this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2026
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[–] HeyJoe@lemmy.world 144 points 1 week ago (5 children)

US didnt think or care about our own people when "planning" this? Shocking.

I do hope they find a way out...

[–] kmartburrito@lemmy.world 51 points 1 week ago

Not a part of the leadership's plan. Now if we were made of crude oil, we'd be carefully extracted.

[–] madeinthebackseat@lemmy.world 28 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I would assume it's part of the plan.

Getting Americans killed can be turned into maga propaganda quite easily. It's not like the cult members are going to blame Trump.

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[–] BremboTheFourth@piefed.ca 20 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] crusa187@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] evenglow@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

They did. They just don't care.

Remember Benghazi?

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.

[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 81 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Maybe I'm showing my ignorance here, but isn't that like one of their major responsibilities?

[–] MartianRecon@lemmus.org 60 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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.

[–] myrmidex@belgae.social 31 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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.

[–] MartianRecon@lemmus.org 15 points 1 week ago

I 1000% believe that it's malice, unfortunately.

[–] daychilde@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Malice would be if they could do the jobs but refused. Incompetence stems from malicious removals, but it is incompetence because the people working are, in fact, incapable of doing the job.

[–] nathanjent@programming.dev 2 points 1 week ago

This is the result of eliminating those not loyal to Trump. Unfortunately incompetence and blind loyalty are closely related traits.

[–] BigPotato@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

State department can't always evacuate everyone. Can't spend the big bucks doing an extraction on every American because one building got hit. When the region was getting hot in 2021, state department had like five five-seater jump planes in the area to do everything.

Now you've got hundreds of people getting squirrelly and demanding a flight now when the airspace is not looking great.

[–] MartianRecon@lemmus.org 5 points 1 week ago

There's other ways to evac people than just planes. I was just a kid when my story above happened. But my dad asked that very thing 'is it safe to fly if there's scuds in the air?' and they said that had multiple ways to get people to safety.

[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 60 points 1 week ago (1 children)

US Embassies exist to protect the *people of the US in foreign settings.

*people as defined by Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

[–] Numinous_Ylem@lemmy.world 27 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 6 points 1 week ago

"Corporations are people too, my friend." - Mitt Romney

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomatic_mission

[–] UnspecificGravity@piefed.social 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

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.

[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I'm saying it's a bonus to a diplomatic mission rather than a duty.

[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Got it. Fair enough.

[–] Zink@programming.dev 44 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Trapped Americans getting whoopsie-killed as shit all over the place gets blown up? That sounds like a great justification for throwing more money and lives at attacking the Epstein Files-- I mean, Iran.

Honestly I would be more surprised if it were simply a gutted and incompetent goverment, rather than intentional.

[–] ilickfrogs@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Them files gotta be a whole lot fucking worse than we think given the lengths they're going to distract people.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 23 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Look at the years that were witheld...

[–] ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Do you happen to know the source for that infographic? I'd like to look deeper myself: 1999-2001 have Trump written all over them, even if only by inference, given the admitted dates of their "friendship" (if it ever ended at all).

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[–] NannerBanner@literature.cafe 6 points 1 week ago

The files are videos, apparently. Some folks around here keep posting the very large size of the seized trove, and it is a little shocking to think there would be that many .pdf files adding up to the total.

[–] Mulligrubs@lemmy.world 35 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

US embassies in Jerusalem and Qatar issued statements on Tuesday saying they could not help Americans leave the Middle East.

CORRECTION: US embassies in Jerusalem and Qatar issues statements on Tuesday saying they have CHOSEN NOT TO HELP Americans leave the Middle East.

[–] Triumph@fedia.io 26 points 1 week ago

~~Can't~~ Won't

[–] Mrkawfee@feddit.uk 14 points 1 week ago

They're too busy helping israel, soz.

[–] Luminous5481@anarchist.nexus 14 points 1 week ago

Guess they don’t get to ignore this war in the Middle East like they usually do 😂

[–] AllToRuleThemOne@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

No one is left behind 🤡

😆😅🤣!!!

[–] resipsaloquitur@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (2 children)

What were they doing in a war zone?

[–] Burninator05@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I think it's usually people with dual citizenship and Qatar wasnt a war zone until we made it that way.

[–] daychilde@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago (4 children)

It wasn't a war zone until we attacked Iran…

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[–] blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 week ago

Could not or would not

[–] ThunderQueen@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

My brother was stuck in Jallisco during the operation there. The US embassy was forwarding calls to Jallisco Emergency Services.

[–] FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago

This regime probably thinks you don't deserve help if you chose to leave the Untied States

[–] k0e3@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago

They can't even be bothered to take care of Americans at home. Why would they waste resources on anyone living abroad?

[–] Doorbook@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They adminstration that left people in Afghanistan dealing of the worst withdrawal of all time, happy to support a genocide, launching an illegal war, killing and imprisoning its own citizens and run by a pedo rapist will never care about anyone.

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[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

If you voted for the bumbling pedo criminal and have front row seats for his piss poor planned shitshow, zero sympathy. I hope the water treatment plants fail during your visit.

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