that doesn't reward these behaviors you personally witnessed

I would prefer a government who stood up and rebuked these things your personally witnessed to the UN and pull financing and support when those countries don't make a real effort to change


Qatar has shown good faith they will try. They have yet to prove they've the steps they have taken are working towards positive change....but they come dump a lot of money in in our POTUS lap and he has now pulled a complete 180 on his OWN WORDS and rewards them, but only after the money started flowing

I don't feel comfortable with that

Where is your thread as the most prolific poster on the board about all the countries doing this and our response? Do you not think it happens in Saudi, Kuwait, Iraq, UAE, etc too? Do you not think that the rewards given by our country to those nations are FAR bigger than a few Qatari pilots in Idaho?

If this is really your concern and not some BS you came up with because I called out your post, you have done a crap job showing it.