Reports are emerging that Turkey may be preparing for another full-scale invasion of Syria to take on Kurdish forces. Of course, we've been here before. These reports appear from time to time. But this feels more serious, given the fall of Assad. So, do you think Ankara will do it? Or will its Western partners be able to stop it? And will anyone come to the aid of the Kurds if Turkey does go ahead? Let me know your thoughts below.
There's obviously no question about what Erdogan would do if given the opportunity. There's only the question of how far he would go. Unfortunately, with the return of the Trump presidency, an authoritarian leader like Erdogan is going to be given a very long leash. However, the Kurds are just too large of a population to repress entirely. The issue of Kurdistan is not going away, even if Erdogan sends his army in with guns blazing. You know, there are many people who point to the excessive punishment of Hungary in Trianon claiming it went too far. And yet, when you look at Russia and Turkey these days, you have to wonder if Trianon was exactly the right approach. It seems that Turkey just can't quite give up on its Ottoman dreams - nor can Russia be forced to repent for its imperial sins. Czars and Sultans still exist as historical role models in those nations - particularly in the fantasies of autocrats.
@@Robespierre-lIyou put it so completely and eloquently. As a Romanian, we lived for centuries between the Austro-Hungarian , Russian and Ottoman Empires. I wonder how we survived 😅
@@orhanyilmaz2758 I’ve been through this too many times. When Turks start calling my country “The United Kingdom” when speaking Turkish, I will consider using Türkiye in English.
I am an Italian living in Turkey. I settled in Turkey in 1998. One of my female students died after a PKK attack. She was a teacher. I met many Kurds and Turks in Turkey. The main mistake in this video of yours is to think of PKK and Kurds as if they were the same.
sad for your lost and also thanks for sharing because im turk they just say im racist when i say pkk is terorist haha i guess everyone has their interest and will lie
@@karwanramadan4669 what about the civilians PKK killed, like the Turkish teacher friend from this Italian guy? Why don't talk about this, why always claim that only you're the victims? You want war, you get war. Stop to hide behind lies.
As a half Kurdish citizen living in Turkey I always support what Atatürk planned for Turkey. No one could build a better middle eastern muslim nation. I hope Turkey will be able to Manage all of these uncertainities in the region. All members of my family have good jobs and businesses in Turkey, we never had discrimination. I really feel I belong to this nation.
@ugurerro At the end of the day in the middle east, it could depend on what religion you belong to and not your nationality. Hopefully in the future this could change and the Muslims could be become more tolerant of other religions...a more loving interpretation of their Koran....
As a Kurdish from Adıyaman, I agree with you. Thanks to the great Atatürk, I was able to get an education and have the opportunity to live the way I want. I will be grateful to him for the rest of my life. Without him, I most probably have ended up as a servant to some feudal landlord. Till recent decades, Kurdish people were not sending their girls to school. And inbreeding is quite common unfortunately. I am not a supporter of erdogan or HDP/PKK. Greetings to all decent people of Turkey.
Reis senin dedigin hic matiga sigmiyor. Atatürk bir kere din düsmani, nasil "muslim nation" kuracakmis? Osmanliyi yikan zaten Atatürk. Bati bizi (Türkleri & Kürtleri) bölmek istiyor. Oysa biz Yüzyillarca beraber yasamis milletiz.
It is also very interesting that the PKK/YPG, which is on the terrorist list of many countries around the world, is described as innocent fighters. This is what it takes to be a hypocrite.
The worst kind of journalism is the one in which you package lies with partial facts and narrate them as the truth. From the terminology you use, and the words you chose, one can easily see your intention. You are biased beyond denial, and you have a clear agenda in your narrative. Also, it seems that either you don't know much about the history and ethnic composition of the region, and the blood ties between Turkiye and Syria; or you intentionally omit them from your video as they don't serve your agenda. Whatever the reason is, people should avoid making comments about topics in which they have very limited information. That is an ethical responsibility for any virtuous person, and more so for a person with an academic title.
@@Sassannid He mentions Kurds like they are a monolith, all wants independence and all want to achieve it via armed resistance. PKK is supported by a small fraction of people. Also most of the killings done in the name of independence by PKK are targeted towards Kurdish people. In reality, PKK is a criminal syndicate like Mexican cartels, who uses terrorism and propaganda to gain influence to handful of people. It is also a proper tool for intelligence agencies. US is using for controlling Syrian oil reserves.
You know what you just said? Nothing. Just any assumption (with well-sounded words) without any explanation. Are you sure that you know what science is?
No more it’s over , Turks. Wins, ❤Türkiye 🇹🇷 is most important country, it’s like this scale with a enormous weight in the middle which can sway either way and the side it slides wins the geopolitical game
@@007supertime Exactly, I am involved in many different business deals many of them has to do with football. For my boss and me Turkey is an important strategic partner. I believe that the Turkish and Iranian governments have some squabble but with there being a new progressive President in Iran. I feel Iran and Turkey can help me keeping Sweden and Europe more generally safe.
@@LunaticTheCat You honestly believe Trump will be president. Putin has Trump in his pocket and Putin is a good friend of my boss Herr Dahlmeier. Ask Hufvudstadsbladet about the press releases that I have sent them on Herr Dahlmeier's behalf.
Turkish held areas seem to be returning to normality - schools and hospitals, including infrastructure. Turkey has 4 million Syrian refugees! She wants them return back to their homeland. Unfortunately the Kurds in Syria,with the help of USA, Britain, Germany and some smaller members members, captured nearly 45% of Syria, ethnically cleansing the Arabs and Turkmen from the areas they occupied. Kurds of Syria comprise only 10% of the Syrian population. To create propaganda with the use of the Kurds as the victims, looks like a turning eye to the truth. The so called ISIS was created by the West with a view to interfere in Syrian affairs! Now tell that to the public!
işid in babası obama annesi hilary dir. TRUMP. Suriye yi işgal eden işid, birden yok oluyor ve y p g o bolgelerde sihir gibi ortaya çıkıyor. işid kılık değiştirmiş p k k lı bile olabilir. sonra eski kıysfete dön, suriyeyi parçala.
@@naweed0 What propaganda? The west is furious it can't use the civil war for its own gain. They are furious that Turkey ended a civil war that they wanted to continue.
Turkey is the 2nd largest army of NATO and as its military, no one in this region wants to face this, including Iran or Israel. For example, if you noticed during the revolution, the war ended almost before it started when Turkey said that if you intervene in Russia and Iran, I will intervene in you. The most that America can do here is political pressure and economic pressure. embargo, but since this issue is a vital situation for Turkey, nothing will change. In short, the PKK is over and America and Europe see it. The problem is how to declare it.
The problem is Turkey doesn't have many real friends or allies. It's a NATO member and I doubt it has much influence except a little in Syria today and a few African countries.
@@european-one You know nothing about Turkish patriotism. Turks have lost so many casualties during the Kurdish Separatist Insurgency over the past 40 years. For them, economic inflation is not a primary concern, as they believe it will eventually decrease and come to an end in the long term. However, when you have a separatist terrorist state on your border, you only have one chance to clear the border of all of them.
No country has done more to the Syrian people than Turkey. Saving the lives of 4 ml Syrians from certain death by the regime and has been taken care of them for the last 14 years costing the Turkish taxpayers over 40 bn $ yet you don't hear that in the Western media. and Turkey is not fighting the Kurds but fighting a designated Kurdish terrorist organization pkk that happens to be the Kurdish majority.
No they are fighting against the kurds. Turkey is destroying the infrastructure( schools, hospitals) of the kurds. Furthermore many kurdis civlist have been killed. The government (rojava) there is defending their civilians. therefore is a fight against the kurds
@@denizdeniz4755where is the Kurdish language banned?? In Kurdish areas are always street and government signs in Kurdish, even Football Teams who plays in official Turkish leagues have Kurdish names (Google AMEDSPOR). Amed ist the Kurdish name of the city Diyarbakır. So, what's banned now? Why always claim to be a victim, this is so ridiculous.
This is so biased video. Becuase you talk like these territory only belongs to the Kurds. Actually Kurds are minority most of the places they invaded during the civil war. If your biased point of wiev correct there must be at least 20 more new independent country just in EU borders. If you like these seperatists so much, why don't you share your own country?
Kurds are the largest ethnic without a state. We have our land, language, and culture. So, let’s stand for the liberation of Kurdish nation and the minorities from imperialist.
Only 10 percent of syrian population is kurdish. ,where as they posses 45 percent of syria. Even among the biggest part of the population is ypg members having close ties with pkk terrorist group that has killed 45 tousend innocent people by launcing attacks to turkish territory.
@ clearly you are not going to understand that Kurds deserve a country of their own. I shouldn’t discuss further. You are siding with the oppressor rather than the oppressed. The powerful is almost always the oppressor, leaving limited option for the powerless.
@@lrg069 clearly you also don’t recognize that Kurds have the right to self govern, given the fact that Kurds lived under oppression of Nation states in the region. Syria now is a proxi state govern by foreign countries.
@@ruzgar_adam I know thinking is hard for you but the Kurds have been an identifiable people for a long time. They live on territories that can be invaded. The territory on which most of them live was carved up between four states following the dissolution of the Ottoman empire.
Are you a history expert? Who's fault is it that they don't have their own land? The kurds them self it's their own fault that they couldn't estabilish their own land. It's not because you lived there centuries ago that you can claim that land, that's not how it works. If you are so concerned give a piece of your own land.
Did you know --Elected president, Turgut Özal, who served as the 8th President of Turkey from 1989 to 1993 was kurdish --Leader of main opposition party, Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, who served as party's leader from 2010 to 2023 was also kurdish --Currently, kurdish people in Türkiye are being represented in the parliament by a 57-member party dedicated to address the problems of kurdish population. This 57 number does not include numerous kurdish representatives serving their constituents as members of other political parties. As in the example of Kemal Kılıcdaroğlu, kurdish members of parliament even served as leaders of other parties --other than the kurdish party. --AKP alone, the ruling party, is estimated to contain more kurdish representatives than the kurdish party itself. So, stop portraying Türkiye as an enemy of kurds. Kurdish people enjoy more freedom and higher standards of living in Turkiye than in any independent state they are likely to create. Who wants an independent kurdistan? A few hooligans who are hoping to become dictators of the country they hope to create, so that they can suck the blood out of their people. Do you think, if created, independent kurdistan will be like Switzerland? No, it will be more like Brunei or Afghanistan. THAT İS THE SAD TRUTH.
So was Ismet Inonu, the second president in turkey. The foreign minister of turkey right now is Kurdish. The president of the parliament is Kurdish. Turkey also has close relations with the Kurds in north Iraq.
@@adamelghalmi9771 Inonu has his highs. He was an important General in the war of independence. The word Kemalist was a word used by the English to describe the people who fought on Mustafa Kemals side. For me being a Kemalist is a positive but it was abused by Alparslan Turkes and Kenan Evren who we found out later where projects of Gladyo. Anyway, without kemalists there is no Turkey. Inonu was the Diplomat who has determined Turkeys borders. While countries in Europe had millions of people dieing in World War 2, Inonu kept turkey out of it. And maybe most important he made Turkey a multi party democracy.
Syria is home to many ethnic and religiously diverse people. No geographical area is homogeneous. Dividing Syria into many states or administrations based on ethnic and religious grounds will lead to endless wars. Is this war environment deliberately desired to continue? Who will benefit from it? The Middle East has suffered greatly from ethnic and religious micro-nationalisms. Instead, wouldn’t it be a better approach to build a unitary state where every individual in Syria benefits from equal citizenship rights? Previously, Kurds did not have citizenship rights or official identities. However, now the central government is calling on everyone to be represented in the administration. Contrary to your claim, Professor, laying down arms and electing and sending civilian deputies to the Syrian parliament seems like a more civilized and peaceful approach. Why do you find it so difficult to focus on the common interests of Syrians instead of using ethnic and religious differences to feed micro-nationalisms?
good point also if kurds gets a piece of land why not Durzi's, Yezidi's and Turkmens??? Why you just want to help kurds particularly? Do you love them? No you don't! your initial hope is to weaken Turkiye, Iran and dividing them into small groups so you menage them easily. Once you do this they will given those corrupt small groups leaders some authority and a little bit outdated weapons and you get their sources almost for free! This is called ''Divide and Rule'' and used by western countries for decades all around the world!
@keremustunel7197 Because the professor wants Kurdish state that can be used against other states in the area. Israel wants it, so by default, all others on the deep state boat want it, too.
You`re take is very modern and like most modern takes it`s bullshit. Dividing Syria into many states wont lead to endless war since the country is already in endless war. Best case scenario it will resolve the problem. Worst case scenario nothing changes. Your idea was already tried and caused endless war. It has been an absolute failure.
Prof. James I think you often phrase things in deliberately misleading ways, especially when you mention Turkey striking "the kurds." Turkey does not strike or intend to strike, kurdish persons who are unaffiliated with the PKK or YPG. If this was the case, several million Kurds living peacefully in Southeastern Turkey would be dead. I believe more specificity on your part is necessary.
I believe it is rich that you speak condescendingly to someone who is way smarter than you. You shoot bombs, bombs explode, the bomb is unable to verify if the person is "unaffiliated with the PKK or YPG" and really you would say anyone you kill is PKK.
I think they will. The opportunity is too good for them not to. The Kurds control many areas that are arab majority that Turkey could switch leadership on. Additionally, turkey has a good relationship with kurdish autonomous region in Iraq so I believe they will try to switch the leadership of Syrian kurdish areas.
@@TheSwedishHistorian if they were just against PKK and not Kurds when they got the okay to go to Efrin by their masters in the west, they would have not settled Arbs and Turkmen in Kurdish areas.
@@salihsalih3658 They are against separatist Kurds. The Kurds who disregard sovereign countries and their sovereign territories because their western owners promised them land. No country wants a separatist organization in their land and anyone who has that mentality is going to get dealt with in the manner they understand regardless of where they are. You think you can annex a part of Sweden and think the Swedish will be okay with it? They get upset with Muslims immigrating, they would lose their minds over something like this.
@@salihsalih3658 Northern Syria has many towns and cities with majority turkmen population, when Rojava with the USA gained controlled you forced them to migrate. Kurdistan can exist in northern Iraq we have good relationships with them since they are not with the PKK but against them
@@adidoki Kurds unlike the Turkish and Syrian governments don’t discriminate against others. We love our neighbors and we have lived together for thousands of years. Look at any Kurdish entity and you will see all languages are respected. Looked at Rojava emblem it even has Turkish in it for the Turkmens. Look I truly believe Ocelan is a MIT agent, however I also believe that those Kurdish fighters are risking their lives for the Kurdish cause. If Turks and Arabs has same respect for Kurds as we do for them we would all be in peace. We can have a Middle East Union. Which would benefit all and the world. But we keep killing each other instead. Let’s all be partners in this land and not masters.
@@crazycowboy213 I despise any and every government who takes violent action against any segment of their country that wants to exercise greater control over themselves. The only government I loathe more is governments that enter other countries to try and tell the people living there how to live
And unlike Russia, Turkey will get a pass from the West because it suits their interests in the region. The best the Kurds can hope for is a strong-worded letter from the EU blaming both sides and demanding a cease of hostilities.
I doubt that. Turkey gets dealt with through quieter, less public channels because they still are a NATO member (for now at least.) However, it is clear where the US stands on Kurdistan.
@@Robespierre-lI Turkey is the 2nd largest army of NATO and as its military, no one in this region wants to face this, including Iran or Israel. For example, if you noticed during the revolution, the war ended almost before it started when Turkey said that if you intervene in Russia and Iran, I will intervene in you. The most that America can do here is political pressure and economic pressure. embargo, but since this issue is a vital situation for Turkey, nothing will change. In short, the PKK is over and America and Europe see it. The problem is how to declare it.
@@g1u2y345 Russia gave that 'pass' to Azerbaijan to liberate her own territories internationally recognized namely Karabagh. You tried to mean this, im pretty sure, sometimes we all hurry and may mistype. ;)
Turkey's position has always remained the same regarding the YPG/PKK. It faces a significant threat from them, and I think it's highly naive to assume that the YPG fought ISIS for the US. They took advantage of the situation to advance their aspirations towards carving Syria into a Kurdistan. This would create far greater issues and would only be a declaration of war for the Turks. I think the West is playing naive when it could never itself tolerate such a threat along its own borders.
Daiş ile sınır komşusu olmaya razısınız ama bak yemin ederim ilerde Suriye Afganistana dönecek ve siz o zaman keşke Kürtler olsaydı en azından bize saldırmazlardı diyeceksiniz tabi bizi yenebilirseniz ki bu mümkün değil evlat
Or perhaps the west is actually playing dumb when they actually know the truht. It's actually pretty common for the west to use devide et impera and neo-collonialism strategy. Even current middle east conflict right now is actually happened as a result of western segregation and mapping to make each arabs country feel their borders is threatened.
The irony of Kurds being terrorized and racially abused throughout history by the Turks and chemically bombed by Saddam but if the Kurds want to create a homeland for themselves to have some peace and security for once from the crazies around them, that's somehow a "declaration of war" for the the Turks
I can't believe this man is a Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He speaks without knowing anything about geography, demographics, or historical processes. If this man is so ignorant, his students won't be able to find Turkey on a map.
They don’t. Israel gets its oil through Turkish ports. When Israel kills Palestinians, Erdoğan puts on a show and acts as though he cares, while Netanyahu does the same regarding Kurds. However, behind closed doors, they are actually strong trading partners.
They don’t. Israel gets its oil through Turkish ports. When Israel kills Palestinians, Erdoğan puts on a show and acts as though he cares, while Netanyahu does the same regarding Kurds. However, behind closed doors, they are actually strong trading partners.
Because Israel needs neighbors who are not Arabs, Persians and Turks in order to survive in the region. The borders of the Kurdish satellite state are strategically drawn. It will be a puppet state of the Jews Promised land. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers, the major water sources of the Middle East, are also there. Who controls the Euphrates and Tigris also controls the region because water resources are limited.
You all forget that Türkiye has stood with the Syrian people since day one, including Turkmens and Kurds (Syrian on paper), who have lived there together for centuries. There are also many Arabic, Kurdish, and Turkmen clans and tribes, supported and trained by Türkiye, who started all this against Assad and together are fighting against US/PKK/ALQ/ISIS terrorists all brought there by the USA. They were controlling oil fields in the Golan Heights and selling oil to Assad, accepting him (with Russia's presence), but after all this started and Russia left, they just turned and joined fighting Assad. We all know financing and using terrorists is the US/CIA/MOSSAD way. There are 8 million Syrians living in Türkiye, with the second generation now being born and growing up. Türkiye is the only nation accepted by the people of this region. The fact is, Turkish and Syrian people share a close bond, and the people are culturally close to each other. People from the entire region trust Türkiye, which does not seek to occupy or invade lands; it never has, unlike the USA and Israel. In fact, Türkiye has already begun and continues to restore cities and places near the borders where people can return and live. Similarly, in Iraq, Türkiye supports rebuilding efforts, working closely on many levels, including infrastructure and trade, ultimately aiming for a functioning and stable state. The West, Israel, and Iran have only created chaos for year's with their proxies and terrorist allies, unlike Türkiye. When one has the right, it is Türkiye, together with all the people from this region. This is also what the people mostly want. Will need some Time to build a strong neighborhood with stable functioning States but this is maybe the best solution to bring peace in the entire region in future and ending all the chaos and war
Making war just makes more refugees and also why would they return to a state at war? Turkey fighting our best allies against ISIS is outrageous and always has been.
@@s871-c1q allias is NATO country Turkiye. Fight against terrorism can be done with legal states. Terratorial integrity of Syria is importend. Damaskus is legal owner of Eastern Syria. Regional states do not want a new remote controlled garnison state.
Why dont kurds just leave arab majority areas and try to negotiate deal where they would not project danger to turkey and distance themselves from pkk?
How will you do that when Turkey has a problem with Kurds existing in any official way. Also, why this focus on not a single Arab or other can be in Kurdish controlled area, but dozens of millions of Kurds can be stateless in Turk, Arab, Iranian controlled lands ? Why is it so inconceivable to you that Arabs could be in Kurdistan, but never the reverse ?
You call yourself a prof? Where did you get your information? Before you make a content like this do your homework righteous and correctly. If you didn't know there is no such as kurdistan. I want see your reaction when i claim a land that is yours. It's always easy talk and give a biased opinion if you're not involved.
May all minorities in Syria, including Christians, Kurds, Druze, etc. be safe... 🙏 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 May all Syrians be happy, healthy & (should be) wealthy (free from poverty)... 🙏 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾
one million Sunni Arabs were massacred in the past 13 yrs alone by the minority Alawites that were backed by the other minorities.. The minorities should be grateful that the Arab majority is not going Rwanda on them after what they have done in the past 50 yrs
@@MoReal2 there is no Single united Arab majority, if was Alawites Wouldn't be in power. Arab in Syria are several groups with different roots and ideology
There’s no Syrian Kurdistan. Assad didn’t even give Kurds passports. Kurds are less than 2 million, compared to Turkmens and Arabs who are much bigger . U.S. and Israel wanted to give 40% of the Syrian lands to Kurds, who are only comprising 7% of the population …
thanks for pointing this out! Also the area is given to Kurds are the best part of Syria in terms of oil and agricultural sources.... Half of the reason Esad is gone that Kurds (USA) hold the economical power and regime was weaken with no money...
First of all PKK-YPG-SDF whatever organization you name in Syria or Turkey does not represent all Kurds living in those areas or abroad. So, we would greatly appreciate if you had made that distinction in the beginning of the video. These are (some are recognized as terrorist by internationally) some organizations that are aspiring for independent Kurdistan with varying boundaries within Middle East. Your title and talk does not make this distinction but keep saying Kurds wants this Kurds want that, Kurds are under threat and so on. This delicate issue requires a lengthier video. Still, in general, I like your videos.
Ve işte. Gerçekler için teşekkür ederim.... Sonunda akıllı bir yorum burada buldum. Evet PKK asla Kürtleri temsil etmiyor. Çünkü Rakka'da ve Deyrizor'da isyan eden Kürt aşiretleri onları oradan kovdu. Her Kürt terörist değildir ve PKK asla Kürt değildir. Bu mantıklı yorum için teşekkürler.
Don't speak in other people tong. All Kurdish People support Kurdish motion for independence ,even other people that has family relation with Kurds support them.
Openly refuses to differentiate between groups he views as inferior, demands other differentiate between groups he views as inferior so he can attack them piecemeal without anyone getting upset, refuses to elaborate.
dont forget to include north london as well , everywhere they call kurdistan they riot and if the PKK and Ypg is world recognised as a terror group how come the have rallies in the capitals of these countries , do we ever see Nazi rallies or IRA or any other outlawed rallies on our streets in europe
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Iraq, Syria and Turkey are all Kurdish lands, at least partially.
In this matter, I hate the misleading ethnicity maps. At the beginning of this video as well, such a map painted a huge swath of Turkey in yellow, giving the impression that that area is nothing but Kurds. In reality, that is the area where a significant fraction (not necessarily the majority) is Kurdish, but the remainder (majority in many cities of the painted area) are Turks. For almost a thousand years Turks and Kurds coexisted in this area, intermingling the populations. The percentage threshold of such maps vary, that's why you can find different maps in different sources. (Just pointing out a common factual error without taking sides)
@@JamesKerLindsay You do realise that Treaty of Sevres was made by the west for exploiting the region? Thank you for your honest intentions of exploitng the middle east. It's good that the west and the eu still dream of exploiting the middle east after 100 years..
Kurds are an Iranian people, and Romans did not allow them to the West of Zagros mountains. Kurdistan was a region established by Seljuks as an adminstrative area, for non-Persians, to the east Zagros mountains. Various Kurdish tribes were given refuge by Ottomans after Safavis adopted Shia creed.
There are lots of important points overlooked and observed partially, yet leading to very unfair and unjust conclusion. First and foremost; Kurds are not represented by ypg/pyd/pkk/sdf. There are thousands of Kurds fled from ypg/pkk/sdf's brutal and oppressive regime. On the map the so called divided/invaded Kurdish state has never been existed, yes in that area lots of Kurds lived and still living with Arabs, Turkmens and so on. Also you forgot to mention that Turkey is the only country that fought against isis on the battle ground and succeeded(Operation Euphrates Shield) liberating Azaz and Al Bab region. Turkey's main objective is to have a united, peaceful Syria, where all the Syrians from different ethnicity and religion can live peacefully. At the moment the petrol, water and fertile farmlands are invaded by the pyd/ypg/pkk, these areas are vital for the self sufficient Syria. The Syrian people will not let sdf/pyd/ypg/pkk snatch these lands from themselves either with or without the help of Turkey.
Stop portraying the Turks as invaders, the Kurds never had a state. The Turks took those lands by fighting the Byzantines, not the Kurds. Before Byzantium there was Rome. Before Rome, Anatolia had its own civilizations like the Hittites and Urartians, but there was never a Kurdish state.america's goal is not to give a state to the Kurds, but to divide the Middle East and put a watchdog state in the oil fields.
Medes was the Kurdish state. To be more precise, it's both the Kurdish and Balochi state, those two nationalities go back to the Medeans because the Medean language turned into the Kurdish and Balochi languages.
@@stevenfallinge7149 The fact that the Medes are Kurds is nothing more than an allegation, it is just bullshit made up by the Kurds to find ancestors for themselves.
You need a solid basis for calling Turkey's presence in Syria an invasion. If you share this basis with its source, I will consider your video not as Kurdish propaganda but as a geopolitical analysis. Turkey's cross-border operations are based on the Adana Agreement. According to the 23-point agreement, both states would take measures against organizations that threatened them, especially the PKK, and prevent all their activities on their territory. However, since there was no military unit of the Syrian state on the Syrian side of the border, Turkey exercised its rights arising from this agreement and carried out cross-border operations to ensure its own border security and supported Syrian Arabs against Kurdish terrorists in the areas cleared of the PKK YPG. In Syria, the concept of a unitary state came to an end with the uprisings that started after the Arab Spring and turned into a playground where armed formations inside Syria are supported by international powers for their own interests. I don't think it is necessary to be an expert to understand how ISIS emerged, how it grew and who it serves. This is a project that international powers have been pursuing for years to make their presence in another state acceptable. First, support and grow an armed organization. When this organization grows and starts to get out of control, this time support and grow another armed organization against it. Then another and then another.... This is actually the most basic summary of the developments that have been taking place in Syria and similar non-“democratic” but resource-rich geographies for years. States support frictions in line with their own interests and want to maintain their presence in the field either with their own presence or through their extension forces.
First of all this agreement was against the pkk. the ypg is not the pkk. they just share the same concept. there is no direct orders from the pkk Second, the Syrians interpret the conflict between the PYD and Turkey differently. The Syrian government has repeatedly told Turkey to withdraw from Syrian territory."
The way you describe the situation between Kurds and Turkey sounds incredibly biased. SDF is not "linked" to PKK it's literally renamed version of PKK which is a terrorist organization (also accepted by your nation UK) that has killed civilians/ransacked villages/kidnapped and killed teachers amongst further countless atrocities. Those are not documented just by the Turkish government but other Human right organizations as well, you can even find them on the Wikipedia ffs. You are also trying to illustrate all of this as a Kurdish-Turkish war and trying to align all Kurds with PKK/YPG/SDF which is a thing someone who doesn't know a squat about "Kurdish problem in Turkey" would do. Kurdish people constitutes almost 1/5 of the total population in Turkey. Almost half of the current cabinet is literally Kurdish, most notably Ibrahim Kalin (Chief of Intelligence) and Hakan Fidan (Minister of Foreign Affairs). Kurdish people do have large business in Turkey, Kurdish people are living freely in Turkey, Kurdish people are part of government in Turkey, Kurdish people are part of the armed forces in Turkey, Kurdish people gets elected in Turkey. Now tell me, how on earth could you say that this is a war between Turkey-Kurds ? Did Kurdish people had problems in Turkey ? Yes they had. Have they reasonable demands (like making Kurdish elective course in schools) that are not fulfilled yet, I do think so. Is there still a small racism issue in rural places, yes but unfortunately that goes both ways. But portraying Turkey as an anti-Kurd state is beyond ignorance for many countless reasons, I've listed few of those reasons in previous paragraph. You've mentioned in the "Who Will Help the PKK/YPG/SDF" section that Iraq Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) has complex relations with Turkey so that's why they are not going to help 😀 That's not the whole reason Mr "Kurdish/Turkish" professor and you know it, the reason is both Turkey and KRG (Iraqi Kurdistan) fights against PKK. Yes you've heard it right, PKK which you've defined as "Kurds" are literally fighting against Iraqi Kurdistan Government. As a side note those relations between IKRG and Turkey are not "complex" but rather they are "good". As an ending note, take a look at the demographic map of Syria once and tell me how it is not racist against Arabs to call Deir ez-Zur, Raqqa, Tell Abyad (which is occupied by YPG/SDF) a Kurdish city ? So called "Democratic" terrorists have suppressed Arab protests (yeah may be to your surprise, some Arabs might not want to live under a literal terrorist organization which idolize a Kurdish racist terrorist named Abdullah Ocalan) in the last week by killing 10 civilians in the Raqqa region. There are many cases of their crimes reported by Human rights organizations. But yeah sure they are as democratic as it gets and wants to bring peace to the region, poor SDF/YPG/PKK 🙁
Full lies. He is only stating the Washington policies in the territory. Not telling child soldiers of YPG whic is not a represant of Kurds rather a terrorist group for military interest of Israel and US. Same scenario played bu Us more than a century. I am not even telling the population engineeering dine by Ypg. Mandotory imigration of Turks and Arabs. US should stay in its’ soil if its not seeking military conflict with Turkey. Results would be tremendous for both. Enough is enough
Dear Prof Let's talk about why colonial countries were in our lands . Why did they try to divide our country ? Why did they want the Ottoman to collapse? More than 600 years there were a peace in those land. After the first war one , the middle east turn to inevitable bloodbath. My question is why the US or the UK is to try to divide our lands we all have a cultural similarity and we have diverse religious beliefs all respect each other until someone whisper them to do something stupid. I think time to the US army to go back where they are protect their land not the land they do not own. On the other hand , we do not have any problem with Kurdish people all the ethic groups see each other brothers and sisters as I said again because they share similar values cultures. I travelled all east Turkiye . Nobody disrespect me that I am Turkish most of the Kurdish people open their door gave me food let me stay their home. As the same we do it. What you are doing is just a propaganda. PKK/PYD/SDG ARE TERROSIT ORGANIZATIONS. THEY KILL MANY INNOCENT PEOPLE EVEN KURDISH PEOPLE. THEY KIDNAP YOUTH KURDISH PEOPLE WHO ARE 14 15 YEARS OLD TO MAKE THEM SOLDIERS. so i am asking again why does the US arms stay in some strategic area in Syria ? Because there is energy. You European people do not give a fuck for any ethnic groups you support them because you need energy . Basicallt you people use them to get what you want that's all
This is the argument a 14 year old would give. Also I love the hilarious, made up narrative, about you going to Kurdish houses as if that has anything to do with this. US imperialism is bad but Turk imperalism is fine? What business does Turkey have in Libya? I wonder if that is making you money. The US (and every decent country) gave the YPG support because, unlike your army, they fought ISIS. They will leave one day but you will stay as long as there are minorities to oppress. Also the Ottomans were not at peace in Syria for 600 years; there plenty of just internal wars between greedy governors. Your empire got carved up because you joined the losing side of a world war, that's how it goes. Russia chose the winners and still lost its empire for a while.
So, what you say, basically: Turkish Imperialism/colonialism good, other Imperialism/colonialism bad. I wish everyone would be so benevolent as the Ottomans were. ;)
This is just more of the old nonsense of blaming the entirety of the MIddle East problems on the West. It's childish garbage. The actions of competing empires in the 19th Century leading up to the first world war led to the collapse of the Ottomans, yes. But the Ottoman Empire was already in a period of long decline before that - all on its own, by not adapting to modernity. As for the rest of the Islamic world which the Ottomans partly controlled - the Arab world - that's been a collapsed civilization since the Mongols came slashing and burning. And the Arab world still struggles to adapt to modernity! So, enough of this childish anti-Western nonsense. Since the end of the Cold War (and sometimes even before that), all attempts by Western powers to try to help middle eastern nations escape their squalor and political dysfunction have failed. Why? Only a conspiracy theorist would take a serious look at that history and still try to blame everything on the West. Western policy failed ... because of Middle Eastern culture and politics. Don't worry. This moment is the beginning of the US turning its back on trying to influence and help the region. They have already reduced their efforts down to the minimum necessary to contain Iran and help Israel protect itself. As for your assertion that the West only stays in Arabia for energy supplies, this is false. The US became fully energy independent about a decade ago - and was already working on getting there before the Iraq war started. Europe does not depend on the MIddle East for oil. As you might recall, there was all that controversy about their dependency on Russia for natural gas. RIght? In fact, these days, it is China that is most dependent on Arabia for oil and energy. So, enough of your hysteria.
So called “Kurdistan” does not exist. That land is in Turkish hands for 1000 years since the Ottomans entered Anatolia in 1071. Turkey will never let its land to be taken away and partitioned. Also Kurds killed tens of thousands of Turkish people through terrorist attacks. This video failed to explain all that. Turkey has a right to defend itself.
The German Foreign Office: “We will explain to Turkey the necessity of protecting the rights of the Kurds in northern Syria.” Have you noticed how the rights of some people are highlighted while the rights of others are obscured for more than five decades?
@@delibaba_1923 because Kurds fought against ISIS with incredible resistance and strategy, literally destroying ISIS and saving their region-and the world-from jihadists and extremists. So, why does it seem like some people, especially from Turkey, always assume bad intentions when it comes to things from Europe or America? It's like if something comes from there, it's automatically seen as bad, evil, or shameful. This shows how deeply some people have been influenced by certain beliefs, without considering other perspectives.
@@awesomestrawberry1348 bro have you been paying attention to something called ''the world history''? anytime a european state meddles in some other region of the world ''english in india'' wink wink so on and so on what was that other than pure evility?
@@kocahmet1 Sure bro, If you got the chance to live in one of those 'evil' countries, you’d absolutely stay here, right? So..which one’s really the 'evil' one now??
I am perfectly aware of the difference. I have worked on the region for many decades. But I think too many Turkish people neglect to see the very real aspirations that many Kurds have about their pursuit of a homeland. They simply say put everything down to the PKK and then don’t need to confront the bigger picture.
@@JamesKerLindsay you have a terror group claiming they want a Kurdish nation and many Kurdish people that have nothing to do with them and dont support them. If you dont state the difference youll just be pointing fingers at them(same as saying IS** represents muslims). Also living here for decades in this society is something you wont understand no matter how many decades you study it. Kurds and Turks here are sick of western media and politicians lies, portraying as if there is a Kurd vs Turk conflict. There isnt and never has been. Everyone just saying the same things over and over again "fascist turks, turks vs kurds, independence, ethnic war" bla bla bla. You are a profesor right so research why and how this pkk group was created, what they did, who supported it and how its evolved later on. And honestly if you arent going to research all the details than what are you a professor for?
@@JamesKerLindsay Yeah but it is interesting PKK has organic ties to SDF so Turkish view is consistent. That kind of aspirations and pursuit is not free even in Europe, it only means more blood and suffering in middle-east. They can practice everything culturally in Iraq and Turkey. The region has a memory of foreign interventions and their local collaborators. If they achieve independent state it won't be really independent. Land-locked country surrounded by their old-friends that became new-enemies? You know there is only one country in the region that wants to use those aspirations and their lives as their own cannon-fodder.
@@JamesKerLindsay James, bigger picture tells us US and UK give weapons to PKK to split Iraq and Syria even Trukiye. Do you think we are children? We are aware of everything, dont worry about it.
Syria need territorial unity, Kurdish is doing what's opposite to that. Great move by Turkiye is helping the new Syrian government to consolidate national unity.
My friend, you have no idea about this issue, you should not have spoken with the fabricated information you got from the news of the stupid western states of the USA. My advice to you is to come to TURKEY and be part of TURKEY'S efforts in Syria.Look at what he did, he rebuilt the city. People are living happily and the Syrian government and people are on the side of TURKEY. PKK and YPG will now be cleared from Syria.
Air support through drones does not count as military intervention apparently. Paramilitary organizations do not count as military intervention either it seems. Turkish logic 2024.
@@epschas rocketing russian ''targets'' on russian territories via Ukraine by american-british missiles with aucthentic (a military secret) validation codes for activation it s not invervention. Western logic 2024.
they already have their atonomy.do u know what is meaning UK? "United Kingdom" means there are several independent autonomy. dont u know right now a country exist named "Ireland"?
The Irish literally have an independent country, they’ve had it for like, over a century at this point… and England allowed Scotland to hold several independence referendum’s but the Scots decided they wanted to stay. The British have openly stated that if part of their country wants to leave it is allowed to do it but no one has wanted to leave for quite some time. The Falkland’s and Gibraltar also hold independence/ unification with a neighboring Spanish speaking nation votes from time to time and every time they decide to stay British.
Is England prohibiting the identity and language of Scotts. Please do not compare a middle east country with a western democratic country. You look very ridiculous.
Why do you think anyone could tell another to change names or terms in their respective language? Neither Erdogan nor the Turkish government has any mandate over other languages.
It's quite amusing to watch Europeans get carried away with themselves. Listening to them say things like, "Let's impose sanctions on Turkey, and if they don't listen, we'll send them a harsher warning letter." :D Friends, please research Turkish history thoroughly, from beginning to end, and then try to threaten us.
No, I can, perfectly well. The problem is that it is too easy for many Turks to separate the PKK from the aspirations of many Kurds for greater rights, and even a state. They just say that the PKK are extremists and the rest of the Kurds are happy. It’s an easy way to avoid the issue. I’ve seen it in other contexts.
@@JamesKerLindsay This response from you proves that you are biased and not suitable to be a professional academic or journalist. Pathetic in my opinion...
Dear Prof, I think it is a first time that your analyse is not well calculated. Turkey is not planning to attack Syrian Kurds. Its focus is only on marxist lenninist kurdish terror organization PKK (in Syria its name is PYD). When you say it's planning to attack to a nation, we should understand that there must be a risk of heavy civil casualities or brutal war crimes. But at here we are talking about nations (Turks, Kurds and Arabs) living together hundreds of years at same country. So in short term, its a fight against to a terror otganization. We could give many examples from your country's history or any of the other countries, but i think at least it is enough for now. Only I wish you could look from a Turkish perspective to these events, or any muslim nation perspectives, not a western nor marxist view.
The most dangerous idea in the muslim world in recent decades is the idea that every action to defend the ummah is either merely defensive or "anti-colonial" when in fact they are tied to a longer (often indirectly stated or implied) attempt to recreate a lost Islamic empire. For the Turkish right wing (Erdogan), there's the fantasy of restoring some of the lost Ottoman glories. For the Arab world, there is pan-Arabism and its offshoot, the Palestinian cause (or, for more extreme groups like ISIS, it is a restored caliphate.) For the Persians, it is an Imami empire centered in Persia and reaching to the Mediterranean Sea. Most ordinary Muslim citizens of the Middle East don't stop to notice the latent imperialism in these leaders and militants, it seems. Some actively excuse it. The reality of this situation is that Erdogan's past behavior and Turkish history suggests that when he says he is only interested in fighting Kurdish terrorists, we should not necessarily take him at his word. If you find these words offensive, I understand. That likely means you don't support Islamic imperialism. Good. That makes you a good person. However, you might want to consider the possibility that I'm describing an actual political force that is quiet but very real in the Middle East.
When it comes to foreign meddling, Is there any other country that is more disjointed than Syria? The project for regime change there has had so many twists and turns, where enemies are allies for a while and then not and where our allies are enemies with each other. And what exactly has aLL THIS DEATH, displacement and destruction gained for the US?
Türkiye's population is approximately 85 million and 30 million of this population are Sunni Kurds, Turks and Kurds living in Türkiye for centuries and in every Turkish families have ties with Kurdish families by marriages so Türkiye and Kurds can never be enemies because they have bond to each other, no one can separate those ties that's impossible, pkk and ypg they are not Kurdish, they are terrorist groups from different countries. Your speech misleading your followers, you must spoke out what the reality is.....
30 million? The last time i checked they were saying that it's somewhere between 15-20 million. It keeps rising everyday somehow. According to you half of Turkey's population is Kurdish
Part of the problem in understanding the Kurds issue is that the term is a vague oversimplification, and those who like to support ''fair causes'' naively think that they are a monolithic entity, and they aren't. As far as I know, and it is well-explained by a Spanish historian. The term is like assuming Portugal, Spain, and Italy have the same interests, just because they're Latin-europeans, and suddenly they want to make a single country. The languages and traditions are similar, but their daily- business life is different. The Kurdistan is unlikely to emerge because there are various factions, with distinct political points of view, economy, ways of ruling etc.
How did those areas become majority Arab? Ethnic cleansing. Afrin is majority kurdish, your country invaded it and immediately started looting and destroying kurdish cultural sites
We are muslim brothers Turkish govt must help our muslim brothers like kurdish people.we are are same religion islam.arab,kurdish, turkish.malaysian, indonesia, Brunei, south Thailand likes pattani is muslim country.come with stay together
Sayın prof. Her devlet sınırlarını korumak ister ama sınır içinde yada hemen dışında ona doğrulan doğrultulan bir silah varsa refleks gösterir,bazen olaylara başka pencereler den de bakmak gerekir.Suriye Golan tepeleri ile ilgili videonuzu merakla bekleyeceğim.🇹🇷
These are regions where the Arabs, who are the real owners of the region, are oppressed by the Kurds, even though they are a very small minority with the power of America behind them. The definition of the Kurdish regions is wrong. And eventually we will all see that the Arabs will no longer accept this and the Kurds will never be able to govern these regions. Europe and America are disconnected from reality.
Does that mean that in areas where the Kurds are a majority you support their aspirations for autonomy or even self rule? As you are basing your argument on the will of the majority in an area.
@@nigelgarrett7970 How do you define the region? I define it as a country. If you support the establishment of a country because a community is the majority in a neighborhood or a district or a province, that is naivety to say the least. And yes, I realize you asked the question in reference to Turkey. Be assured, the maps of the Kurdish regions you see on the internet are completely far from reality.
@@barboist And how do you define a country? They are far more artificial than regions, who often have geographic features to define boundaries. There have been 34 new countries since 1990.
Many of the Arabs are quite happy to live in this area. They have got local autonomy. In 2019 they have fought alongside the Kurds and a few days ago the Manbij Military Council forces, mostly Arabs, have fought hard against the SNA.
I hoped the video would consider Israel's role in Syria as well, particularly regarding the Golan Heights. I believe it could be highly relevant, even critical, to the discussion.
When discussing “Türkiye and the Kurds,” it’s important to consider the relationship between Ankara and Iraqi Kurdistan (Barzani). Türkiye played a crucial role in establishing an autonomous Kurdistan within Iraq, providing full support to its leader, who even received a diplomatic Turkish passport. Therefore, it’s not accurate to frame the situation in Syria as “Turks vs. Kurds.” Türkiye is engaged in conflict with the US-backed PYD/YPG/SDF, which are essentially branches of the PKK. This fact is acknowledged by various US institutions, the EU, Russia, and Iran knows it and you know it too... The conflict is fundamentally between the PKK and Türkiye, and it’s unproductive to pretend otherwise.
Thanks. But if you watched video again, I clearly mention the complex relationship between Turkey and the KRG and show pictures of Erdogan visiting Erbil and meeting senior Kurdish leaders, with a Kurdish flag in the picture.
@@JamesKerLindsay Yeah you mention that briefly and still create a false Turks vs Kurds narative. We both know you put your feelins and biased to your work. So much biase and nonsense...
Dear James, I wanted to share an observation regarding the framing and terminology used in your recent discussions, as I believe it could enhance the clarity and balance of your videos. In your coverage of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, you accurately distinguished between the actions of Hamas as a terrorist organization and the broader Palestinian population. This distinction is crucial as it avoids generalizing an entire group and helps focus on the actors directly responsible for specific actions. However, in your recent video on the Türkiye-SDF conflict, you referred to Türkiye’s actions as attacks on "the Kurds," rather than specifying groups like the SDF or PKK, which Türkiye considers terrorist organizations. While the Kurdish population indeed has a central role in this conflict, the use of "Kurds" as a blanket term risks conflating a diverse ethnic group with specific entities engaged in armed conflict. This is particularly relevant when contrasting it with how you carefully differentiated between Hamas and Palestinians in the Israel-Palestinian context. Moreover, this framing reflects a broader tendency often observed in Western media, where U.S.-aligned groups, such as the SDF, are frequently portrayed more favorably than groups or actors considered adversarial. Such discrepancies in terminology and framing not only influence public perceptions but can also detract from an objective understanding of the conflict. While this tendency is not uncommon, it ultimately undermines the credibility of the West, which has already deteriorated significantly in recent years. These double standards contribute to further instability in the global order and fuel conflicts, eroding trust in international norms and human rights advocacy. I urge you to maintain a high level of professionalism and credibility in your analyses. As a respected expert in international relations, your words carry significant weight, and imbalances in your framing risk contributing to the broader deterioration of trust in international relations and human rights discourse. Thank you for considering this feedback. I hope it proves helpful in refining your already valuable and insightful content.
It’s hard to give credibility to Erdogan’s claims, no matter how legitimate they might be. Stating that terrorist groups like the PKK shouldn’t be given shelter, while he hosts Hamas that is holding Americans hostage.
I saw people in comments saying that "it's not even about PKK anymore, it's about Kurds..." NOPE. It is still about PKK. Even though SDF and YPG claiming to be two different organisations, they openly supported PKK (a group that claimed as a terrorist organisation by other countries then Tukiye) and they are still using PKK's tactics and doctrines. You guys are talking about Kurdish rights but the funniest part is that YPG-SDF occupied Arabic lands and deported some of them (which it caused a refugee crisis in Turkiye) and it is recorded that they opened fire into protesters in places they invaded. (exp. Rakka, Deir az Zor) Even though people accusing Turkiye with invading Syria, They're actually defending their own interests and security. It has nothing to with race or ethnicity. If it did, Turkiye would never supported Peshmerga in Northern Iraq and recognized their autonomous government at first place. It's about interests and security of the country.
There is no such thing as Syrian Kurdistan! The Kurdish population in Syria is only 10%, but Kurdish groups armed by the US have occupied one third of Syria and these lands are Syria's agricultural and oil fields. If this area is separated from Syria, millions of other Syrians will starve and millions more will leave their country with a new wave of migration, which will cause major problems, especially for Turkey. In addition, Kurdish militants under US control are trying to divide Syria and pose a threat with their hostile attitude towards Turkey. Colonel McGregor had explained this in an interview. In other words, he had said that groups under US/Israeli control are preparing for an attack on the Turks by being equipped with heavy weapons by the US in order to attack Turkey.
Vast majority of Kurdish controlled land is sparsely populated. Nice try. Also turkey has seized majority kurd areas and committed war crimes there. Double standards
@@skmplo Cyprus was a turkish posession which was LENT, not GIVEN to britain. It should have technically been given back to us, like the dodecannese were also ours and italy took them in 1912. But thats in the past, 30% of cypriots are turkish
You know we have no issues with the Kurds in Iraq as long as they are nice, right? If Syrian Kurdistan promises to cut all tie with PKK then we may appreciate the possibility of a buffer state.
Why help for the Kurds and not for other minorities or all Syrians?? The Kurds get already more help than all others, year by year millions over millions of $ for weapons. Never seen a hospital or school build by US or EU in Syria or around.
If each ethnic group is to be given a state. First, European states should state state to ethnic groups. Let Americans leave Indian lands. This logic is counter to the realities of the world. The state is won by war.
@@richardhunt3051 The PYD and YPG are Syrian Kurdish militant groups connected to the PKK. If some Kurdish autonomous area was created that wasn’t governed by them, then Turkey might tolerate it. They currently support the Iraqi Kurdish region, so maybe they’d support a non-PYD one in Syria, but I’m not sure.
I like how you call it Kurdistan before they even declare themselves that lmao. Yk, according to them they are still the "Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria" where the Kurdish militia (who are a minority even in places they occupy) are equals with the plurality. But it's nice to see that even before they inevitably declare themselves the autonomous bish-bash-bosh of Syria you are calling them what they actually strive to be, an ethnostate for a minority.
“Rise and Decline” of the Al-Assad Family The Alawites benefited from the reforms introduced by the French. By integrating the Syrian armed forces, notably through the Special Troops of the Levant, formed during the period of the French mandate, the Alawites acquired a military influence disproportionate to their demographic weight. This increased role in the army laid the foundations for their political rise after independence, while the country was facing internal struggles and chronic instability. After Syria gained independence in 1946, the political instability that struck Syria offered these groups an opportunity to strengthen their position. The army, seen as a means of stability, became a central political actor. It was in this context that Hafez Al-Assad, from a family of the Alawite community, exploited this heritage to consolidate his power. In 1970, he seized the presidency in a coup d’état, ending decades of internal political struggles for power and asserting Alawite hegemony over the Syrian state structures. Under his rule, Syria adopted a centralized authoritarian approach, but the sectarian divisions encouraged by France during his tenure remained a key tool of governance. By favoring his own community while repressing the majority Sunnis who make up the country, Assad perpetuated a system based on social, ethnic, and sectarian fragmentation, a direct echo of colonial policies. The popular revolts and civil war that shook Syria after 2011, and the recent fall of Bashar al-Assad, demonstrate how the ethnic and sectarian fractures inherited from the French colonial period have long continued to fuel the country’s instability. The French mandate set the stage for the rise of authoritarian regimes in Syria by exacerbating internal divisions. The Assad family exploited these fractures to establish its power for half a century. However, the same divisions, amplified by decades of repression and conflict, contributed to the fall of their rule.
there is no way to see the truth from the west media bro. some of the kurds killed thousands of people in the east children, teachers, women even the kurds who does not support terrorists. living together hundreds of years and thanks to west we are killing each other now
Talking about the history of the rebels of kurds in Türkiye but not even a bit info about the so called protests which are against human rights and you did not mentioned PKK is accepted as a terrorist group among EU and US, SDF is also coming from the roots of PKK . Moreover, all the firepower comes from north Syria and north Iraq. When you consider these aspects of the matter it will be understandable for Türkiye to act like this even though it cannot be said that is totally right thing to do. I was expecting more of a objective approach.
@@european-oneI think you are the one who is prejudiced, but you are too arrogant to see it and you accuse others of being prejudiced. The fact that you write similar things under the comments of everyone who has the opposite opinion proves this. You do not respect anyone's opinion, you do not respect anyone! You are selfish enough to try to impose your own opinion on everyone
@@Mali_58-n2c you have been spamming there is no such thing as Kurdistan? Hypocrite? You are too arrogant to see it.You don't respect anyone's opinion, you don't respect anybody, etc etc, blah blah blah
@european-one Leave the affairs of the middle east to middle easterners you don't see us coming in and commenting about Irish unification or Catalan or Bavarian secessionism do you european-one?
As America, if you do not stand by your NATO ally Turkey, which fought alongside you in 1950-53, you will lose credibility among other NATO members and world. Supporting Turkey increases America's credibility.
I’m very angry at the international community, for spending so much bandwidth on Palestine. Instead of focusing on the real horrors in Saddnya prison with over 100,000 victims lying in mass grave. They decided to spend their energy on changing the definition of genocide and have abused the word so badly that it no longer means anything. The Kurds have a unique culture and language and have a much larger population compared to the Palestinians . While the Palestinians have been offer statehood 5 times and are the center of the world’s politics. It really does look like the focus on the Palestine has nothing to do with the merit of their plight but that it can be used as a bludgeon against Israel. The blame is not on the Palestinians or the Israelis but the International community’s rank hypocrisy.
So you say what Israel doing at Gaza is not a genocide? Your qoute: ''...changing the definition of genocide and have abused the word so badly that it no longer means anything.''
@ yes it’s not genocide, when Ireland asks to change the definition of genocide so that Israel will be found guilty, is an admission that it’s not a genocide. Hamas can give back the hostages and they could surrender and nobody else would killed In the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust or in Rawanda, they could not just release hostages and surrender. Hamas started the war, they thought they could win, it’s obvious they can’t. The obsession with Israel, doesn’t harm Israel or help Palestinians but groups like the Kurds
Israel is absolutely doing acts of genocide, and there's been no effort to change the definition. Ironically you are defending the same crap that Turkey does to the Kurds just because you're mad at what, the mind-share one war gets over another? What a nice life you must have to be mad over such things when in reality you are just as much choosing to favor one group over another. Why give these Turkish ultras ammo?
If the war in Gaza has proven anything it's that states can and will ignore any "international outrage" regarding their military operations with little to no consequences.
It was for centuries a nice, peaceful place there under Ottoman rule. Untill a british and a french guy got the idea that some changes would be good. And all locals know the names of these devils, they are stil not forgotten. People expected something better than the Ottomans and got only 110 bloody years of wars, disasters and death.
Additionally, 70% of that region is Arab, 20% is Turkmen, and 10% is Kurdish. The place, which has been called Ayn al-Arab for thousands of years, is now being referred to as "Kobane" by the occupiers of the past decade. On what grounds do they make this claim? With weapons supplied by the U.S., a 10% minority is oppressing the other 90%, and yet some portray this as if it’s something positive. Turkey isn’t even necessary for this; the local population is already eliminating and purging the YPG, PKK, and PYD everywhere. It’s not just Turkey-90% of Syrians don’t want or support them, and this fact is being ignored. In the region, there are 10 million Arabs, 4.5 million Turkmen, and 1 million Kurds, and even half of those Kurds do not support the PKK, YPG, or PYD. Let me emphasize this: the overwhelming majority of even the 10% Kurdish population does not support them.
As a Kurd from Southern Kurdistan I can say it was a very good analysis. But, you missed to mention a point which is, in my opinion, a key point of why Turkey under Erdogan's rule wants so badly to invade the Kurdish city of Kobani. It all goes back to 2014 when Turkey supported ISIS against Kurds and Erdoğan was chanting in his public meetings "Kobani is about to fall". But it didn't. Since then Kobani has become like an obession and a personal matter for Erdoğan. That is also one of the reason why they so badly want to take the Kurdish city of Kobani. Thanks a lot!
Where did 400k kurds go to when ISIS came? Where did so-called kobani get ammunition from? Syria is Syrian's and you will learn this one way or another
@@ozbagat8355 I didn't forget that, but that came after the pressure from all around the world. After Turkey knew the coalition forces would help despite Turkey. Because it came after the coalition forces sent weapons via air drops. So, Turkey had left with no choices.
Wish we could but our government in iraqi Kurdistan is very weak at the moment due to 20 years of insane corruption and iraq which much like turkey is very against the very existence of our culture and they currently take all of our oil revenues and refuse to send our cut of the budget people haven't been paid for months back in 2017 this would have definitely been more plausible
@@rexer5372 Barzanis have tight relations with Erdogan regime? How turkey against you - kurds in iraqi autonome region? So many trade with autonome region how it comes against?
@gokhanakay8446 barzanis are extremely corrupt they own the entire economy and empose a 50% tax an all businesses that operate with in their territory.They are also extremely feared so no one in the capital really dares to criticize, there have been multiple cases of people losing their livelihoods and jobs for criticizing, in the other half of KRG PUK operates and they are just as bad economically and domestic political policy. They are just poorer because they are allied with iran and not turkey
Reports are emerging that Turkey may be preparing for another full-scale invasion of Syria to take on Kurdish forces. Of course, we've been here before. These reports appear from time to time. But this feels more serious, given the fall of Assad. So, do you think Ankara will do it? Or will its Western partners be able to stop it? And will anyone come to the aid of the Kurds if Turkey does go ahead? Let me know your thoughts below.
There's obviously no question about what Erdogan would do if given the opportunity. There's only the question of how far he would go. Unfortunately, with the return of the Trump presidency, an authoritarian leader like Erdogan is going to be given a very long leash. However, the Kurds are just too large of a population to repress entirely. The issue of Kurdistan is not going away, even if Erdogan sends his army in with guns blazing.
You know, there are many people who point to the excessive punishment of Hungary in Trianon claiming it went too far. And yet, when you look at Russia and Turkey these days, you have to wonder if Trianon was exactly the right approach. It seems that Turkey just can't quite give up on its Ottoman dreams - nor can Russia be forced to repent for its imperial sins. Czars and Sultans still exist as historical role models in those nations - particularly in the fantasies of autocrats.
Yes. Turkey will invade, and those who can stop them will not do so.
@@Robespierre-lIyou put it so completely and eloquently. As a Romanian, we lived for centuries between the Austro-Hungarian , Russian and Ottoman Empires. I wonder how we survived 😅
@@JamesKerLindsay not Turkey u have to say Türkiye
@@orhanyilmaz2758 I’ve been through this too many times. When Turks start calling my country “The United Kingdom” when speaking Turkish, I will consider using Türkiye in English.
I am an Italian living in Turkey. I settled in Turkey in 1998. One of my female students died after a PKK attack. She was a teacher. I met many Kurds and Turks in Turkey. The main mistake in this video of yours is to think of PKK and Kurds as if they were the same.
sad for your lost and also thanks for sharing because im turk they just say im racist when i say pkk is terorist haha i guess everyone has their interest and will lie
They are the Same..No one wants good for them.. except their party.
hey, i am a Turk living in italy and i just wanted to appriciate your comment
What about the civilian's turkey killed
@@karwanramadan4669 what about the civilians PKK killed, like the Turkish teacher friend from this Italian guy? Why don't talk about this, why always claim that only you're the victims? You want war, you get war. Stop to hide behind lies.
As a half Kurdish citizen living in Turkey I always support what Atatürk planned for Turkey. No one could build a better middle eastern muslim nation. I hope Turkey will be able to Manage all of these uncertainities in the region. All members of my family have good jobs and businesses in Turkey, we never had discrimination. I really feel I belong to this nation.
Thank you for sharing. The west doesnt understand that Kurds are as equal as anyone here in Türkiye.
@@ugurerro half Benamus Citizen
@ugurerro At the end of the day in the middle east, it could depend on what religion you belong to and not your nationality. Hopefully in the future this could change and the Muslims could be become more tolerant of other religions...a more loving interpretation of their Koran....
As a Kurdish from Adıyaman, I agree with you. Thanks to the great Atatürk, I was able to get an education and have the opportunity to live the way I want. I will be grateful to him for the rest of my life. Without him, I most probably have ended up as a servant to some feudal landlord. Till recent decades, Kurdish people were not sending their girls to school. And inbreeding is quite common unfortunately. I am not a supporter of erdogan or HDP/PKK. Greetings to all decent people of Turkey.
Reis senin dedigin hic matiga sigmiyor. Atatürk bir kere din düsmani, nasil "muslim nation" kuracakmis? Osmanliyi yikan zaten Atatürk. Bati bizi (Türkleri & Kürtleri) bölmek istiyor. Oysa biz Yüzyillarca beraber yasamis milletiz.
It is also very interesting that the PKK/YPG, which is on the terrorist list of many countries around the world, is described as innocent fighters. This is what it takes to be a hypocrite.
No serious person is saying that.
@@m.t.2363 the Turks are pushing that label for their interests
@@stevenmanglis7368 Yea labels, interests, pushing, etc...
www.dni.gov/nctc/ftos/pkk_fto.html
@@stevenmanglis7368 wtf was that supposed to mean ?
The worst kind of journalism is the one in which you package lies with partial facts and narrate them as the truth. From the terminology you use, and the words you chose, one can easily see your intention. You are biased beyond denial, and you have a clear agenda in your narrative. Also, it seems that either you don't know much about the history and ethnic composition of the region, and the blood ties between Turkiye and Syria; or you intentionally omit them from your video as they don't serve your agenda. Whatever the reason is, people should avoid making comments about topics in which they have very limited information. That is an ethical responsibility for any virtuous person, and more so for a person with an academic title.
aklımdakileri yazmışsın eline sağlık
Exactly. The wording is too irritating.
what did the author get wrong?
@@Sassannid He mentions Kurds like they are a monolith, all wants independence and all want to achieve it via armed resistance. PKK is supported by a small fraction of people. Also most of the killings done in the name of independence by PKK are targeted towards Kurdish people. In reality, PKK is a criminal syndicate like Mexican cartels, who uses terrorism and propaganda to gain influence to handful of people. It is also a proper tool for intelligence agencies. US is using for controlling Syrian oil reserves.
You know what you just said? Nothing. Just any assumption (with well-sounded words) without any explanation. Are you sure that you know what science is?
Yes. That was the entire point Turkey stepped into the Syrian Civil War.
Have someone ever tried diplomacy. Sweden is a diplomatic heavyweight.
No more it’s over , Turks. Wins, ❤Türkiye 🇹🇷 is most important country, it’s like this scale with a enormous weight in the middle which can sway either way and the side it slides wins the geopolitical game
@@007supertime Exactly, I am involved in many different business deals many of them has to do with football.
For my boss and me Turkey is an important strategic partner. I believe that the Turkish and Iranian governments have some squabble but with there being a new progressive President in Iran. I feel Iran and Turkey can help me keeping Sweden and Europe more generally safe.
@@SwedishpolymathUnfortunately, Trump will let Erdogan do whatever he wants. Sweden won't be able to influence this.
@@LunaticTheCat You honestly believe Trump will be president. Putin has Trump in his pocket and Putin is a good friend of my boss Herr Dahlmeier. Ask Hufvudstadsbladet about the press releases that I have sent them on Herr Dahlmeier's behalf.
Turkish held areas seem to be returning to normality - schools and hospitals, including infrastructure. Turkey has 4 million Syrian refugees! She wants them return back to their homeland. Unfortunately the Kurds in Syria,with the help of USA, Britain, Germany and some smaller members members, captured nearly 45% of Syria, ethnically cleansing the Arabs and Turkmen from the areas they occupied. Kurds of Syria comprise only 10% of the Syrian population. To create propaganda with the use of the Kurds as the victims, looks like a turning eye to the truth. The so called ISIS was created by the West with a view to interfere in Syrian affairs! Now tell that to the public!
işid in babası obama annesi hilary dir. TRUMP.
Suriye yi işgal eden işid, birden yok oluyor ve y p g o bolgelerde sihir gibi ortaya çıkıyor. işid kılık değiştirmiş p k k lı bile olabilir. sonra eski kıysfete dön, suriyeyi parçala.
fake news
its all about their agenda.
@@naweed0 What propaganda? The west is furious it can't use the civil war for its own gain. They are furious that Turkey ended a civil war that they wanted to continue.
Absolutely right.
Turkey is the 2nd largest army of NATO and as its military, no one in this region wants to face this, including Iran or Israel. For example, if you noticed during the revolution, the war ended almost before it started when Turkey said that if you intervene in Russia and Iran, I will intervene in you. The most that America can do here is political pressure and economic pressure. embargo, but since this issue is a vital situation for Turkey, nothing will change. In short, the PKK is over and America and Europe see it. The problem is how to declare it.
How's inflation?
The problem is Turkey doesn't have many real friends or allies. It's a NATO member and I doubt it has much influence except a little in Syria today and a few African countries.
@@european-one You know nothing about Turkish patriotism. Turks have lost so many casualties during the Kurdish Separatist Insurgency over the past 40 years. For them, economic inflation is not a primary concern, as they believe it will eventually decrease and come to an end in the long term. However, when you have a separatist terrorist state on your border, you only have one chance to clear the border of all of them.
@@alvergovision9480 wasn't what I asked, but turkey could have given autonomy decades ago. Turkey is against democracy
@@european-one misery in your comments and lack of intelligence. Well your way, none of my business.
No country has done more to the Syrian people than Turkey. Saving the lives of 4 ml Syrians from certain death by the regime and has been taken care of them for the last 14 years costing the Turkish taxpayers over 40 bn $ yet you don't hear that in the Western media. and Turkey is not fighting the Kurds but fighting a designated Kurdish terrorist organization pkk that happens to be the Kurdish majority.
No they are fighting against the kurds. Turkey is destroying the infrastructure( schools, hospitals) of the kurds. Furthermore many kurdis civlist have been killed. The government (rojava) there is defending their civilians. therefore is a fight against the kurds
Thank you for speaking the truth, many people don't know the truth
If Türkiye is not fighting the Kurds, why is the Kurdish language banned?
Kurds can live as they wish in their own land... Kurds did not come from Central Asia, they have the right to live as they wish.
@@denizdeniz4755where is the Kurdish language banned?? In Kurdish areas are always street and government signs in Kurdish, even Football Teams who plays in official Turkish leagues have Kurdish names (Google AMEDSPOR). Amed ist the Kurdish name of the city Diyarbakır. So, what's banned now? Why always claim to be a victim, this is so ridiculous.
This is so biased video. Becuase you talk like these territory only belongs to the Kurds. Actually Kurds are minority most of the places they invaded during the civil war. If your biased point of wiev correct there must be at least 20 more new independent country just in EU borders. If you like these seperatists so much, why don't you share your own country?
Kurds are the largest ethnic without a state. We have our land, language, and culture. So, let’s stand for the liberation of Kurdish nation and the minorities from imperialist.
Only 10 percent of syrian population is kurdish. ,where as they posses 45 percent of syria. Even among the biggest part of the population is ypg members having close ties with pkk terrorist group that has killed 45 tousend innocent people by launcing attacks to turkish territory.
@ clearly you are not going to understand that Kurds deserve a country of their own. I shouldn’t discuss further. You are siding with the oppressor rather than the oppressed. The powerful is almost always the oppressor, leaving limited option for the powerless.
@@huneremin6333 Syria belongs to Syrians. So you want Syria to belong to Kurds?
@@lrg069 clearly you also don’t recognize that Kurds have the right to self govern, given the fact that Kurds lived under oppression of Nation states in the region. Syria now is a proxi state govern by foreign countries.
You don't even care about Kurds, you're just anti-Turkish.
yes
Can you blame him?
@@chk6194 Why would you be anti anyone?
Every sane person can only be disgusted with this genocide country.
you're such a child.
The Kurds got really fucked over by having not 1, but 4 countries occupying them. Anywhere they’d gain ground, the others step in to crush them.
@19Szabolcs91 If we can't sleep well no one will.
@@ruzgar_adam Are you saying this from your apartment in Berlin, avid Turkey-supporter
@@ruzgar_adam I know thinking is hard for you but the Kurds have been an identifiable people for a long time. They live on territories that can be invaded. The territory on which most of them live was carved up between four states following the dissolution of the Ottoman empire.
Are you a history expert?
Who's fault is it that they don't have their own land? The kurds them self it's their own fault that they couldn't estabilish their own land.
It's not because you lived there centuries ago that you can claim that land, that's not how it works.
If you are so concerned give a piece of your own land.
I am impressed YT didn't delete ur comment
Did you know
--Elected president, Turgut Özal, who served as the 8th President of Turkey from 1989 to 1993 was kurdish
--Leader of main opposition party, Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, who served as party's leader from 2010 to 2023 was also kurdish
--Currently, kurdish people in Türkiye are being represented in the parliament by a 57-member party dedicated to address the problems of kurdish population. This 57 number does not include numerous kurdish representatives serving their constituents as members of other political parties. As in the example of Kemal Kılıcdaroğlu, kurdish members of parliament even served as leaders of other parties --other than the kurdish party.
--AKP alone, the ruling party, is estimated to contain more kurdish representatives than the kurdish party itself.
So, stop portraying Türkiye as an enemy of kurds. Kurdish people enjoy more freedom and higher standards of living in Turkiye than in any independent state they are likely to create. Who wants an independent kurdistan? A few hooligans who are hoping to become dictators of the country they hope to create, so that they can suck the blood out of their people.
Do you think, if created, independent kurdistan will be like Switzerland? No, it will be more like Brunei or Afghanistan. THAT İS THE SAD TRUTH.
Sorry, he knows only what he likes to know.
So was Ismet Inonu, the second president in turkey. The foreign minister of turkey right now is Kurdish. The president of the parliament is Kurdish. Turkey also has close relations with the Kurds in north Iraq.
okay? what's your point? many people who worked under saddam hussein were also kurdish. traitors exist everywhere
@@3TTriple inonu was a bad leader, and a kemalist on top of it.
@@adamelghalmi9771 Inonu has his highs. He was an important General in the war of independence. The word Kemalist was a word used by the English to describe the people who fought on Mustafa Kemals side. For me being a Kemalist is a positive but it was abused by Alparslan Turkes and Kenan Evren who we found out later where projects of Gladyo. Anyway, without kemalists there is no Turkey. Inonu was the Diplomat who has determined Turkeys borders. While countries in Europe had millions of people dieing in World War 2, Inonu kept turkey out of it. And maybe most important he made Turkey a multi party democracy.
Syria is home to many ethnic and religiously diverse people. No geographical area is homogeneous. Dividing Syria into many states or administrations based on ethnic and religious grounds will lead to endless wars. Is this war environment deliberately desired to continue? Who will benefit from it? The Middle East has suffered greatly from ethnic and religious micro-nationalisms. Instead, wouldn’t it be a better approach to build a unitary state where every individual in Syria benefits from equal citizenship rights? Previously, Kurds did not have citizenship rights or official identities. However, now the central government is calling on everyone to be represented in the administration. Contrary to your claim, Professor, laying down arms and electing and sending civilian deputies to the Syrian parliament seems like a more civilized and peaceful approach. Why do you find it so difficult to focus on the common interests of Syrians instead of using ethnic and religious differences to feed micro-nationalisms?
good point also if kurds gets a piece of land why not Durzi's, Yezidi's and Turkmens??? Why you just want to help kurds particularly? Do you love them? No you don't! your initial hope is to weaken Turkiye, Iran and dividing them into small groups so you menage them easily. Once you do this they will given those corrupt small groups leaders some authority and a little bit outdated weapons and you get their sources almost for free! This is called ''Divide and Rule'' and used by western countries for decades all around the world!
@keremustunel7197
Because the professor wants Kurdish state that can be used against other states in the area.
Israel wants it, so by default, all others on the deep state boat want it, too.
You`re take is very modern and like most modern takes it`s bullshit.
Dividing Syria into many states wont lead to endless war since the country is already in endless war. Best case scenario it will resolve the problem. Worst case scenario nothing changes. Your idea was already tried and caused endless war. It has been an absolute failure.
Well said.
The thing is that the Syrians don't believe in a central state it was always a dictatorship, the Syrian society still practices familial tribalism.
Prof. James I think you often phrase things in deliberately misleading ways, especially when you mention Turkey striking "the kurds." Turkey does not strike or intend to strike, kurdish persons who are unaffiliated with the PKK or YPG. If this was the case, several million Kurds living peacefully in Southeastern Turkey would be dead. I believe more specificity on your part is necessary.
I believe it is rich that you speak condescendingly to someone who is way smarter than you. You shoot bombs, bombs explode, the bomb is unable to verify if the person is "unaffiliated with the PKK or YPG" and really you would say anyone you kill is PKK.
His intention is obvious. He is doing his propaganda without looking his imperial country inglaterra.
"Peacufully"😂
I think they will. The opportunity is too good for them not to. The Kurds control many areas that are arab majority that Turkey could switch leadership on. Additionally, turkey has a good relationship with kurdish autonomous region in Iraq so I believe they will try to switch the leadership of Syrian kurdish areas.
@@TheSwedishHistorian if they were just against PKK and not Kurds when they got the okay to go to Efrin by their masters in the west, they would have not settled Arbs and Turkmen in Kurdish areas.
@@salihsalih3658 They are against separatist Kurds. The Kurds who disregard sovereign countries and their sovereign territories because their western owners promised them land. No country wants a separatist organization in their land and anyone who has that mentality is going to get dealt with in the manner they understand regardless of where they are. You think you can annex a part of Sweden and think the Swedish will be okay with it? They get upset with Muslims immigrating, they would lose their minds over something like this.
@@salihsalih3658 Northern Syria has many towns and cities with majority turkmen population, when Rojava with the USA gained controlled you forced them to migrate. Kurdistan can exist in northern Iraq we have good relationships with them since they are not with the PKK but against them
@@adidoki Kurds unlike the Turkish and Syrian governments don’t discriminate against others. We love our neighbors and we have lived together for thousands of years. Look at any Kurdish entity and you will see all languages are respected. Looked at Rojava emblem it even has Turkish in it for the Turkmens. Look I truly believe Ocelan is a MIT agent, however I also believe that those Kurdish fighters are risking their lives for the Kurdish cause. If Turks and Arabs has same respect for Kurds as we do for them we would all be in peace. We can have a Middle East Union. Which would benefit all and the world. But we keep killing each other instead. Let’s all be partners in this land and not masters.
@@crazycowboy213 I despise any and every government who takes violent action against any segment of their country that wants to exercise greater control over themselves.
The only government I loathe more is governments that enter other countries to try and tell the people living there how to live
And unlike Russia, Turkey will get a pass from the West because it suits their interests in the region. The best the Kurds can hope for is a strong-worded letter from the EU blaming both sides and demanding a cease of hostilities.
I doubt that. Turkey gets dealt with through quieter, less public channels because they still are a NATO member (for now at least.) However, it is clear where the US stands on Kurdistan.
@@Robespierre-lI He’s right, Turkey will likely get a pass just like Azerbaijan got a pass for what they did to Artsakh
@@Robespierre-lI Turkey is the 2nd largest army of NATO and as its military, no one in this region wants to face this, including Iran or Israel. For example, if you noticed during the revolution, the war ended almost before it started when Turkey said that if you intervene in Russia and Iran, I will intervene in you. The most that America can do here is political pressure and economic pressure. embargo, but since this issue is a vital situation for Turkey, nothing will change. In short, the PKK is over and America and Europe see it. The problem is how to declare it.
@@g1u2y345 Russia gave that 'pass' to Azerbaijan to liberate her own territories internationally recognized namely Karabagh. You tried to mean this, im pretty sure, sometimes we all hurry and may mistype. ;)
what can the EU do they are useless
Turkey's position has always remained the same regarding the YPG/PKK. It faces a significant threat from them, and I think it's highly naive to assume that the YPG fought ISIS for the US. They took advantage of the situation to advance their aspirations towards carving Syria into a Kurdistan. This would create far greater issues and would only be a declaration of war for the Turks. I think the West is playing naive when it could never itself tolerate such a threat along its own borders.
Daiş ile sınır komşusu olmaya razısınız ama bak yemin ederim ilerde Suriye Afganistana dönecek ve siz o zaman keşke Kürtler olsaydı en azından bize saldırmazlardı diyeceksiniz tabi bizi yenebilirseniz ki bu mümkün değil evlat
I guess you can call 20% of Turkeys own population wanting to secede a threat
Or perhaps the west is actually playing dumb when they actually know the truht. It's actually pretty common for the west to use devide et impera and neo-collonialism strategy. Even current middle east conflict right now is actually happened as a result of western segregation and mapping to make each arabs country feel their borders is threatened.
The irony of Kurds being terrorized and racially abused throughout history by the Turks and chemically bombed by Saddam but if the Kurds want to create a homeland for themselves to have some peace and security for once from the crazies around them, that's somehow a "declaration of war" for the the Turks
Why is Turkish hypernationalism justified but any concept of Kurdish identity not?
I can't believe this man is a Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He speaks without knowing anything about geography, demographics, or historical processes. If this man is so ignorant, his students won't be able to find Turkey on a map.
75 million stateless Kurds deserve to have an independent state
Oh yes another european thinks pkk and kurds as the same thing
I never knew Israel advocated for Kurdistan. Now Erdogan’s hatred for them makes more sense.
The irony of Israel supporting a terrorist organization that js trying to destabilize an existing secular democracy.
They don’t. Israel gets its oil through Turkish ports. When Israel kills Palestinians, Erdoğan puts on a show and acts as though he cares, while Netanyahu does the same regarding Kurds. However, behind closed doors, they are actually strong trading partners.
They don’t. Israel gets its oil through Turkish ports. When Israel kills Palestinians, Erdoğan puts on a show and acts as though he cares, while Netanyahu does the same regarding Kurds. However, behind closed doors, they are actually strong trading partners.
Because Israel needs neighbors who are not Arabs, Persians and Turks in order to survive in the region. The borders of the Kurdish satellite state are strategically drawn. It will be a puppet state of the Jews Promised land. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers, the major water sources of the Middle East, are also there. Who controls the Euphrates and Tigris also controls the region because water resources are limited.
Why? Israel and Turkey enjoy very good relations - under the sheets of course
You all forget that Türkiye has stood with the Syrian people since day one, including Turkmens and Kurds (Syrian on paper), who have lived there together for centuries. There are also many Arabic, Kurdish, and Turkmen clans and tribes, supported and trained by Türkiye, who started all this against Assad and together are fighting against US/PKK/ALQ/ISIS terrorists all brought there by the USA. They were controlling oil fields in the Golan Heights and selling oil to Assad, accepting him (with Russia's presence), but after all this started and Russia left, they just turned and joined fighting Assad. We all know financing and using terrorists is the US/CIA/MOSSAD way. There are 8 million Syrians living in Türkiye, with the second generation now being born and growing up. Türkiye is the only nation accepted by the people of this region. The fact is, Turkish and Syrian people share a close bond, and the people are culturally close to each other. People from the entire region trust Türkiye, which does not seek to occupy or invade lands; it never has, unlike the USA and Israel. In fact, Türkiye has already begun and continues to restore cities and places near the borders where people can return and live.
Similarly, in Iraq, Türkiye supports rebuilding efforts, working closely on many levels, including infrastructure and trade, ultimately aiming for a functioning and stable state. The West, Israel, and Iran have only created chaos for year's with their proxies and terrorist allies, unlike Türkiye. When one has the right, it is Türkiye, together with all the people from this region. This is also what the people mostly want. Will need some Time to build a strong neighborhood with stable functioning States but this is maybe the best solution to bring peace in the entire region in future and ending all the chaos and war
No, the Turks are real hypocrites who used Syria and its refugees to get more money from the European Union.
That doesn't fit their agenda. So they skip such facts.
@@bekoroksinus 🐺🇹🇷💪
Syrian Arabs are i majority in eastern Syria. Damaskus needs own oil to build up country. Refucies can movel back.
Making war just makes more refugees and also why would they return to a state at war? Turkey fighting our best allies against ISIS is outrageous and always has been.
@@s871-c1q allias is NATO country Turkiye. Fight against terrorism can be done with legal states. Terratorial integrity of Syria is importend. Damaskus is legal owner of Eastern Syria. Regional states do not want a new remote controlled garnison state.
@@s871-c1q NATO and YPG ? Comical
Why dont kurds just leave arab majority areas and try to negotiate deal where they would not project danger to turkey and distance themselves from pkk?
They have erased Arab and Turkmen villages. Amnesty international has the ethnic cleansing report on Kurds. They killed people who tried to return.
How will you do that when Turkey has a problem with Kurds existing in any official way.
Also, why this focus on not a single Arab or other can be in Kurdish controlled area, but dozens of millions of Kurds can be stateless in Turk, Arab, Iranian controlled lands ?
Why is it so inconceivable to you that Arabs could be in Kurdistan, but never the reverse ?
You call yourself a prof?
Where did you get your information?
Before you make a content like this do your homework righteous and correctly.
If you didn't know there is no such as kurdistan.
I want see your reaction when i claim a land that is yours.
It's always easy talk and give a biased opinion if you're not involved.
"no such thing as Kurdistan" where is your proof then 🤣
کوردستان در قلب کورد هاست 50درصد ترکیه و 25درصد عراق و 15درصد سوریه و 25درصد ایران را در اختیار دارند
ترک بی هویت است و هویت جعلی دارد
May all minorities in Syria, including Christians, Kurds, Druze, etc. be safe... 🙏 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾
May all Syrians be happy, healthy & (should be) wealthy (free from poverty)... 🙏 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾 🇸🇾
one million Sunni Arabs were massacred in the past 13 yrs alone by the minority Alawites that were backed by the other minorities.. The minorities should be grateful that the Arab majority is not going Rwanda on them after what they have done in the past 50 yrs
@@Wul-Lop 🇹🇷🐺💪
@@Wul-Lop orada İsrail gibi terörist bir devlet varken, tüm orta doğu güvende olamaz asla.
@@MoReal2 there is no Single united Arab majority, if was Alawites Wouldn't be in power. Arab in Syria are several groups with different roots and ideology
@@SJA-mh2uz not true at all. the Majority identify as Sunni Arabs, thats like 85%
There’s no Syrian Kurdistan. Assad didn’t even give Kurds passports. Kurds are less than 2 million, compared to Turkmens and Arabs who are much bigger . U.S. and Israel wanted to give 40% of the Syrian lands to Kurds, who are only comprising 7% of the population …
thanks for pointing this out! Also the area is given to Kurds are the best part of Syria in terms of oil and agricultural sources.... Half of the reason Esad is gone that Kurds (USA) hold the economical power and regime was weaken with no money...
their numbers became smaller due to ethnic cleansing tho
@@delibaba_1923kurdistan will be independent
First of all PKK-YPG-SDF whatever organization you name in Syria or Turkey does not represent all Kurds living in those areas or abroad. So, we would greatly appreciate if you had made that distinction in the beginning of the video. These are (some are recognized as terrorist by internationally) some organizations that are aspiring for independent Kurdistan with varying boundaries within Middle East. Your title and talk does not make this distinction but keep saying Kurds wants this Kurds want that, Kurds are under threat and so on. This delicate issue requires a lengthier video. Still, in general, I like your videos.
Ve işte. Gerçekler için teşekkür ederim.... Sonunda akıllı bir yorum burada buldum. Evet PKK asla Kürtleri temsil etmiyor. Çünkü Rakka'da ve Deyrizor'da isyan eden Kürt aşiretleri onları oradan kovdu. Her Kürt terörist değildir ve PKK asla Kürt değildir.
Bu mantıklı yorum için teşekkürler.
Typical western media narrative. They like to do this kind of manipulations intentionally or unintentionally.
Don't speak in other people tong. All Kurdish People support Kurdish motion for independence ,even other people that has family relation with Kurds support them.
Openly refuses to differentiate between groups he views as inferior, demands other differentiate between groups he views as inferior so he can attack them piecemeal without anyone getting upset, refuses to elaborate.
Nelson mendala if you want to know about Turks be Kurdish for an hour
Everywhere in the world where Kurds live is called Kurdistan, then IRAQ, SYRIA, TURKEY, FRANCE, GERMANY, there are many Kurds living there.
dont forget to include north london as well , everywhere they call kurdistan they riot and if the PKK and Ypg is world recognised as a terror group how come the have rallies in the capitals of these countries , do we ever see Nazi rallies or IRA or any other outlawed rallies on our streets in europe
Iraq, Syria and Turkey are all Kurdish lands, at least partially.
In this matter, I hate the misleading ethnicity maps. At the beginning of this video as well, such a map painted a huge swath of Turkey in yellow, giving the impression that that area is nothing but Kurds. In reality, that is the area where a significant fraction (not necessarily the majority) is Kurdish, but the remainder (majority in many cities of the painted area) are Turks. For almost a thousand years Turks and Kurds coexisted in this area, intermingling the populations. The percentage threshold of such maps vary, that's why you can find different maps in different sources. (Just pointing out a common factual error without taking sides)
You do realise that was the map of the proposed separation under the Treaty of Sevres. I think you’ll need to take it up with history, not me.
Istanbul is the largest Kurdish City. Of the 18 to 20 MM Kurds in Turkey 75 to 80 % of them live in western Turkey.
@@JamesKerLindsay You do realise that Treaty of Sevres was made by the west for exploiting the region? Thank you for your honest intentions of exploitng the middle east. It's good that the west and the eu still dream of exploiting the middle east after 100 years..
Kurds are an Iranian people, and Romans did not allow them to the West of Zagros mountains. Kurdistan was a region established by Seljuks as an adminstrative area, for non-Persians, to the east Zagros mountains. Various Kurdish tribes were given refuge by Ottomans after Safavis adopted Shia creed.
@@JamesKerLindsay A historical document is not history.
There are lots of important points overlooked and observed partially, yet leading to very unfair and unjust conclusion. First and foremost; Kurds are not represented by ypg/pyd/pkk/sdf. There are thousands of Kurds fled from ypg/pkk/sdf's brutal and oppressive regime. On the map the so called divided/invaded Kurdish state has never been existed, yes in that area lots of Kurds lived and still living with Arabs, Turkmens and so on. Also you forgot to mention that Turkey is the only country that fought against isis on the battle ground and succeeded(Operation Euphrates Shield) liberating Azaz and Al Bab region. Turkey's main objective is to have a united, peaceful Syria, where all the Syrians from different ethnicity and religion can live peacefully. At the moment the petrol, water and fertile farmlands are invaded by the pyd/ypg/pkk, these areas are vital for the self sufficient Syria. The Syrian people will not let sdf/pyd/ypg/pkk snatch these lands from themselves either with or without the help of Turkey.
Stop portraying the Turks as invaders, the Kurds never had a state. The Turks took those lands by fighting the Byzantines, not the Kurds. Before Byzantium there was Rome. Before Rome, Anatolia had its own civilizations like the Hittites and Urartians, but there was never a Kurdish state.america's goal is not to give a state to the Kurds, but to divide the Middle East and put a watchdog state in the oil fields.
@@TÜRKÇÜ_ASKER its Arab land
@@مجتهد-خ2ف I'm not talking about Syria, I said it about Anatolia. Syria belongs to the Arabs. Likewise, the Kurds did not establish a state there.
Kurds originate from Zagros region in Iran. Sultan Yavuz brought them to Anatolia.
Medes was the Kurdish state. To be more precise, it's both the Kurdish and Balochi state, those two nationalities go back to the Medeans because the Medean language turned into the Kurdish and Balochi languages.
@@stevenfallinge7149 The fact that the Medes are Kurds is nothing more than an allegation, it is just bullshit made up by the Kurds to find ancestors for themselves.
as an Azerbaiyani Kurd I support Turkey.
@@s871-c1q Millions of Kurds living in Turkiye supports their goverment. Your clown media never shows it bec it doesnt fit your "narrative".
Biji Türkiye!
Gahba
@@Isowlaite Nice to meet you gahba! We are Turks and Kurds!
You need a solid basis for calling Turkey's presence in Syria an invasion. If you share this basis with its source, I will consider your video not as Kurdish propaganda but as a geopolitical analysis.
Turkey's cross-border operations are based on the Adana Agreement. According to the 23-point agreement, both states would take measures against organizations that threatened them, especially the PKK, and prevent all their activities on their territory. However, since there was no military unit of the Syrian state on the Syrian side of the border, Turkey exercised its rights arising from this agreement and carried out cross-border operations to ensure its own border security and supported Syrian Arabs against Kurdish terrorists in the areas cleared of the PKK YPG.
In Syria, the concept of a unitary state came to an end with the uprisings that started after the Arab Spring and turned into a playground where armed formations inside Syria are supported by international powers for their own interests. I don't think it is necessary to be an expert to understand how ISIS emerged, how it grew and who it serves. This is a project that international powers have been pursuing for years to make their presence in another state acceptable. First, support and grow an armed organization. When this organization grows and starts to get out of control, this time support and grow another armed organization against it. Then another and then another.... This is actually the most basic summary of the developments that have been taking place in Syria and similar non-“democratic” but resource-rich geographies for years.
States support frictions in line with their own interests and want to maintain their presence in the field either with their own presence or through their extension forces.
First of all this agreement was against the pkk. the ypg is not the pkk. they just share the same concept. there is no direct orders from the pkk
Second, the Syrians interpret the conflict between the PYD and Turkey differently. The Syrian government has repeatedly told Turkey to withdraw from Syrian territory."
@@Fixmesut Source: Trust me Moruk
The way you describe the situation between Kurds and Turkey sounds incredibly biased. SDF is not "linked" to PKK it's literally renamed version of PKK which is a terrorist organization (also accepted by your nation UK) that has killed civilians/ransacked villages/kidnapped and killed teachers amongst further countless atrocities. Those are not documented just by the Turkish government but other Human right organizations as well, you can even find them on the Wikipedia ffs.
You are also trying to illustrate all of this as a Kurdish-Turkish war and trying to align all Kurds with PKK/YPG/SDF which is a thing someone who doesn't know a squat about "Kurdish problem in Turkey" would do. Kurdish people constitutes almost 1/5 of the total population in Turkey. Almost half of the current cabinet is literally Kurdish, most notably Ibrahim Kalin (Chief of Intelligence) and Hakan Fidan (Minister of Foreign Affairs). Kurdish people do have large business in Turkey, Kurdish people are living freely in Turkey, Kurdish people are part of government in Turkey, Kurdish people are part of the armed forces in Turkey, Kurdish people gets elected in Turkey. Now tell me, how on earth could you say that this is a war between Turkey-Kurds ?
Did Kurdish people had problems in Turkey ? Yes they had. Have they reasonable demands (like making Kurdish elective course in schools) that are not fulfilled yet, I do think so. Is there still a small racism issue in rural places, yes but unfortunately that goes both ways. But portraying Turkey as an anti-Kurd state is beyond ignorance for many countless reasons, I've listed few of those reasons in previous paragraph.
You've mentioned in the "Who Will Help the PKK/YPG/SDF" section that Iraq Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) has complex relations with Turkey so that's why they are not going to help
😀 That's not the whole reason Mr "Kurdish/Turkish" professor and you know it, the reason is both Turkey and KRG (Iraqi Kurdistan) fights against PKK. Yes you've heard it right, PKK which you've defined as "Kurds" are literally fighting against Iraqi Kurdistan Government. As a side note those relations between IKRG and Turkey are not "complex" but rather they are "good".
As an ending note, take a look at the demographic map of Syria once and tell me how it is not racist against Arabs to call Deir ez-Zur, Raqqa, Tell Abyad (which is occupied by YPG/SDF) a Kurdish city ? So called "Democratic" terrorists have suppressed Arab protests (yeah may be to your surprise, some Arabs might not want to live under a literal terrorist organization which idolize a Kurdish racist terrorist named Abdullah Ocalan) in the last week by killing 10 civilians in the Raqqa region. There are many cases of their crimes reported by Human rights organizations. But yeah sure they are as democratic as it gets and wants to bring peace to the region, poor SDF/YPG/PKK 🙁
Thanks!
@@williambeeson435 Thank you so much, William. That is incredibly kind. I really appreciate it. Very best regards, James
Full lies. He is only stating the Washington policies in the territory. Not telling child soldiers of YPG whic is not a represant of Kurds rather a terrorist group for military interest of Israel and US. Same scenario played bu Us more than a century. I am not even telling the population engineeering dine by Ypg. Mandotory imigration of Turks and Arabs. US should stay in its’ soil if its not seeking military conflict with Turkey. Results would be tremendous for both. Enough is enough
_“Appeasement only makes the aggressor more aggressive.”_
Chamberlain, Chamberlain, Chamberlain.
Dear Prof
Let's talk about why colonial countries were in our lands . Why did they try to divide our country ? Why did they want the Ottoman to collapse? More than 600 years there were a peace in those land. After the first war one , the middle east turn to inevitable bloodbath.
My question is why the US or the UK is to try to divide our lands we all have a cultural similarity and we have diverse religious beliefs all respect each other until someone whisper them to do something stupid. I think time to the US army to go back where they are protect their land not the land they do not own. On the other hand , we do not have any problem with Kurdish people all the ethic groups see each other brothers and sisters as I said again because they share similar values cultures. I travelled all east Turkiye . Nobody disrespect me that I am Turkish most of the Kurdish people open their door gave me food let me stay their home. As the same we do it. What you are doing is just a propaganda. PKK/PYD/SDG ARE TERROSIT ORGANIZATIONS. THEY KILL MANY INNOCENT PEOPLE EVEN KURDISH PEOPLE. THEY KIDNAP YOUTH KURDISH PEOPLE WHO ARE 14 15 YEARS OLD TO MAKE THEM SOLDIERS.
so i am asking again why does the US arms stay in some strategic area in Syria ? Because there is energy. You European people do not give a fuck for any ethnic groups you support them because you need energy . Basicallt you people use them to get what you want that's all
This is the argument a 14 year old would give. Also I love the hilarious, made up narrative, about you going to Kurdish houses as if that has anything to do with this. US imperialism is bad but Turk imperalism is fine? What business does Turkey have in Libya? I wonder if that is making you money. The US (and every decent country) gave the YPG support because, unlike your army, they fought ISIS. They will leave one day but you will stay as long as there are minorities to oppress.
Also the Ottomans were not at peace in Syria for 600 years; there plenty of just internal wars between greedy governors. Your empire got carved up because you joined the losing side of a world war, that's how it goes. Russia chose the winners and still lost its empire for a while.
So, what you say, basically: Turkish Imperialism/colonialism good, other Imperialism/colonialism bad. I wish everyone would be so benevolent as the Ottomans were. ;)
This is just more of the old nonsense of blaming the entirety of the MIddle East problems on the West. It's childish garbage. The actions of competing empires in the 19th Century leading up to the first world war led to the collapse of the Ottomans, yes. But the Ottoman Empire was already in a period of long decline before that - all on its own, by not adapting to modernity. As for the rest of the Islamic world which the Ottomans partly controlled - the Arab world - that's been a collapsed civilization since the Mongols came slashing and burning. And the Arab world still struggles to adapt to modernity!
So, enough of this childish anti-Western nonsense. Since the end of the Cold War (and sometimes even before that), all attempts by Western powers to try to help middle eastern nations escape their squalor and political dysfunction have failed. Why? Only a conspiracy theorist would take a serious look at that history and still try to blame everything on the West. Western policy failed ... because of Middle Eastern culture and politics.
Don't worry. This moment is the beginning of the US turning its back on trying to influence and help the region. They have already reduced their efforts down to the minimum necessary to contain Iran and help Israel protect itself.
As for your assertion that the West only stays in Arabia for energy supplies, this is false. The US became fully energy independent about a decade ago - and was already working on getting there before the Iraq war started. Europe does not depend on the MIddle East for oil. As you might recall, there was all that controversy about their dependency on Russia for natural gas. RIght? In fact, these days, it is China that is most dependent on Arabia for oil and energy.
So, enough of your hysteria.
"you europeans" suddenly youre not european? I thought you were 🤣
So called “Kurdistan” does not exist. That land is in Turkish hands for 1000 years since the Ottomans entered Anatolia in 1071. Turkey will never let its land to be taken away and partitioned. Also Kurds killed tens of thousands of Turkish people through terrorist attacks. This video failed to explain all that. Turkey has a right to defend itself.
Kurdistan ist die Sonne und versteckt sich nicht❤
@@barzankhorshidsawar1979 dalyrk kardes irakta ozerk kurdistan var. sktr gt orada yasa. tutan mi var?
Kurds have lived on that land thousands of years before 1071. DO you think history in this area began when Turks arrived? lol
@@Sassannid So what? do you think history started when kurds arrived. There is always ''before''
@@Sassannid also prove the point that ''kurds lived on that land thousands of years before 1071''
I assume even adam and eve are kurdish lol
thanks for this Video
Thank you!
The German Foreign Office: “We will explain to Turkey the necessity of protecting the rights of the Kurds in northern Syria.”
Have you noticed how the rights of some people are highlighted while the rights of others are obscured for more than five decades?
Well said kardesim! Also how about rights of Yezidi. Turkmen, Durzi etc. ??? Why just Kurds??? any particular reason? Why germans love Kurds???
@@delibaba_1923 because Kurds fought against ISIS with incredible resistance and strategy, literally destroying ISIS and saving their region-and the world-from jihadists and extremists. So, why does it seem like some people, especially from Turkey, always assume bad intentions when it comes to things from Europe or America? It's like if something comes from there, it's automatically seen as bad, evil, or shameful. This shows how deeply some people have been influenced by certain beliefs, without considering other perspectives.
@@awesomestrawberry1348 bro have you been paying attention to something called ''the world history''? anytime a european state meddles in some other region of the world ''english in india'' wink wink so on and so on what was that other than pure evility?
@@kocahmet1 Sure bro, If you got the chance to live in one of those 'evil' countries, you’d absolutely stay here, right? So..which one’s really the 'evil' one now??
The zelensky curse toppled the German government I don't think Erdogan cares what Germany thinks
When will you learn to seperate Kurdish people and pkk?
I am perfectly aware of the difference. I have worked on the region for many decades. But I think too many Turkish people neglect to see the very real aspirations that many Kurds have about their pursuit of a homeland. They simply say put everything down to the PKK and then don’t need to confront the bigger picture.
When will Turks learn this defense is worn out?
@@JamesKerLindsay you have a terror group claiming they want a Kurdish nation and many Kurdish people that have nothing to do with them and dont support them. If you dont state the difference youll just be pointing fingers at them(same as saying IS** represents muslims). Also living here for decades in this society is something you wont understand no matter how many decades you study it. Kurds and Turks here are sick of western media and politicians lies, portraying as if there is a Kurd vs Turk conflict. There isnt and never has been. Everyone just saying the same things over and over again "fascist turks, turks vs kurds, independence, ethnic war" bla bla bla. You are a profesor right so research why and how this pkk group was created, what they did, who supported it and how its evolved later on. And honestly if you arent going to research all the details than what are you a professor for?
@@JamesKerLindsay Yeah but it is interesting PKK has organic ties to SDF so Turkish view is consistent. That kind of aspirations and pursuit is not free even in Europe, it only means more blood and suffering in middle-east. They can practice everything culturally in Iraq and Turkey. The region has a memory of foreign interventions and their local collaborators. If they achieve independent state it won't be really independent. Land-locked country surrounded by their old-friends that became new-enemies? You know there is only one country in the region that wants to use those aspirations and their lives as their own cannon-fodder.
@@JamesKerLindsay James, bigger picture tells us US and UK give weapons to PKK to split Iraq and Syria even Trukiye. Do you think we are children? We are aware of everything, dont worry about it.
Syria need territorial unity, Kurdish is doing what's opposite to that. Great move by Turkiye is helping the new Syrian government to consolidate national unity.
Dank voor je video! Loves from The netherlands
We want more videos about the kurds.
My friend, you have no idea about this issue, you should not have spoken with the fabricated information you got from the news of the stupid western states of the USA. My advice to you is to come to TURKEY and be part of TURKEY'S efforts in Syria.Look at what he did, he rebuilt the city. People are living happily and the Syrian government and people are on the side of TURKEY. PKK and YPG will now be cleared from Syria.
I heard current Turkish PM is a Kurd.
Currently, Turkey is not intervening with its military; rather, it is providing intelligence, logistical, and air support through drones.
Air support through drones does not count as military intervention apparently. Paramilitary organizations do not count as military intervention either it seems. Turkish logic 2024.
@ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov describes the special military operation in Ukraine as not being a war.
@@epschas rocketing russian ''targets'' on russian territories via Ukraine by american-british missiles with aucthentic (a military secret) validation codes for activation it s not invervention. Western logic 2024.
@@mohamedali2858 yeah and that's equally ridiculous
Technically speaking air support is military intervention
Unless the operators are locals that I have heavy Doubts about it
Would England let Scots, Welsh and Irish have their independent Countries? No chance!
No-one likes their country to be divided.
they already have their atonomy.do u know what is meaning UK? "United Kingdom" means there are several independent autonomy. dont u know right now a country exist named "Ireland"?
@@osyahaci dude they already have a form of independence. Turkey’s situation is vastly different
The Irish literally have an independent country, they’ve had it for like, over a century at this point… and England allowed Scotland to hold several independence referendum’s but the Scots decided they wanted to stay. The British have openly stated that if part of their country wants to leave it is allowed to do it but no one has wanted to leave for quite some time. The Falkland’s and Gibraltar also hold independence/ unification with a neighboring Spanish speaking nation votes from time to time and every time they decide to stay British.
Is England prohibiting the identity and language of Scotts. Please do not compare a middle east country with a western democratic country. You look very ridiculous.
You are comparing the Union of the British Isles with the artifice known as 'Syria'?
thank you for this great video
You always forget that It is called Turkiye not Turkey. For a professor i think, still calling Turkey is embarrassing
Lots of countries have endonyms. It’s not a mark of ignorance to use them. Turkey has been called that name for centuries.
Turkey or Chicken , potato potato lol😅😂
@@capncake8837 Exonyms* An endonym is the name used by a people to refer to themselves.
Why do you think anyone could tell another to change names or terms in their respective language? Neither Erdogan nor the Turkish government has any mandate over other languages.
The name change is stupid, and if it triggers Turks and Erdogan that their country is the name of a bird, we must use it even more.
It's quite amusing to watch Europeans get carried away with themselves. Listening to them say things like, "Let's impose sanctions on Turkey, and if they don't listen, we'll send them a harsher warning letter." :D Friends, please research Turkish history thoroughly, from beginning to end, and then try to threaten us.
you still seem cant tell difference between kurds and pkk , james.
No, I can, perfectly well. The problem is that it is too easy for many Turks to separate the PKK from the aspirations of many Kurds for greater rights, and even a state. They just say that the PKK are extremists and the rest of the Kurds are happy. It’s an easy way to avoid the issue. I’ve seen it in other contexts.
@@JamesKerLindsay This response from you proves that you are biased and not suitable to be a professional academic or journalist. Pathetic in my opinion...
Why they can't establish their state in Michigan America?? ¿?
@@MonjeziShaban Land and the name belonged to native indians.
Dear Prof, I think it is a first time that your analyse is not well calculated. Turkey is not planning to attack Syrian Kurds. Its focus is only on marxist lenninist kurdish terror organization PKK (in Syria its name is PYD). When you say it's planning to attack to a nation, we should understand that there must be a risk of heavy civil casualities or brutal war crimes. But at here we are talking about nations (Turks, Kurds and Arabs) living together hundreds of years at same country. So in short term, its a fight against to a terror otganization. We could give many examples from your country's history or any of the other countries, but i think at least it is enough for now. Only I wish you could look from a Turkish perspective to these events, or any muslim nation perspectives, not a western nor marxist view.
The most dangerous idea in the muslim world in recent decades is the idea that every action to defend the ummah is either merely defensive or "anti-colonial" when in fact they are tied to a longer (often indirectly stated or implied) attempt to recreate a lost Islamic empire. For the Turkish right wing (Erdogan), there's the fantasy of restoring some of the lost Ottoman glories. For the Arab world, there is pan-Arabism and its offshoot, the Palestinian cause (or, for more extreme groups like ISIS, it is a restored caliphate.) For the Persians, it is an Imami empire centered in Persia and reaching to the Mediterranean Sea. Most ordinary Muslim citizens of the Middle East don't stop to notice the latent imperialism in these leaders and militants, it seems. Some actively excuse it.
The reality of this situation is that Erdogan's past behavior and Turkish history suggests that when he says he is only interested in fighting Kurdish terrorists, we should not necessarily take him at his word.
If you find these words offensive, I understand. That likely means you don't support Islamic imperialism. Good. That makes you a good person. However, you might want to consider the possibility that I'm describing an actual political force that is quiet but very real in the Middle East.
When it comes to foreign meddling, Is there any other country that is more disjointed than Syria? The project for regime change there has had so many twists and turns, where enemies are allies for a while and then not and where our allies are enemies with each other. And what exactly has aLL THIS DEATH, displacement and destruction gained for the US?
You are absolutely right. And it looks like it is far from over. This could be a problem for Washington for quite some time,
Türkiye's population is approximately 85 million and 30 million of this population are Sunni Kurds, Turks and Kurds living in Türkiye for centuries and in every Turkish families have ties with Kurdish families by marriages so Türkiye and Kurds can never be enemies because they have bond to each other, no one can separate those ties that's impossible, pkk and ypg they are not Kurdish, they are terrorist groups from different countries. Your speech misleading your followers, you must spoke out what the reality is.....
Yeah, sure, Erdogan's media in Turkey definitely helps some people see things... or, well, not see things at all. But hey, no offense, right?
30 million? The last time i checked they were saying that it's somewhere between 15-20 million. It keeps rising everyday somehow. According to you half of Turkey's population is Kurdish
@ yup Kurds are above 30 million the figure 15 to 20 million was 20 years ago now it’s twice that much if not more
@@Ceilingfan-r8m Sure, double that. Kurd means non-Persian. Almost all humanity are Kurdish.
@@almazchati4178 long live the noble Kurds
Part of the problem in understanding the Kurds issue is that the term is a vague oversimplification, and those who like to support ''fair causes'' naively think that they are a monolithic entity, and they aren't. As far as I know, and it is well-explained by a Spanish historian. The term is like assuming Portugal, Spain, and Italy have the same interests, just because they're Latin-europeans, and suddenly they want to make a single country. The languages and traditions are similar, but their daily- business life is different. The Kurdistan is unlikely to emerge because there are various factions, with distinct political points of view, economy, ways of ruling etc.
Those areas are not kurdish areas theyre majority arab under kurdish occupation.Stop being biased.
It’s you being biased
How did those areas become majority Arab?
Ethnic cleansing.
Afrin is majority kurdish, your country invaded it and immediately started looting and destroying kurdish cultural sites
great video, very informative, keep up the good work, Happy christmas
We are muslim brothers Turkish govt must help our muslim brothers like kurdish people.we are are same religion islam.arab,kurdish, turkish.malaysian, indonesia, Brunei, south Thailand likes pattani is muslim country.come with stay together
turkey people just bear the name of Islam. they just are nationalist that think all should be camalist turk to be accepted in society
It doesn't occur to you to defend the rights of Palestinians whose lands are under occupation, does it?
It's called kurdophobia
Turkish backed rebels toppling the leader of Syria checks out very strongly with that recent rollercoaster of Ocalan negotiations
Sayın prof. Her devlet sınırlarını korumak ister ama sınır içinde yada hemen dışında ona doğrulan doğrultulan bir silah varsa refleks gösterir,bazen olaylara başka pencereler den de bakmak gerekir.Suriye Golan tepeleri ile ilgili videonuzu merakla bekleyeceğim.🇹🇷
It’s not about protecting borders for turkey, it’s about occupation of land and power
These are regions where the Arabs, who are the real owners of the region, are oppressed by the Kurds, even though they are a very small minority with the power of America behind them. The definition of the Kurdish regions is wrong. And eventually we will all see that the Arabs will no longer accept this and the Kurds will never be able to govern these regions. Europe and America are disconnected from reality.
Does that mean that in areas where the Kurds are a majority you support their aspirations for autonomy or even self rule? As you are basing your argument on the will of the majority in an area.
@@nigelgarrett7970 How do you define the region? I define it as a country. If you support the establishment of a country because a community is the majority in a neighborhood or a district or a province, that is naivety to say the least. And yes, I realize you asked the question in reference to Turkey. Be assured, the maps of the Kurdish regions you see on the internet are completely far from reality.
@@barboist And how do you define a country? They are far more artificial than regions, who often have geographic features to define boundaries.
There have been 34 new countries since 1990.
Mmm. So oppressed that they have a democratic Federalism model, where they are given large degree of control over their local area.
Stop with the lies
Many of the Arabs are quite happy to live in this area. They have got local autonomy. In 2019 they have fought alongside the Kurds and a few days ago the Manbij Military Council forces, mostly Arabs, have fought hard against the SNA.
Thank you for your perspective
Kurds deserve their own country.
I hoped the video would consider Israel's role in Syria as well, particularly regarding the Golan Heights. I believe it could be highly relevant, even critical, to the discussion.
When discussing “Türkiye and the Kurds,” it’s important to consider the relationship between Ankara and Iraqi Kurdistan (Barzani). Türkiye played a crucial role in establishing an autonomous Kurdistan within Iraq, providing full support to its leader, who even received a diplomatic Turkish passport.
Therefore, it’s not accurate to frame the situation in Syria as “Turks vs. Kurds.” Türkiye is engaged in conflict with the US-backed PYD/YPG/SDF, which are essentially branches of the PKK. This fact is acknowledged by various US institutions, the EU, Russia, and Iran knows it and you know it too... The conflict is fundamentally between the PKK and Türkiye, and it’s unproductive to pretend otherwise.
Thanks. But if you watched video again, I clearly mention the complex relationship between Turkey and the KRG and show pictures of Erdogan visiting Erbil and meeting senior Kurdish leaders, with a Kurdish flag in the picture.
@@JamesKerLindsay Yeah you mention that briefly and still create a false Turks vs Kurds narative. We both know you put your feelins and biased to your work. So much biase and nonsense...
Dear James,
I wanted to share an observation regarding the framing and terminology used in your recent discussions, as I believe it could enhance the clarity and balance of your videos.
In your coverage of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, you accurately distinguished between the actions of Hamas as a terrorist organization and the broader Palestinian population. This distinction is crucial as it avoids generalizing an entire group and helps focus on the actors directly responsible for specific actions. However, in your recent video on the Türkiye-SDF conflict, you referred to Türkiye’s actions as attacks on "the Kurds," rather than specifying groups like the SDF or PKK, which Türkiye considers terrorist organizations.
While the Kurdish population indeed has a central role in this conflict, the use of "Kurds" as a blanket term risks conflating a diverse ethnic group with specific entities engaged in armed conflict. This is particularly relevant when contrasting it with how you carefully differentiated between Hamas and Palestinians in the Israel-Palestinian context.
Moreover, this framing reflects a broader tendency often observed in Western media, where U.S.-aligned groups, such as the SDF, are frequently portrayed more favorably than groups or actors considered adversarial. Such discrepancies in terminology and framing not only influence public perceptions but can also detract from an objective understanding of the conflict.
While this tendency is not uncommon, it ultimately undermines the credibility of the West, which has already deteriorated significantly in recent years. These double standards contribute to further instability in the global order and fuel conflicts, eroding trust in international norms and human rights advocacy.
I urge you to maintain a high level of professionalism and credibility in your analyses. As a respected expert in international relations, your words carry significant weight, and imbalances in your framing risk contributing to the broader deterioration of trust in international relations and human rights discourse.
Thank you for considering this feedback. I hope it proves helpful in refining your already valuable and insightful content.
Your words romanticizing a terrorist PKK and confusing Kurds and PKK/PYD are troubling.
What’s troubling is how Turkey has a lower press freedom ranking than even Russia, have you ever considered how this affects what you think Murat?
It’s hard to give credibility to Erdogan’s claims, no matter how legitimate they might be. Stating that terrorist groups like the PKK shouldn’t be given shelter, while he hosts Hamas that is holding Americans hostage.
Spot the turk
Spot the 'euro-pan'.
Bilerek yapıyorlar.
I saw people in comments saying that "it's not even about PKK anymore, it's about Kurds..." NOPE. It is still about PKK. Even though SDF and YPG claiming to be two different organisations, they openly supported PKK (a group that claimed as a terrorist organisation by other countries then Tukiye) and they are still using PKK's tactics and doctrines. You guys are talking about Kurdish rights but the funniest part is that YPG-SDF occupied Arabic lands and deported some of them (which it caused a refugee crisis in Turkiye) and it is recorded that they opened fire into protesters in places they invaded. (exp. Rakka, Deir az Zor) Even though people accusing Turkiye with invading Syria, They're actually defending their own interests and security. It has nothing to with race or ethnicity. If it did, Turkiye would never supported Peshmerga in Northern Iraq and recognized their autonomous government at first place. It's about interests and security of the country.
There is no such thing as Syrian Kurdistan! The Kurdish population in Syria is only 10%, but Kurdish groups armed by the US have occupied one third of Syria and these lands are Syria's agricultural and oil fields. If this area is separated from Syria, millions of other Syrians will starve and millions more will leave their country with a new wave of migration, which will cause major problems, especially for Turkey. In addition, Kurdish militants under US control are trying to divide Syria and pose a threat with their hostile attitude towards Turkey. Colonel McGregor had explained this in an interview. In other words, he had said that groups under US/Israeli control are preparing for an attack on the Turks by being equipped with heavy weapons by the US in order to attack Turkey.
Vast majority of Kurdish controlled land is sparsely populated. Nice try.
Also turkey has seized majority kurd areas and committed war crimes there.
Double standards
Turkish troll alert, spreading Turkish propaganda.
There is no such thing as Turkish Cyprus! The Turkish population in Cyprus was only 15%. Oh. Wait. What? Hypocrisy alert!
10% still second largest after arabs
@@skmplo Cyprus was a turkish posession which was LENT, not GIVEN to britain. It should have technically been given back to us, like the dodecannese were also ours and italy took them in 1912. But thats in the past, 30% of cypriots are turkish
You know we have no issues with the Kurds in Iraq as long as they are nice, right? If Syrian Kurdistan promises to cut all tie with PKK then we may appreciate the possibility of a buffer state.
Why help for the Kurds and not for other minorities or all Syrians??
The Kurds get already more help than all others,
year by year millions over millions of $ for weapons.
Never seen a hospital or school build by US or EU in Syria or around.
güzel soru. cevap bizce biliniyor. çünkü abd avrupa terörist gruplar destekler ülkeleri parçalamaya çalışır.
think about why several arab and turkman minority in syria join Kurds.the only thing that turks never can do is to let go of racism and fascism
@@SJA-mh2uz You dont follow the news? More and more minorities between the Kurds leave them, because they are not happy with them
Turk being Turk 🦃🦃🦃
If each ethnic group is to be given a state. First, European states should state state to ethnic groups. Let Americans leave Indian lands. This logic is counter to the realities of the world. The state is won by war.
🟩🟩❤Freedom KURDISTAN ❤🟨🟨
Thank you Turkiye 🇹🇷🇹🇷 History will remember you for helping the Syrian people…
What, they are kurds? Kurds does not kill syrian people. PYD does, and these is a terror group. Do not talk about a terror group and name it kurds!
Why can't the Kurds sub rule their own land under the new Syrian government?
Turkey would not sanction any kind of autonomy given to PYD/YPG. It is the main reason of Turkey's involvement in the Syrian conflict
@Geckotr does this include the Syrian Kurds?
@@richardhunt3051 The PYD and YPG are Syrian Kurdish militant groups connected to the PKK. If some Kurdish autonomous area was created that wasn’t governed by them, then Turkey might tolerate it. They currently support the Iraqi Kurdish region, so maybe they’d support a non-PYD one in Syria, but I’m not sure.
Leave the Kurds alone! Do not attack!
Give the Kurds a homeland.
Kurds deserve a state! Free Kurdistan!
The analysis here is oversimplified and cliche like most reports on this topic over the last decade or more, but that's probably the aim.
I like how you call it Kurdistan before they even declare themselves that lmao. Yk, according to them they are still the "Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria" where the Kurdish militia (who are a minority even in places they occupy) are equals with the plurality.
But it's nice to see that even before they inevitably declare themselves the autonomous bish-bash-bosh of Syria you are calling them what they actually strive to be, an ethnostate for a minority.
Thank you for the video professor. Long live Kurdistan ❤️
“Rise and Decline” of the Al-Assad Family The Alawites benefited from the reforms introduced by the French. By integrating the Syrian armed forces, notably through the Special Troops of the Levant, formed during the period of the French mandate, the Alawites acquired a military influence disproportionate to their demographic weight. This increased role in the army laid the foundations for their political rise after independence, while the country was facing internal struggles and chronic instability. After Syria gained independence in 1946, the political instability that struck Syria offered these groups an opportunity to strengthen their position. The army, seen as a means of stability, became a central political actor. It was in this context that Hafez Al-Assad, from a family of the Alawite community, exploited this heritage to consolidate his power. In 1970, he seized the presidency in a coup d’état, ending decades of internal political struggles for power and asserting Alawite hegemony over the Syrian state structures. Under his rule, Syria adopted a centralized authoritarian approach, but the sectarian divisions encouraged by France during his tenure remained a key tool of governance. By favoring his own community while repressing the majority Sunnis who make up the country, Assad perpetuated a system based on social, ethnic, and sectarian fragmentation, a direct echo of colonial policies. The popular revolts and civil war that shook Syria after 2011, and the recent fall of Bashar al-Assad, demonstrate how the ethnic and sectarian fractures inherited from the French colonial period have long continued to fuel the country’s instability. The French mandate set the stage for the rise of authoritarian regimes in Syria by exacerbating internal divisions. The Assad family exploited these fractures to establish its power for half a century. However, the same divisions, amplified by decades of repression and conflict, contributed to the fall of their rule.
at the end, the oppressed wins. all their sacrifices will not be in vain.
Doğru ama
Hatalı nokta mazlumun kim olduğu konusunda
@@isaYILDIZ. least obvious excessive turkish nationalist
Old Oppressor Assad was replaced with a new one Erdogan ?
there is no way to see the truth from the west media bro. some of the kurds killed thousands of people in the east children, teachers, women even the kurds who does not support terrorists. living together hundreds of years and thanks to west we are killing each other now
Where do you live? On Neptune?
Talking about the history of the rebels of kurds in Türkiye but not even a bit info about the so called protests which are against human rights and you did not mentioned PKK is accepted as a terrorist group among EU and US, SDF is also coming from the roots of PKK . Moreover, all the firepower comes from north Syria and north Iraq. When you consider these aspects of the matter it will be understandable for Türkiye to act like this even though it cannot be said that is totally right thing to do.
I was expecting more of a objective approach.
You sound a bit biased
@@european-one or maybe your info channels are from similar type of people which makes me sound biased
@@european-oneI think you are the one who is prejudiced, but you are too arrogant to see it and you accuse others of being prejudiced. The fact that you write similar things under the comments of everyone who has the opposite opinion proves this. You do not respect anyone's opinion, you do not respect anyone! You are selfish enough to try to impose your own opinion on everyone
@@Mali_58-n2c you have been spamming there is no such thing as Kurdistan? Hypocrite?
You are too arrogant to see it.You don't respect anyone's opinion, you don't respect anybody, etc etc, blah blah blah
@european-one Leave the affairs of the middle east to middle easterners you don't see us coming in and commenting about Irish unification or Catalan or Bavarian secessionism do you european-one?
Phd in world Affairs. You've must have missed a few classes along the way!
As America, if you do not stand by your NATO ally Turkey, which fought alongside you in 1950-53, you will lose credibility among other NATO members and world. Supporting Turkey increases America's credibility.
I’m very angry at the international community, for spending so much bandwidth on Palestine.
Instead of focusing on the real horrors in Saddnya prison with over 100,000 victims lying in mass grave. They decided to spend their energy on changing the definition of genocide and have abused the word so badly that it no longer means anything.
The Kurds have a unique culture and language and have a much larger population compared to the Palestinians . While the Palestinians have been offer statehood 5 times and are the center of the world’s politics.
It really does look like the focus on the Palestine has nothing to do with the merit of their plight but that it can be used as a bludgeon against Israel.
The blame is not on the Palestinians or the Israelis but the International community’s rank hypocrisy.
So you say what Israel doing at Gaza is not a genocide? Your qoute: ''...changing the definition of genocide and have abused the word so badly that it no longer means anything.''
@ yes it’s not genocide, when Ireland asks to change the definition of genocide so that Israel will be found guilty, is an admission that it’s not a genocide.
Hamas can give back the hostages and they could surrender and nobody else would killed
In the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust or in Rawanda, they could not just release hostages and surrender.
Hamas started the war, they thought they could win, it’s obvious they can’t.
The obsession with Israel, doesn’t harm Israel or help Palestinians but groups like the Kurds
çüşşşşşş
Israel is absolutely doing acts of genocide, and there's been no effort to change the definition. Ironically you are defending the same crap that Turkey does to the Kurds just because you're mad at what, the mind-share one war gets over another? What a nice life you must have to be mad over such things when in reality you are just as much choosing to favor one group over another. Why give these Turkish ultras ammo?
If the war in Gaza has proven anything it's that states can and will ignore any "international outrage" regarding their military operations with little to no consequences.
Ironic how Turkey has went after Isreal for doing what it’s doing in Syria.
Yeah, let't pretend Gaza is the first such case, and not just a continuation of such events going back decades lol
It was for centuries a nice, peaceful place there under Ottoman rule.
Untill a british and a french guy got the idea that some changes would be good.
And all locals know the names of these devils, they are stil not forgotten.
People expected something better than the Ottomans and got only 110 bloody years of wars, disasters and death.
Turkiey doesn't want wars, only safety on its borders.
The Kurds have the right on their own country
@@ariearys100 why don't you guys give land to them then?
Turkey wants war of course it does, it is a nation of ultra-nationalists. Turkey has been involved in war in Libya, Mali, Iraq, Syria, etc.
@@ariearys100no they dont, not with insurgency and terror
Yes they do, who are you to speak for Turkiye?
Additionally, 70% of that region is Arab, 20% is Turkmen, and 10% is Kurdish. The place, which has been called Ayn al-Arab for thousands of years, is now being referred to as "Kobane" by the occupiers of the past decade. On what grounds do they make this claim? With weapons supplied by the U.S., a 10% minority is oppressing the other 90%, and yet some portray this as if it’s something positive.
Turkey isn’t even necessary for this; the local population is already eliminating and purging the YPG, PKK, and PYD everywhere. It’s not just Turkey-90% of Syrians don’t want or support them, and this fact is being ignored. In the region, there are 10 million Arabs, 4.5 million Turkmen, and 1 million Kurds, and even half of those Kurds do not support the PKK, YPG, or PYD. Let me emphasize this: the overwhelming majority of even the 10% Kurdish population does not support them.
God bless Kurdish people ❤
@@azaeltasdemir1787 🇹🇷🐺💪
@@azaeltasdemir1787 her biji Kurd KÜRDİSTAN 👑
@@ErkanEvren-nz1yr🟨🛍️ sari torbaaa ☺️🤣
As a Kurd from Southern Kurdistan I can say it was a very good analysis. But, you missed to mention a point which is, in my opinion, a key point of why Turkey under Erdogan's rule wants so badly to invade the Kurdish city of Kobani. It all goes back to 2014 when Turkey supported ISIS against Kurds and Erdoğan was chanting in his public meetings "Kobani is about to fall". But it didn't. Since then Kobani has become like an obession and a personal matter for Erdoğan. That is also one of the reason why they so badly want to take the Kurdish city of Kobani. Thanks a lot!
Where did 400k kurds go to when ISIS came? Where did so-called kobani get ammunition from? Syria is Syrian's and you will learn this one way or another
@sonuncu203 They went to North and South of Kurdistan.They got ammunition from US backed coalition forces against ISIS.
Kobani didn't fall because Turkey allowed Kurdish peshmerga to pass through Turkey from İraq to help them. You forget this
Thanks so much. Great point!
@@ozbagat8355 I didn't forget that, but that came after the pressure from all around the world. After Turkey knew the coalition forces would help despite Turkey. Because it came after the coalition forces sent weapons via air drops. So, Turkey had left with no choices.
Alternatively, could Syrian Kurdistan merge with Iraqi Kurdistan to form the starting point of Kurdistan?
Wish we could but our government in iraqi Kurdistan is very weak at the moment due to 20 years of insane corruption and iraq which much like turkey is very against the very existence of our culture and they currently take all of our oil revenues and refuse to send our cut of the budget people haven't been paid for months back in 2017 this would have definitely been more plausible
@@rexer5372 Barzanis have tight relations with Erdogan regime? How turkey against you - kurds in iraqi autonome region? So many trade with autonome region how it comes against?
before that all region should have autonomy. still iran and turkey parts are remain. after that all 4 will be united
@gokhanakay8446 barzanis are extremely corrupt they own the entire economy and empose a 50% tax an all businesses that operate with in their territory.They are also extremely feared so no one in the capital really dares to criticize, there have been multiple cases of people losing their livelihoods and jobs for criticizing, in the other half of KRG PUK operates and they are just as bad economically and domestic political policy. They are just poorer because they are allied with iran and not turkey
They will not get along. In Iraq, there at least 3 groups. It is a scheme to keep Iraq unstable and poor.