Diego Camba

Diego Camba #3 - Fragmented Russia

Diego Camba #4 - Deter Iran

This comic was originally produced on 7 Sept 2026 (6 weeks ago).

It's still relevant though:

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202610207766
Third US aircraft carrier, 10,000 troops head to Middle East
Oct 20, 2026, 19:08 GMT+1

Diego Camba #5 - Incorrect Voting

On 6 September 2026, the AfD party in Germany won 43.8% of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt election, giving it 39 of 83 parliamentary seats.

This was a notable result because the AfD came very close to winning an outright parliamentary majority in a German state.

Turnout was a record 77.8% - the highest turnout in Saxony-Anhalt since German reunification.

Nonetheless, the AfD fell three seats short of an absolute majority. Most other parties have refused to cooperate with it, and no new government has been formed.

This has created an unusual situation: a party with nearly 50% of the vote, and more than twice the votes of its nearest rival, can still be excluded from government.

I find it very interesting that we publicly base political legitimacy on electoral majorities, but every so often the people "vote incorrectly". This indicates that we don't actually believe this - instead, something else is our source of legitimacy.

Diego Camba #6 - Fighting for Freedom

The notion of being told that you were "fighting for freedom" as a conscript always struck me as inherently ridiculous.

Diego Camba #7 - The Limits of Identity

Each and every era has some interesting boundaries.

And the thing that you are offered always has a shape.

Diego Camba #8 - Catalan Independence

How far down the fractal chain does "self-determination" go ?

Where do we stop ?

For that matter, how about "freedom" ?

Freedom is directly opposed to social bonds.

My freedom to follow my desires, if I follow it without limit, conflicts with other people's ability to rely on me.

A tiger stands at the pinnacle of freedom. He / she does not even have the social bonds of a lion's pride.

A long-term hermit, truly asocial, who lives on top of a mountain or deep in a forest or in a shack by a lake probably experiences something similar to the mental state of a tiger.

All societies must impose limits to freedom, or they cease to exist - we do not have the reproductive cycle of tigers, who can raise their young by themselves without support.

But societies that impose limits that are too high also crush the life, the spark, the ability to adapt out of their populace.

The answer, as usual, is "the truth lies within the tension of opposites".

Diego Camba #9 - Historical Possession

It's funny because he's Spanish.

The historical possession justification has always fallen a little flat for me. I.e. the notion that because a people had a territory in the past, they therefore have a right to it now.

Before what court or judge ? I've heard it said that God fights on the side of the heaviest artillery...

Apart from the original hunter-gatherers at the expanding edge of Homo sapiens, every people has had to take their land from some other people who was there first.

And anyway, the original people had to deal with other hominids and various predators, so... they never had a “oh, free land, no need to conquer it from someone else” experience.

All land is stolen, including the land occupied by those who say "all land is stolen". The point is moot. Instead, the question can only really become post-postmodern - who has the power to control the territory, today ?

Let us critique the critique itself...

Diego Camba #10 - Monroe Doctrine

It's always entertaining when someone is surprised by their own treasured principle being applied consistently in a new context.

"No, wait, not like that..."

"Why not ?"

"Well..."

People always start from their own needs / wants / desires as the baseline.

This also forms the structure and patterns of their thoughts and speech - when you talk to someone, in many ways you are talking to a representation of their goals / drives / incentives.

This is entirely natural.

Most species are completely individualistic.

It is altruism / cooperation that is strange and unusual and anti-entropic. It requires effort, energy, to maintain.

Civilization is an unnatural construct...

See: https://tela.network/forum/151

Relatively few people can emulate the structure of thought of another person, from the desires on upwards. It is energy-intensive and requires talent & practice & skill. It is often a _disadvantage_.

Sympathy is common. Empathy, not so.

Diego Camba #11 - Spanish Business Requirements

Advice is often one of the worst vices...

Giving advice allows you to cheaply feel that you've helped, and importantly that you no longer have an obligation to the person who has the problem.

Advice is therefore usually for the benefit of the giver, not the receiver.

This then creates an incentive to give advice that ignores certain material realities which would otherwise invalidate the advice.

For example, telling young people locked out of the standard career ladder to start a business, while ignoring the practical realities involved...

Diego Camba #12 - Podcastic Influence

Some podcasters have become so influential, in terms of the focusing of attention that occurs through their broadcasts, that there is a strange tail-wagging-the-dog effect going on with politicians and podcasters...