So much agreed. I'm constraining my AI, that always wants to add more dependencies, create unnecessary code, broaden test to the point they become useless. I have in mind what I want it to build, and now I have workflows to make sure it does so effectively.

I also ask it a lot of questions regarding my assumptions, and so "we" (me and the AI) find better solutions that either of us could make on our own.

It's a cuban-missle-crisis like moment for Russia. And they act accordingly.

I'm not in favor of one or the other: I just notice imperialism when I see it. And Russia+Iran have been much less aggressive than the "allied western forces" for the last 60 years, while they have a lot of reasons to dig in and toughen up not to become the next Libya/Iraq/Syria/etc.

Sanctions, instigations (admitted) lead to protests that lead to violent crack downs.

Yes. Without those sanctions + instigations the crack downs would not be needed. That's beyond obvious to me.

Religious concerns are, IMHO, always a facade for the underlying economic/territorial/geopolitical reasons. These religious facades help sell the war effort: get young men to enlist and fight to the death for "preserving their identity". And "muh freedom" is just as much a religious motivation to me (unsubstantiated, indoctrinated, unthreatened).

US sanctions, US/Moss instigates, makes the Iranis desparate. Irani regime (that is the result of US intervention decades ago) digs in and toughens up.

People die in the streets.

Who's to blame? The Irani regime? C'mon...

It's like crashing your car into a tree and and blaming the tree.

Also: you really think the US/Moss care about dead Iranis in the streets, other than it being a useful pretext to go to war?