Contact Us
Sign In
Sign Up
Rules Admins Moderation Log Random Post Random User
What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.

Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.

New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!

Rules
Recommended Posts And Communities
Recommended Realtime Chats
- Astral Codex Ten Discord
- Quokka's Den Telegram

PaperclipPerfector 3mo ago (text post) 1103 thread views

Transnational Thursday for August 14, 2025

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

NunoSempere 3mo ago

Stuff I'm looking at this week:

Geopolitics

Americas

Court paves way for Trump to yank billions of dollars worth of foreign aid, concluding that aid groups lacked standing to bring the case.

US offers $5m bounty for Haitian warlord 'Barbecue'

Terrible health conditions at Alligator Alcatraz prison

US appeals court says Trump administration can cut billions in foreign aid

Europe

Musk chatbot Grok says it was 'censored' after suspension from X over Gaza posts

Children dying of hunger in Darfur's el-Fasher city

Attempted coup in Mali

Russia Has an Arsenal of New AI Drones Built with Smuggled Nvidia Chips (old news tho)

Zelenskyy: Ukraine won't cede land for peace amid US-Russia summit

European leaders unite behind Ukraine as Trump-Putin meeting nears

Europe says U.S. and Russia cannot decide on Ukraine land swaps at this week's summit

Migrants swim from Morocco to Ceuta as officials say enclave 'overwhelmed'

Middle East

Ireland intends to pass bill to ban the import of good from Israeli settlements despite US pressure

Iran

Where Next for Iran's Supreme Leader? Another review of his unstable grip on power.

Iran arrests 20 Mossad spies, executes nuclear scientist for providing classified information.

WWIII: Palantir CEO Alex Karp Says 3-Front War With Russia, China And Iran 'Very Likely'

Gaza

Israel strike kills Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza due to allegations of his leadership of a Hamas cell involved in rocket attacks.

Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly in talks with South Sudan to take Gazans

Gaza Sees Five Starvation Deaths in 24 Hours

11 more die from malnutrition in Gaza, Hamas-run health ministry says

Israel faces growing global condemnation over its plan to take over Gaza City

Gaza terrorists caught using emblem and vests of the World Central Kitchen.

'It's a horrible picture': Gaza faces new threat from antibiotic-resistant disease

Gaza health system 'catastrophic' with hospitals overwhelmed and medicines running out, WHO warns

Yemen

Yemen's Houthis say they launched 3 drone strikes inside Israel

Asia

Morning Brief: US Coast Guard Commissions First New Icebreaker in Over Two Decades; US, China Trade Accusations Over Panama Canal at UN Security Council

China's Chikungunya Outbreak Surpasses 10,000 Cases, Spreads to Taiwan

Chinese Authorities Mandating Blood Tests, Releasing Lab Mosquitoes to Fight Chikungunya Outbreak (although Epoch Times is not generally a reliable source)

A U.S. destroyer illegally entered the territorial waters of China's Huangyan Island; the Southern Theater Command lawfully and according to regulations warned and expelled it.

On August 13, Navy Colonel He Tiecheng, spokesperson for the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, announced the unauthorized entry of the U.S. Navy destroyer "Higgins" into the territorial waters off Huangyan Island. This action was described as a serious violation of China’s sovereignty that undermines regional stability and breaches international law. The Southern Theater Command's naval forces responded by tracking, monitoring, and ultimately expelling the U.S. vessel to assert their legal authority and maintain security in the area.

Key points include the assertion that the U.S. military's activities threaten both China's sovereignty and the peace of the South China Sea. The Chinese naval forces remain vigilant and prepared to defend national interests, emphasizing a continual state of readiness against foreign military actions.

Bangladesh Braces For Potentially Devastating Dengue Outbreak As Cases Surge. The country has documented 101 deaths and over 24,183 infections so far this year

India/Pakistan

Australia To Recognise Palestinian State At UN In September

Germany invites Trump, Zelenskyy, NATO, EU leaders to virtual meeting before Trump-Putin summit

Indian court orders removal of thousands of stray dogs from Delhi region, responding to concerns about rabies. India is facing the highest rabies toll in the world, with approximately 5,700 deaths annually according to government statistics, while some estimates suggest numbers could be as high as 20,000. The stray dog population in Delhi has surged, increasing from 60,000 in 2012 to close to 1 million.

Africa

Over 2,500 cholera cases, 103 deaths recorded in Sudan's North Darfur

Nigeria Emerging As Hub For 22 Islamic Terror Groups

40 dead in Darfur as worst cholera outbreak hits Sudan

FYI there was a pretty terrible famine in Darfur in 1998

US approves potential $346 million weapons sale to Nigeria to bolster security

US imposes sanctions on Congo armed group, mining firms over illicit minerals

Tech and AI

OpenAI gold at the IOI

Context

Southkraut The rain fell gentlier. NunoSempere 3mo ago

I wish to register doubts concerning the "Europe" headline of some items.

Context

NunoSempere Southkraut 3mo ago

XD, thanks

Context

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.

Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.

New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!

Rules

Recommended Realtime Chats

Link copied to clipboard

Action successful!

Error, please try again later.