My argument isn’t that ‘might makes right’ or that self-governance doesn’t matter. It’s that the Wilsonian tradition of dressing up strategic moves in moral language is more corrosive to democratic values than straightforward realism would be. When the U.S. invokes human rights selectively like intervening in Venezuela but not Saudi Arabia,it makes a mockery of those principles. I’d rather we acknowledge geopolitical interests openly, which at least allows for honest debate about whether specific interventions are worth it and gives us clear objectives (e.g. Look at Afghanistan).

This colonialism thing has been going on since forever, and there is not much we can do to stop it. 

The leftists actually being pro-Maduro is insane to me, the guy’s approval rating in the country has constistently stayed below 30% since 2014. And while the american move was an obvious overreach with ulterior motives it was a geopolitically sound move, removing a major regional opponent and gaining leverage in post-Maduro Venezuela with all the benefits (oil mostly). People should be more pragmatic, personally if i imagine myself in an american’s shoes i much prefer a hands-on pragmatic approach to foreign policy than the wilsonianism that has been used to hide real foreign affairs intentions and objectives for the past decades. 

On another note petrol prices are down here too so that's good. Moreover the asiatic lion (an endangered species) population in india has grown by over 30% in the past 4 years.

It's a pity both sides can't lose.

I completely understand the hesitation, thank you anyways for the consideration, i have done nothing on this website so far except entering those contests only to give up for various reasons. Perhaps that was needed as from the point where i'm at one can only go up, i've started writing some short stories which i plan on sharing on this website soon and i will try to publish a story with this prompt anyways, even outside the contest.

Yeah i was going to say this, my bet is worth close to nothing to you, so i understand if nobody takes me up on that.

However i have decided to write on this prompt either way, even if unable to participate in the contest i will produce a story, more to prove a point to myself.

I would make this bet without batting an eyelid if the m(g)ods were so generous to allow it.

In manus tuas commendo spiritum meum.

I'll take prompt 36.

I'll take a number 24.

Third time's the charm. I'm in.