Thanks so much to everyone who submitted a question. Sorry I couldn't tackle them all. By the way, I hope to do these more often. Please do keep an eye out on the community tab for calls.
Number of Kurds = 45M, number of Tamils = 90M. Who is the largest nation without a state? BTW, Prof, Much respect for your work and a huge fan of you and I like every video of yours I come across.
In response to your segment on a Central Asian Union. I believe the most likely form this would take would be states attempting to facilitate the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. Also, I believe that Russia's Eurasian Economic Union would be the most likely foundation for such a union. Perhaps the growing ties between Russia and Iran would help this. I have to imagine the role of Turkey is crucial-- Will Turkey join the European Union, or will it help Russia in creating a Eurasian Union. I think the conditions for this will depend on whether or not war comes to the Middle East. If Turkey invades Iran, then I think they would use this as a platform to project influence into Central Asia.
In response to your segment about the Balkans. I personally foresee an increase in US attention on the Balkans as the Trump Administration attempts to wind down the war in Ukraine. I think people underestimate the role of the Balkans in Russia's Black Sea region strategy. Perhaps Trump could offer Russia concessions in the Balkan region in return for concessions over Ukraine?
If things continue this way, I think the likelihood of a Kurdish state emerging somewhere in Europe before Turkey is higher. Technically speaking, Europe provides a more favorable environment in terms of diaspora influence, political ground, and international support ha ha 😄
Only Turks would laugh about the way they have destroyed and every day continue to destroy the rights of a people in their country so badly that said people are totally alienated and contemplate separation. Look up how many Kurdish leaders in Turkey are assassinated, tortured, or imprisoned on made up charges of being PKK.
kurds dont need one in the eu they have Sweden and Germany they are treated way better in europe than in Turkey why would they make problems fror European countries :/
Not really. They know that nobody would even dare to initiate separatist movements in Europe, that won't be tolerated at all. In Germany some Turks were portrayed as terrorist in the state media when they founded a new party for minority rights.
As a Turkish citizen, I must say that my perspective on the EU has changed drastically upon witnessing their stand and actions during recent events. The EU claims to prioritize democracy and human rights, but their actions prove otherwise. They continue to perpetuate the same colonialist mentality that has dominated the history. Their intentions are not genuine and they simply want to maintain control and dictate their terms. This is a common view among the majority of Turkish people. However, it is important to also acknowledge the issues within Turkey and the current leadership of Erdogan. While we may be struggling on many levels, the EU is not the solution. Instead, we must focus on building our own economy and creating opportunities through collaborations such as the BRICS alliance. This will lead to more production and employment, ultimately providing a sustainable solution for our country
TLDR: turkey is not democratic enough cause a wannabe dictator is in power and wants to genocide a population in his territory cause they are inconvenient. Cope bro. If you come to the eu you need to chill or you are good on your own
agreed on all except brics, which is not even a 'union' and shows no progress for its own. i think turkey should pursue neutrality just like switzerland or austria whilst staying in nato.
As someone who is not from Turkey or EU..both EU and Turkey were colonialist powers and both still employs colonialist method ,both use democracy to suit thier own purpose..so its a kettle calling the pot black kind of thing..
As a Kurdish Turk, I can clearly say that the majority of us will never allow Turkey to lose land. Turkey is our land, and our country and we will fight for it. 🇹🇷
I am not Kurdish or Turkish. I have a question for those supporting Kurdish cession in South East Turkey. Good numbers of Kurdish people leave in the west of the country. What do they expect these populations to do?
The west is dying to carve up Turkey and create a Kurdish state just like they engineered the whole middle east in the past and get surprised with the following perpetual conflicts. As we see the decline of the west i think this dream is now harder than ever.
@@s871-c1q What the hell Turkey did in Middle East since 1919? Stop comparing European colonialism of 20th century with zones controlled by Ottomans since 16th century.
@@s871-c1q You’re making a strong argument about the Ottoman Empire’s legacy in the Middle East compared to European colonial powers. The Ottomans ruled the region for about 400 years, yet local cultures, languages, and traditions largely remained intact. Unlike European colonial powers, the Ottomans did not systematically erase native languages or impose their own in the way that, for example, the French did in North Africa or the British did in India. The Ottomans governed through a millet system, allowing different ethnic and religious groups to manage their own affairs under Ottoman oversight. They didn’t extract resources in the same way European colonial empires did-for example, the British and French heavily exploited Middle Eastern oil and other natural resources in the 20th century. The Ottomans were more focused on taxation and maintaining stability rather than resource extraction. When comparing this to Western colonialism, it’s true that European powers looted historical artifacts, took control of natural resources, and drew artificial borders that led to long-term instability. The Ottomans, despite being an empire, didn’t carve up the region in the same way, nor did they remove local cultures.
*Lovely video as always James! but I can’t help but wonder at **1:00** , what about:* 🇮🇳 500 million Hindis - हिन्दी 🇵🇰 100 million Punjabis - ਪੰਜਾਬੀ 🇮🇳 🇮🇳 90 million Marathis - मराठी 🇮🇳 90 million Telugus - తెలుగు 🇮🇳 80 million Tamilians - தமிழ் 🇮🇳 60 million Gujaratis - ગુજરાતી 🇵🇰 60 million Pathaans - پښتو 🇦🇫 🇮🇳 50 million Urdus 🇵🇰 🇮🇳 40 million Kannadigas - ಕನ್ನಡ 🇮🇳 40 million Odias - ଓଡ଼ିଆ 🇮🇳 30 million Malayalis - മലയാളം 🇵🇰 30 million Sindhis - سِنڌِي 🇮🇳 🪯 30 million Sikhs _…surely they far outnumber the Kurds, and they all (except Urdus) only have just states in India & Pakistan where they are the majority?_
That's a completely different situation to Kurds. that's like saying Kurds are like the Bavarians the swabians the low Germans and the frisians of Germany, or like saying catalan and basque of Spain are in a similar plight to Kurds. Completely an ill comparison.
@@blinbby8633 In what way you say? The Kurds are largely Muslim, write in the Latin or Arabic scripts, speak much the same Language & have similar skin tones. Compare this to South Asia on the other hand - all of these Indian ethnicities I’ve mentioned have their own Scripts, completely different Language families (Indo-European & Dravidian), can vary from having the darkest to lightest skin complexions & follow all the World’s 5 Largest Religions from Christianity to Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism & Sikhism. ✝️☪️🕉️☸️🪯 How in any way are they different from Kurds?
@@blinbby8633 I'm not sure that any "plight" is relevant here. Well, of course it's relevant in the sense that it affects what (if anything) should be done about the situation. However, the quote was just about Kurds being the largest people without their own country. Even if the peoples in India and Pakistan mentioned by OP might not have faced same kind of hardship Kurds have, that still doesn't change that they don't seemingly have their own country. Maybe they don't even want that and are content with their own state within e.g. India but that still doesn't change that the quote would seemingly better apply to some of them.
@@AchyutChaudharyActually Kurds and Turks usually look different. Turks speak an Altaic language while Kurds speak an Indo-European language. Kurds and Turks were not in contact 200 years ago.
The EU is politically, economically and industrially dominated by France and Germany. This is half the reason why the UK left the EU because it could never get its own policies implemented because Germany, France and governments close to them wouldn't allow it. This is the fundamental reason why Turkey has not and will not be admitted into the EU. All these other explanations about human rights or not being European, they're literally misdirection. Majority of the EU's eastern members never met the requirements to join, they were let in because there wasn't objection to it. The majority of EU states including former-member UK already support Turkey's admission into the EU, but the vote has to be unanimous. Germany, France, Greece, Republic of Cyprus, Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands are among the only states that don't support Turkey in the EU. If Turkey joined the EU, it would immediately become the third major political force on par with Germany and France. Hungary and Poland have nowhere near the industrial, military or population size as Turkey and look at how they've been received by the Franco-German-Swedish internal bloc. Spain and Italy have their own competitive dynamics with them too. Turkey being an EU member would shift the dynamics entirely. Realistically, Turkey has understood that for years and isn't looking forward to joining the EU either because it won't happen. The other half of the reason the UK left is because the EU isn't going to be viable in a few decades. Most of Eastern Europe has been in a demographic decline for decades while at the same time not wanting immigration to make up for it like Western Europe has. Besides the low birthrates, many Eastern Europeans migrate to Western Europe for work. In totality, multiple states are in population crisis. We may see China's and Eastern Europe's economic crisis hit around the same time. Global recessions are inevitable, and everyone's just waiting for when it happens. The UK getting out with short-term pains was worth it in their eyes because they don't want to deal with mass legal EU immigration alongside illegal immigration any longer, nor do they want to foot the bill when some of those areas start collapsing.
If we support territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, we have to also support the territorial integrity of Turkiye, Syria, Iraq etc. Why would we support Kurdish separatists?
C’est incroyable l’Europe c’est l’union mais faut séparer la Turquie comme si que c’était un territoire immense , au contraire la Turquie doit impérativement s’unir avec d’autre pays
Along this rather narrowminded thinking, why should anyone support turkey's claims on occupying illegaly for 52 years north cyprus? Should the world be cautious of turkey's expansionistic plans and grandiose plan of a neo othomanic empire? Think about the above points and cease subjucating 35 m kurds and raping, killing kurdish people.
Thank you for your answers, i like this mode that you are interacting with your followers by receiving their questions and giving answers from your point of view, please keep on.
The Usa should stop supporting terrorist groups in Syria or Iraq! What if ,let's say, Italy establishes a terrorist organization in France or Spain to immobilize them? What would happen?
If your country, UK, and the USD get their noses out of the Middle East, it will be much safer and prosperer area, not for only itself, but also for the World. English out of other countries! Simple.
I mean, the UK can barely pay for itself; let alone a military expedition to the Middle East. Not sure how you would consider them to still be a factor in Middle (or Near) Eastern politics, since their withdrawal from Iraq. As for the US dollar, you would have to ask the Saudis to stop selling their oil in dollars for that to happen.
Turkeys treatment of the Kurds (and others) morally requires all people of the world to get involved just as German treatment of Jews during WWII required the world to get involved. Maybe stop trying to ethnically cleanse your region of minority groups before asking others to stop getting involved
No country would give up their territory for a separate Kurdish state. That's the reality people must accept. Secondly, I believe vast majority of Kurds in Turkey are now happy living within Turkish state with few exceptions of course. There's a reason why majority of the 21st century separatist movements don't succeed.
Prof. James Ker-Lindsay I must say that these question and answer sessions have become one of my favorite ways to learn more about international relations as you are studied , enlightening , and so professional that I enjoy and trust that you are giving us information that we would get no where else . Well spent time and I thank you as nothing in life is free .
If Kurds lived in neatly separated regions in their host countries, it would have been easier to separate them. However, Kurds live all over Turkiye (Turkey), and in fact the Turkish city with the highest Kurdish population is Istanbul. So how can you separate the Kurds from the Turks (or the other ethnic groups such as Arabs, Lazes or Circassians)? Similarly in Iraq, Arabs, Turkmens and Kurds sometimes live in the same town. and let's not forget one more important thing, not all Kurds wish for separation. The map that you put up there is inaccurate - I have seen it circulate in the internet with no actual backing by census numbers. Maps of election results from Turkiye reflect the demographics better. But caution with maps: Ethnic cleansing by PKK has changed the demographics in Turkiye, Syria and Iraq. Kurds have become the majority in some regions only recently, after PKK terrorism forced many non-Kurds to leave the conflict zones through domestic or foreign migration. Perhaps it would be better to focus on cultural rights than separatism. If the Western countries help keep Turkiye, Syria and Iraq more stable (rather than invest in separatist armed conflict) these countries would cooperate in the future to lift borders like in the EU. (There are already signs this could be happening in the future, for example Iraqi citizens over 50 can now travel to Turkiye visa-free.) Western countries unfortunately do the opposite, they aid and abet terrorists like PKK and cause bloodbath in the region. In their cynicism, they say "we're not helping the PKK, we are helping Syrian Democratic Forces" - which is neither Syrian nor democratic but a blatant offshoot of PKK. The USA especially wants to maintain a separate PKK state which it intends to use as a proxy in the region in its support of Israel. (This is not a conspiracy theory, anybody following the Israeli media would know that this is the actual truth behind the push for an independent Kurdistan)
If kurds have a right to a separate country on turkish territory, then african americans also have a right to a separate country on US territory. Same goes for native americans and italian americans and irish americans and jewish americans and all the other ethnicities in the US. Let's see how they would like that
You really have no idea about history of Kurdish people. You have no understanding difference between Kurdish people and other groups you mentioned. Honestly your ignorance is astounding.
@ how can I argue with someone who can’t differentiate between group of people who owns and belongs to that land and immigrants who’s gone to work in another country . Apart from Kurds and native Americans your comment is totally empty of any intellect .as far as black people of African descent they were brought to America as slaves . It’s a totally different story . Alas blacks in america are have no similar situation at all with native Americans or Kurds .! Kurds have been in Mesopotamia around 12.000 years. Turks have 1000 years history . Native Americans has been there for thousands years until European settlers decimated those unfortunate people.!
In Germany are more than 3 million Turks & more than 1 million Kurds living. Let us talk about separation there. It seems to be more realistic in a so called democratic western state. Maybe together with German Bavaria & German Saxonia, also not happy with the rest of Germans in Germany. Should Ankara back them?
@@eren3390 Stucked in your nationalism/racism, you did not understand the point. The point is, when they will claim and how Germany will react? Now, it is your turn.
As long as you have the Talabani's and the Barzani's ruling the region it will never stable nor reliable enough to become independent state. Just look into the amount of corruption that goes on, by the way there is no freedom of speech nor press there.
Professor, I must say, this here Q&A is probably your best so far. You obviously chose the questions very astutely and spent much time and energy giving in-depth answers. The result is a quite frankly a fascinating kaleidoscope of many fundamental geopolitical concepts being explained in appropriate detail. You do important educational work, Professor, and I do share your videos with friends. Cheers. ✌️
Absolutely right. Without oil fields, the ambitions decrease rapidly. Without, it takes decades, even centuries of hard work to achieve prosperity. Too much! They want it faster and with less work by robbing with weapons, how all lazy uneducated criminals dream & act. It is just a racist Mafia gang.
@@AnqeLo99 If you make enough money (how its better possible in Irak than Syria) you can buy your water. Without oil, you`ve only water to drink, but nothing to eat, because even farmers need money.
There are already 15 million Turks in EU countries. If it was 5 million it would have been too many already. 15 million is nuts. And ebery year hundreds of thousands more enter. Enough is enough.
Hi James. Love your work. Obviously, Turkey under Erdogan does not meet the Copenhagen criteria. I agree with your skepticism about whether she ever will. But even if Erdogan died tomorrow and we Turks elected a new leader, and Turkey became a Jeffersonian democracy... EU membership would still be off the table. Upon joining, Turkey would be the largest member of the union by population, and suddenly a direct challenge to the dominance of Germany and France. Dysfunctional nations have been allowed membership before because they were small and considered "absorbable". Turkey of course could not be dictated to and humiliated as Greece was. So, I think we need to be honest and say Turkey will never be allowed to join the EU. This is unfortunate, as in a parallel universe a democratic Turkey could have been a great asset for the EU with her young population, large military and dynamic (if unstable) economy. But as xenophobia solidifies as a political force in the EU and Turkey veers into a misguided neo-wannabe-Ottomanism... It's time to say, this process is over. What do you think needs to happen for the EU to have the courage to officially announce that Turkey's candidacy has been cancelled? Or are both sides doomed to continue the farce that Turkey is a paused candidate forever ?
@icenerasin5283 i am pleased to hear honest voice based on realistic rational point of view. Turkey or the EU should stop this hypocrisy. Even Turkey would one day meet all criterums of Copenhagen and Maastrich, the EU would not allow Turkey to be member state. Greece, Greek-Cyprus and Austria very certainly and some other states probably will ban by veto. ''neo-wannabe-Ottomanism'' is mental sickness and is irrational flourished by two and half decades long and ongoing Erdogan's regime, and i hope Turkey returns to its natal orbit (science-technology-peaceful progress as ONE nation among other nations) after Erdogan regime is over. Turkey and the EU better have fair, equitarian relation models...
Why would they announce something like that the eu is controlling us turks like puppys, atleast we realised and feel a mutual feeling. You’re right the points you have made only makes sense and i can only respect that.
Thanks. I agree. I certainly didn’t mean to give the impression that this was about Turkey’s failings. There is quite clearly a very large and powerful bloc in the EU that has not engaged with Turkey in an honest manner. Regarding cancelling talks, I rather think both sides would like to do this. Erdogan clearly has no real wish to join, but can’t let it drop as this would alienate many. Likewise, the EU is terrified of the backlash from Turkey if it did announce the end of talks. On the meantime, both sides seem to feel it’s easier to let the pretence continue.
Let's not forget the whole issue of Cyprus... Even if Turkey democratizes, there needs to be a permanent solution. Cyprus is already a EU member and possible nato member. For Turkey to join the EU, it's going to have to convince it's biggest "adversaries"
If the kurds got their own state, even if it initially was founded and ruled by secularists/socialists in the beginning, eventually the kurds would overthrow their rulers and establish an islamic kurdistan state and government. This is a fact. The kurds were the only people who didnt rebel against the ottomans nor the british to establish their own independent kurdistan state. The arabs rebelled against the ottomans with the british to establish their own nation states. The kurds remained loyal to the ottoman sultan and their islamic identity more than wanting a kurdish nation state which is why they remained with the Turks in the Turkish war of independence against the British and French. Subsequently after Ataturk founded the secular nation state of Turkey. The kurds rebelled multiple times since the beginning such as the "Sheikh Said rebellion". These were islamic rebellions against Ataturk/Turkey to re-establish sharia and the Ottoman sultan who he had exiled. The kurds rebelled multiple times against Turkey as part of ISLAMIC rebellions. It was only a few decades ago that this transformed into the PKK and a socialist/communist kurdish independence movement. However, even today, the majority of kurds dont support PKK precisely because they are not religious, and just socialist group. This is why PKK fails to resonate with the majority of the kurdish populace. The kurds are more conservative/religious in south eastern turkey than any other region. So Israel's "Oded Yinon Plan" which they have released publicly in the 1980's to further divide the middle east, will backfire.
@@s871-c1q Where do you even live? All he say is true. When you see 10 women in military uniforms I guess you thought Kurds are somewhat most secular people on Middle East. Bad news: There is nobody more secular than a Turk in region, at least that's the only nation in the region established and practiced democracy for at least 80 years and people traditionally embraced it even much more than in some Balkan nations or Russia like non-majority muslim nations. I am not a racist but Turkish state tried so hard to teach Kurds what is democracy as they were still insisting on living a feudal system based on what their tribe ruler decides. They paid taxes if he wants, they worked and gave money to him, and of course they voted for anyone he points out. This has changed since 2000s but not completely.
The biggest ethnic minority in Syria are Turkmen, who constitutes about 4-5 million people, while Syrian Kurds are about 1-1.5 million people. PYD, Syrian branch of PKK terrorist organization destroyed all Syrian Kurdish groups with the support of the West, and currently occupying a significantly larger area compare to the percentage of Syrian Kurds in Syria. Also, the Islamist government of Turkey seem to care more about Kurds rather than Turkmen in Syria, of course who they appear to care about first seem to me to be Arabs, as they believe in an Islamic nation notion, aka ummah, and see the Turks/Turkmen as a part of it rather than a different nation. This greatly contradicts with the Turkish national stance. So, you should take this into consideration as well.
@ Much better recently mate. Have been engaged in a cancer battle which hasn’t been a ton of fun. Coming out the other end now so pretty happy about that!. I hope all is well on your end.
i do think an underlooked bit of trump in the americas is it does also feel like a bit of a pacific focus as well with an early appointment of a diplomat whose main goal looks like to be setting strong expectations about the relationship between samoa and american samoa
Thanks Prof James. You answered all questions without provocation 🙌 I would like to listen about 'What is terrorism? What does terrorism mean in which countries and how is it perceived by people?' from your perspective and knowlegde. If you ever touch on this subject, I hope you start with A. Ocalan
As a 50 year old Turkish guy, the idea of Turkiye being a part of European Nation was a sweet dream for the youth of 90s and 2000's by %90... But then the internet changed everything... Turkish people began to learn more about Europe, they learned how bloody is the western history and how cruel is their mindset... European culture is not something to be emulated but something rather to be avoided... Thus, nowadays, the people supporting the EU membership is at most %20... Turks know they are not european and they don't want to be... They have their Turkic Nations Union to grow instead of wasting time with the older EU...
Which is laughable when you consider Turkish cruelty (Kurds, Greeks, Armenians and Cypriots!) and Ottoman History before that. It's OK though, the feeling is mutual, because Europeans don't really want Turkey to be part of the EU.
you are really suggesting Turkish history is somehow "cleaner" than European one? Only Germany could perhaps claim to have committed worse crimes than Turkey and that's a stretch. You invaded and occupied 2 countries in the last 50 years and engaged in ethnic cleansing on a scale without parallel in modern history. I would rather see Russia in the EU than Turkey to be frank
How bloody western history is? Eh remind us again how you Turks ended up occupying the lands of Anatolia instead of living in Central Asia? Or what happened to the huge Greek and Armenian populations that lived on those lands for millennia.
@theinternetofrandomthings7796 You see how cruel we were where there still 30 million Kurds in Turkiye and millions around Turkiye, and there is still a people called Greeks in Orthodox Christianity and poor Armenians who backstabbed Ottomans in their worst time with the help and egging of Russians... We ruled Bulgaria and the Balkans for hundreds of years but their people still exist untouched with their identity, culture and religion... You are either an uneducated hearsayer or a biased liar to call Turks cruel...
Her iki bölgenin de sıkıntıları var diyip bu konuyu kapatalım. Tartışmaya gerek yok ve evet Türkiye AB'ye giremeyecek ve zaten artık çoğu kişide böyle bir düşünce yok.
I am sure it is difficult to answer so many difficult and complex international questions about international relations. Found it interesting that you seem to think our climate is an emergency and find it odd that the US should follow a movement that does not favor nuclear power which is zero emissions or one that embraces pushing electric vehicles that are not ready yet to replace the internal combustion engines. That favors wind power that kills so many birds and consumes fossil fuels too. If the climate was an emergency where is the Manhattan project that focuses on science to solve this problem, which is far different from a political movement focusing on human behaviors that is also against cows that provide meat, leather, and milk for the masses?
5:38 To build onto this point you could've mentioned Iraq and the Battle of Kirkuk that occurred after a Kurdish referendum vote in Northern Iraq. If the Kurdish Regional Government were to try to attempt another referendum or even declare independence, Iraq would likely respond more aggressively than they have in the past.
Isn't the clear center of gravity for NATO to be Washington DC simply because the EU's economic and currency structure makes it impossible to do both high social and high defense spending?
It is called North Syria, or North Mesopotania, you may call it also part of Levante! So called "Rojava" is just a new brand of the Marketing department, created some years ago instead "West Kurdistan", which is used up/ worn and local other groups got upset. With (new) kurdish Names they try to let the region look more kurdish.
@@benb.9235 rojava means west, bakur means north, bashur means south, rojhelat means west. We’ve used those terms for north east south west Kurdistan at least for a decade
@@AraKarim-t6s Yes, this is, what I mean. It is not a historical name like the others well known. When did you as a Kurd hear it the 1st time? I heard it 1. just 10 or 12 years ago. Never before.
Türkiye will never join the EU. There is only one reason. Population of Türkiye is too high. If Türkiye join eu. It LL change and dominate everything in the EU. Non of the EU member wants it. Türkiye has to find it's own way to improve its technology specially arm forces.
@@JamesKerLindsay you better search the population of kjurds when it was 1915 and how their population rapidly grew (by making more child) . and you better look at 1000 years ago where they used to live (southof region )before turks came . and you better go research how they migrated west of turkish cities during the repubich time(1915- till now 2025 ) . and stop make propaganda although i didnt wacth the video . title got me angered . and do a video about how west uses and funds this minority group against turkey
The question about the US and China is somewhat ridiculous in my opinion. First, the US will not fall to a level close to China. The institutions are too strong and will outlast Trump. What we're seeing in the US is hesitancy to prop up global trade when Europe and China benefit far more, but yet the US is in charge of keeping free trade going. Also, it is looking increasingly likely that China will have a sharp correction to its economy after years or refusal to pivot to consumption. The fundamentals of the US are much stronger. So, I can't imagine China being the main superpower anytime soon.
Once Saudi Arabia recognizes and establishes formal relations with Israel, will that be the end? Will the rest of the Arab World which hasn't already done so recognize Israel? Or will that still depend on Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state?
Thanks. I don’t think that Saudi recognition will happen any time soon now. After the conflict in Gaza it will take some time for things to settle. But even if it did, I don’t think it would change the position of certain other Arab states. Iraq, Lebanon and Syria will have their own agendas. It might shift Oman, Kuwait and possibly Qatar though.
Do you believe a Europe strategically independent of the United States would be viable is a geopolitical block, or be sidelined by more aggressive states?
Interesting question about Central Asia. It seems multiple outside powers are competing for that region, as had been the case in many past centuries during the Silk Road era. China has promised economic aid and development; Russia demands, and perhaps presumes, a Soviet-era historical allegiance; Turkey emphasizes common ethnic and linguistic ties and offers links to both West and East. Your response was perfect, though; these countries are very different, despite appearance to outsiders. And harmonizing any of their policies will be an uphill battle.
Hi James do you think Greenland will ever become an independent sovereign state and if so would they have a free association with the US, like some pacific island states or more likely to apply to join the EU in wake of Trump's threats to take over the island and have the Danish Monarch as head of State or their own elected Greenlandic president?
You should know that there are millions of Turks which have more in common with Bulgarians Greeks Fins Irish and other europeans then they have with millions of other Turks so what do you do???
Kurds a Garant for democracy in the region. We should support them. Kurds a very big nation. They need their own state in their Land where they have been living for 1.000s of years.
hey james, are you aware of the last updates on the turkish politics? the national movement party and the party representing the kurds had a meeting, the chairman of the nationalist party also called for ocalan the pkk founder to declare pkk to stop the fight. i guess these are steps to resolve hte kurdish matter in a more democratic way, i do not know which way will it go though. i just wondered if you were aware of it
Thanks so much! I am keeping a close eye on this. I know there is talk of a big announcement in a couple of weeks. I will of course cover it if we do see any major steps.
@ i am eager to hear your opinion on the topic in case of the announcement being something signficant, as a turk, even i am having a hard time interpreting all these abrupt steps
Hey James, the question of why Turkey doesn’t want a Kurdish state established in the territories of Syria and Iraq actually has a much deeper answer. Turkey doesn’t want it because it knows that any Kurdish state on its southern borders would essentially become a new Israel. Turkey fears that this state, which is being proposed, would be armed without limit by the Western world and the US, heavily supported both economically and politically, and turned into a puppet state propped up by the US. Ultimately, just like Israel has been a threat to Turkey’s existence in the Arab-Israeli conflict, this Kurdish state would pose a similar threat. Turkey has no fear or suspicion towards the Kurds within its own borders; the issue is with the Kurdish terrorist groups outside Turkey that are intent on creating a new Israel.
Dear professor @JamesKeriLindsay, thank you again. Israel has historically supported Kurdish aspirations in the region. Given Netanyahu's current rhetoric about reshaping the Middle East through the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, do you see any strategic connection between Israel's support for the Kurds in Northeast Syria and Netanyahu's broader vision of a 'New Middle East'? Could Israeli support potentially alter the dynamics you described regarding international reluctance toward Kurdish autonomy?"
Here's something that you may find interesting. :) The name of my country has nothing to do with the interesting and delicious bird 'turkey'...... .....but the name of the bird does have a connection with the name of my country, let me explain. :) In the past 40 years 37 countries have changed their name, fully, partially or made alterations in some way... Obviously one can not change the name of an apple or an orange etc in other languages, but country names are like peoples' individual names, so if you're named John we don't call you Karen. :) Name of my country has always been Türkiye (although the official state name was 'Ottoman' because of the founding family dynasty), it's been known as such, Türkiye, since around the 1200's, many times presented as 'Turkiye' in various maps and memoirs by travellers and cartographers since the 1200's. The name it self has a suffix, '-iye' that is Turk-iye, where the -iye suffix means 'land of/belonging to', this is just like the Latin suffix of '-ia' which exists in such country names like Austr-ia, Indones-ia etc. Many would remember the country Czechoslovakia which (seperated, changed names), becoming Slovak-ia and Czech Republic and a few years ago changed that to Czechia (that is Czech-ia). The Latin suffix -ia probably originates from Turkish -iye as Turkish been over 10,000 year is much older than Latin which is around 2300 years old with proto-Latin stretching back about 2700 years. (Yes the Orkhon Stone monuments are just a very recent occurance in Turk history, it's not the start of it, blame your historians/institutions for not teaching you that). Spelled in different languages in different ways to phonetically RESEMBLE (to sound like) 'Türkiye', in time we got; Turk-ije (Dutch) Turch-ia (Italian), Turq-uía (Spanish) Turq-uie (French) Turk-ei (German) Turk-ey (English) Remember that English is an 'offshoot' of the German language; you can see the Germans tried to copy the pronounciation of 'Turk-iye', with the English almost copying the German version of the pronounciation, ending up with Turkey, Turk-''e''-''y'' = (Türk-i-ye) interesting isn't it? :) Mind you all these attempts to copy the pronounciation of the name Türkiye was WAY BEFORE the animal we currently know as turkey was FOUND by the europeans when they explored the north americas! :) The bird was first sent to europe from north americas in the year 1519, so up until that point there was no bird named as turkey by white people.... ...during their exploration/invasion of north americas, they came across the bird and thought it was a specie of a fowl/chicken they had been buying from the country of Turkiye (again the country was KNOWN since the 1200's as Türkiye, even though the name of the state was Ottoman State), so they named the bird 'Turkey Fowl' to define 'Turkish Chicken', just like how a dog breed is known because of it's geography of origin, German Shepherd, American Bulldog, British Terrier, Greek Harehound etc etc. In time you don't get to call the harehound simply as greek and the country Greek or you don't call the terrier british and the lands Britain, or shepherd as simply german so on and so on, but in time the Turkish Fowl started to be called just 'Turkey' and later 'turkey', and this went on for hundreds of years. Now in modern times, this caused confusion, especially when we have people across the world unable to point to their own country on an atlas. :) Basically we didn't change the name of our country, we changed the mistake made in the English language only. : ) The use of the suffix '-iye OR -ia ' is no different thn the use of the suffix '-land', which comes after various country names like; Ire(Eire)-land, Po(le)-land, Eng(Anglo)-land and the like, we can see that the suffix ''-ia/iye'' is in a way the same as ''-land''. Furthermore, another variation of this ''-iye'' suffix is used in English in the form of the suffix ''-town'', for example James-town, Williams-town etc etc. A Turkish example for this would be a town called Fethiye (a major tourist attraction), Feth-iye is named after the first Turkish pilot to be shot down by enemy fire, Fethi Bey who was shot by english fire in 1913 over the lands of what is modern day Syria which was part of Türkiye, Fethiye, the town been named after him, meaning ''Fethi-town'', again a play on the definitions of 'belonging to, land of'. So, there's some tid bit information for you to have a great day, if you read upto this point you have a great night too, ohh just have a wonderfull life. : ) Best wishes. ;)
Your description of how languages are related to each other is super inaccurate, otherwise interesting story, it could have been explained in a couple of sentences tho instead of all that linguistic nonsense
Old Cumbrian Celtic language needs to be revived in Western England, which was a Britannic Celtic dialect like old Welsh. Celtic languages have been viciously suppressed by English Imperialism, till very near past. I have friends from Wales that are still talking about torturous Welsh NOT. If a small kid was caught speaking Welsh in the school, a piece of wood with the words Welsh Not or often just WN was hung around their necks until the next child was caught , hence the Welsh Not punishment. At the end of day, physical torture waited for them! Cornish got extinct due to these extreme atrocities. Cornish got revived again very recently. Most Cornish people do not speak Celtic though. Celtic languages needs to be spoken from Cornwall to Western England to Wales and to Scotland. After reviving and spreading all these Celtic languages, these areas need to be fully independent from England, which only needs to be sovereign in Southeastern England. Southeastern England had the most Anglo Saxon genes. This would be only fair to these suppressed people! Viva Britannia Celtica!
Good luck reviving a language that went extinct 800 years ago and nobody speaks it today. Good luck reviving a language that has very few literary sources and nobody knows realistically how to approach it. All we know of this language comes from secondary non-Cumbrian sources. Is there an interest among the locals in Cumbria to revive it? No. If there were, like it was in Cornwall, they would have revived it by now. It has simply been too long. Cornish went extinct more recent, in the 19th century and unlike Cumbrian, it has been in circulation long enough and left literary sources behind and more evidence of its existence and usage. That is why it can be revived and there is an interest in reviving. Cumbrian, not so much. We don't even know if the people who spoke it called it Cumbrian. This is a term we used today that denotes the geographical area, not the language.
I think it would be more fun to simply roll out mandatory Welsh and Cornish learning to students across all of England. Afterall, Britannia was once all entirely Brythonic or some sort of Celtic speaking. Why not make the whole British/Irish Isles Celtic again? (And most English people have a significant amount of Celtic ancestry anyway.)
@@solsunman383 And what would that solve? No matter how much we try to change the past, what was done is done. What would this measure solve? Would it improve the lives of average Brits? Not really. If the communities living in those areas have a vested interest in reviving the language that used to be spoken there, more power to them. But if they don't, and are content with how things are today, then they should not be forced to learn it. Also, one does not know today what a lot of these languages sounded like, or how they were written even. Cumbrian is almost impossible to reconstruct, as everything we know of it comes from second-hand sources. They left next to nothing written behind.
Welsh call their language Cymraeg; means Cumbrian. They already speak Cumbrian. There were many dialects of Old Cumbrian in ancient times. Similarly old Anglo Saxon had many dialects. But one triumphed them all as being the standard aka London English. Standard Welsh should be the medium for all Britannic Cumbrians, since it has continuous literary tradition. Cornish can be spread to all Cornwall and then Devon later.
Lacking a state apparatus to undertake the task of creating a standard Kurdish language, the Kurds continue to speak a myriad of languages, despite many unsuccessful attempts by Kurds to create such a standard national language.
kurds made multiple versions on a standard language versions of kurdish but that sounded unnatural so they went for plan b . the plan b is use media to teach all kurds to learn both northern and southern kurdish that make up 75% of kurds .
Majority of people in Türkiye do not want an EU membership. EU's double standards and open support of g-side in Gaza has opened eyes. The international legal orders are for everyone to follow. Germany is still supplying weapons to a an apartheid state that is committing g-side. What we have seen cannot be unseen. As for Türkiye, I believe that the country's future lies in BRICS and a possible Turkic Union. Either way, Türkiye will find its place in a changing global order.
@@CY-ye5dz Turkey backed up the HTS in their takeover of Syria. Turkeys long history of trying to ethnically cleanse a variety of minority groups from inside of their country as well as their history of trying to remove Kurdish identity from outside of their own borders. Turkeys pushback against Israel with the terrorist activity in Gaza. Along with a wide array of other activities. One might be explained away. But with as many stances as they take they have no legitimate claim to civilized behavior. Hence my accusations of being uncivilized until they correct some things
@@CY-ye5dz Turkey has a stance of denying its own genocides maybe figure that out before you demand everyone call Israel out. And lots of western countries have called Israel out, unfortunately ultranationalist fanatics don't really respond well to accusations of genocide, you in Turkey should know that.
What would it be like if an independent Kurdish state was created? I guarantee you that it would not be like Switzerland; almost surely, it would be like Afghanistan. Kurdish people in Turkey enjoy far more democracy and human rights than they can possibly have if they had an independent state.
Thats what these western people dont understand just because some want independence it doesn’t mean all of them do yet the west doesnt understand as they already know what they are doing trying to carve up turkiye to conquer.
@@KSayar ha ha stop spreading that Nonsense stuff!!!! Kurds are being assimilated tortured and their rights are being denied by all means!!!! They can enjoy that democracy of Turkey when they choose to be Turkish not Kurdish!
Yes, totally, they are living in paradise in your apartheid state. Turkish dishonesty is always brought out when this topic arises and it shows we have nothing in common.
And they will, when a majority wants it. That’s the key difference between their cases and others. Scotland has already had an independence referendum. Support for independence in Wales runs at about a third, at most. The most recent poll put it at a quarter. But the things that, like in most countries, it’s perfectly possible to state this openly in public. Indeed there are perfectly legal political party calling for Scottish and Welsh independence.
Yes, it does. Freedom and high walls & restrictions do not match. You cannot eat only the cherries on the cake, if you want to name yourself democratic. You must decide.
Just thought to share this feedback with you James: you sounded much more relatable and interesting in this video, very much like the academic debate style. But in your normal videos I think you take a style that is common in traditional media, narrating, monotonous... Thought to share this with you in case it is useful, I don't know. Either way, thank you for sharing your knowledge, as a scientist with keen interest in geopolitics I learn from your channel.
Thanks, sort of!? Unfortunately, I have to be very heavily scripted in the main videos. I don’t like it, but that’s the way it is. I am dealing with complex issues and any small mistake gets jumped on. I love doing these Q&A videos because it is much more me.
I agree that its good to see inter-state cooperation in an organization like the EU. But, I disagree that such a system needs highly complex regulation. To my mind, "complex" means bureaucratic. I think states adopt a highly bureaucratic government at their peril. The state cannot regulate the distribution of goods and services as efficiently as relatively free market. Additionally, in such systems, large companies often influence the creation of regulations which impair their smaller competitors, and the state might begin to impose excessive fees which greatly inhibit potential new businesses. Its good to have a system which allows the Spanish apple seller get through French customs. It bad to have a system in which apple sellers need a legal team to fill out the paperwork, and in which a significant apple registration fee is imposed.
We need to ask the poor Kurds and their supporters who cry because we don't have a state: When did you have a state throughout history? Don't say that the Persians' Median Empire is ours, let me warn you from the beginning.
Hi, about all the questions answered about kurds and their independence, I see most people think all Kurds are unified around the idea of independence. It is not true. Kurds who live either in Turkey, Iraq, Iran or what so ever have different ideas about it. Some fundamentally support, some just don't care, and some are strongly opposed. And all the Kurds spread in to a vast are don't share the same culture, same ethnic properties, same political ideas and even not the same language. So the famous map you showed where kurdish people believed to live and unified and under same oppression gives a wrong idea to people - specially who have never been in these countries and meet kurdish people, observe how is the life in general in these countries.
Of course you would try to speak for them. Nobody is listening to you. The wrong idea is that they were ever left in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, at all. Horrible countries to be a minority in.
@s871-c1q I don't agree with that at all since half my haritage is Kurdish. It doesn't mean anything to me. I don't care what my dna is. What I care is the country I live and and I want it to be in good conditions because I live in it. This is how I feel and think. There are other kurdish people who think different, who experienced the life as a kurd different. And that is what I was stressing out in my comment. Kurdish people consist of huge population in a vast area. They don't think, live and speak the same way. But - specially the political extensions of terrorist groups love to tell the story that all kurds are suffering and being oppressed (and they are the saviours). By the way, I love my life in Turkey, but most probably wouldn't in Syria. Again, not all kurdish think and say the same thing.
Good luck to Pakistan. Pakistan is going to be one of those countries most affected by Climate Change in the near future and Pakistan also sits on a major earthquake zone where the indian tectonic plates meets the eurasian tectonic plate. Pakistan faces serious geographical and climatical challenges.
Easy: security. Kurds have to deal with terrorists more than any of us do so they have no choice but to fight and they did/are doing it against ISIS/Al-Qaeda - our shared enemy. They also share much more common ground with regard to values such as women, secularism, etc.
@@s871-c1q "They also share much more common ground with regard to values such as women, secularism, etc. " Tell me you have never been to middle east without tellling me you have never been to middle east.
Dear James. Kurds entered anatolia after muslim Turks took over the lands from Rome, Kurds were located only in Hakkari city to west of Iran North of Iraq and north east of Syria. They could not live in anatolia because they were muslims. Expecially the Roman's hated them because of Salahaddin Eyyubi's great victory against them in Jerusalem. The map they want is not belonging to them.We Turks took the lands by our blood and they want us to give those lands to them. We die but never allow this to happen. They can have Hakkari and down below. We want them to have their own country but not this map.
They are an Iranian group from Zagros Mountain, majorly Iran, just the city if Hakkari in Turkey, which they can take, I do not care... Thus, their language is rather similar to Farsi.
@@JamesKerLindsay I think, well educated or much travelled people know that a) Turks are proud, b) they are simply to be provocated and c) they tend to opposite reactions, when they see additional stones put on their way and do not feel welcome like others. Support by "partners" looks usually diiferent. When Angela Merkel talked suddenly about "partnerhip with privileges without membership" after negoitations just started already, it was clear, that some powerful western EU members do not really want to see Turkiye in EU and there was a plan to avoid it. To take only South Cyprus in EU after breaking EU rules and promisses by EU and the reunion rejection by Greeks, was already part A of the plan to keep Turkiye out. Really everybody was knowing, that Cyprus will make it unpossible to join for Turkiye. What a suprise that it happened how it was expected!
Turkey's human rights record is abysmal which you could control. It's not the EUs fault they enforce their standards and you want it all without any changes to your own system.
@@s871-c1q Of course it is! It is a giant fault of EU to enforce their double standards. East Europe was completly not ready, some are still not, while others are turning back the time. And everybody educated knows it. It is just too shameful and too undemocratic to speak it out.
would be interested in briefly hearing about your reasons as to preferring using turkey instead of türkiye i think if you look at broader european history, the turkish people have always been part of a broader european continuum i agree that türkiye needs to follow eu standards if they want to join the eu, honestly i think what we see in the next succession of power in türkiye will answer what we should expect in the future i also think erdogan, for his many problems, is not the furthest apart from eu standards we've seen in turkish leadership
Thanks. I have covered this many times in other comments. This is actually an issue I feel very strongly about. Frankly, I believe the name change is an act of political illiteracy borne of an inferiority complex. It is also offensive, especially as the change only applies to English. The English language does not have the umlaut. I do not expect Turkish speakers to refer to my country as “The United Kingdom” (in English) when speaking Turkish, especially as “The” is not used in Turkish the the “th” is not used as a sound. Likewise, I don’t want to use Türkiye, which uses a character not native to English and is uncomfortable to say, when speaking my language. No other country does this. Ellada, España, Deutschland, Suomi, Srbija, Hrvatska, etc. They all accept the English variant of their name. Just as I accept the local language variant of my country’s name in other countries. It is a silly move that, as someone who has worked on Turkey for 35 years, I refuse to pander to.
@@JamesKerLindsay In official documents you have to use Türkiye since Turkey is not valid anymore, and it's not about inferiority complex since this is the true way
_If Kurdistan were to become a NATO and EU member, the EU, Israel, and the USA could gain several benefits:_ *1. Geopolitical Stability:* _Kurdistan could serve as a stabilizing force in the Middle East, a region often marked by instability. Its inclusion in NATO and the EU would strengthen the West’s strategic position in the area, creating a more reliable partner for combating terrorism and regional conflicts._ *2. Energy Security:* _Kurdistan is rich in oil and natural gas, and its membership could open up more energy resources to Europe and the USA, diversifying supply routes and reducing dependency on other volatile regions._ *3. Counterbalance to Iran and Turkey:* _Kurdistan’s membership would act as a counterbalance to the influence of regional powers like Iran and Turkey, both of which have complicated relationships with the West. The Kurds, who are often in opposition to these countries, could provide a more favorable strategic partner._ *4. Military Cooperation and Security:* _For NATO, Kurdistan’s membership would offer access to strategic military bases, improving intelligence-sharing and operational capabilities in the Middle East. It would also help in ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and regional threats, particularly ISIS and other militant groups._ *5. Economic Growth and Trade:* _EU and US businesses could benefit from new trade partnerships and access to Kurdistan’s growing economy, especially in sectors like energy, infrastructure, and agriculture._ *6. Humanitarian and Democratic Values:* _By supporting Kurdistan’s membership, the EU, Israel, and the USA could further their promotion of democracy, human rights, and stability in the region, aligning with their broader foreign policy goals._ _Ultimately, such a move would align with the West’s interests in promoting a stable, secure, and prosperous Middle East, while enhancing cooperation on military, economic, and political fronts._
17:00 It is kind of crazy to complain about the lack of German support for Ukraine in the conflict. They have willingly upended their entire economic model, which was dependent on the continued use of cheap Russian gas. This decision probably caused the recession Germany now faces. As a nation, they will probably suffer more because of the Ukraine conflict than any other country (other than the belligerents, obv.) Germany has also consistently been the 2nd largest financial backer to Ukraine.
Agreed. A few weak decisions by Olaf Scholz, with the added weight of Merkel's past poorly guided leadership made people blind to their real effort. Many times, videos have to reinforce with numbers, to attest to the amount Germany is giving. I wish they gave em Taurus, but that also may have helped encourage their own growth due to need. Humans are amazing, well demonstrated when needed. But....they gave them so much stuff and exactly like you said...no wussing out, just no Taurus and peeps be pissy.
@@stefanr579 I believe Prof. Ker-Lindsay's point was that they did not assume a leadership role - from the beginning, the Germans were perceived to drag their feet in all areas - from sanctions, to shutting off gas, to providing military hardware. Worse still, the transportation of military hardware by other nations was also blocked by the German government. Whilst there were real and justifiable reasons in each of these cases, it sent a very poor message - that the Germans were not to be (and could not be) relied upon in a European existential crisis. This does not negate the substantial and useful aid they are currently providing. It is simply that Germany's reputation has been badly damaged under the administration of Merkel and Scholz.
On the voluntary nature of international law and its breakdown, one of the more interesting pieces has been the effective falling apart of the WTO's enforcement mechanism and the response by some countries in SE Asia and Africa where suddenly natural resources can no longer be exported as they used to be (and were required to be under GATT treaties). One of the big problems here is that Western colonial powers' economies developed with the assumption of access to cheap natural resources from their colonies, and this was further broadened after WWII using the GATT treaties, the IMF and World Bank influence etc to ensure that countries had to keep Western economies fed, as it were. So the fact that this area is breaking down particularly from countries which can reasonably claim to have been kept poor by this system of laws is unsurprising. One cannot expect those subject to oppression to voluntarily continue their own oppression, and so the end of WTO enforcement actions means countries are breaking free from what they see as fundamentally unfair deals enforced by Western powers. So I wonder, do you think we need a more inclusive order with a lot less Western influence in order to have a system of international law that can fairly bind everyone?
Lloyd George just like yourself, dreamed about some weird dreams.. But the Turks were at the winning side. You are sitting at the losers side in Lausanne. I see you people do not learn from the history. That means history shall repeat itself once again to teach you yet another harsh lesson.
Well ... the most obvious one at the moment is Greenland. Imagine for a second that Russia said "we want Alaska back, and we are prepared to nuke you if you don't". Would that be considered pretty bad behaviour? (Now also imagine that this is from an ally, so it's more like if Germany said, "You should give us American Samoa back, or the EU will implement sanctions and secondary sanctions on anyone who trades with the USA".)
It would certainly be in the interest of the countries of Central Asia to unite under a supranational structure, given that lots of greater powers around them (EU, Russia, China, Iran, India and Turkey) are wrestling over the future political control of large parts of Eurasia, threatening to tear Central Asia apart as so often in its history, despite the strong ethnolinguistic connections within it. The logistical importance as the continental crossroads holds a large economic and geopolitical potential if it is utilized in a coordinated way by the coutries of the region. This is reminiscent of the historical situation in Germany as the ethnolinguistically connected but politically divided crossroads of Europe between the fall of Rome and the 1870s, with various powers struggling over control of the European continent.
While people in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and continental Africa are experiencing genocide, the love of European countries that do not see this and even support it brings tears to our eyes. You can establish it in a canton in central Europe that you like. Just a small warning, Türkiye is developing and growing and Turks will never forget what was done to them. Anyone who wishes can apply on time.
I find the argument that the US and China are similar to be very funny. It really does just sound like an excuse and says far more about the people saying it than about the US.
It's important to keep in mind the hate comments coming from 'supporters' of Modi and the BJP might not actually be real people, but actually trolls and bot accounts that make money per comment posted.
The irony of Turkey wanting to join the EU and not being allowed to, in comparison to the UK leaving and the EU establishment wanting them to stay. The EU is moving east with Moldova and Ukraine, maybe they should reconsider Turkey? Maybe the amount of time Turkey was waiting to join the EU, led to it having turning away from EU models of government? We could be looking at Turkey becoming another iteration of the Ottoman empire on the EU's doorstep now.
Turkey is the last country the EU wants. You forget Erdogan threatening to bomb athens? Blackmailing the eu with migrants? Blackmailing Sweden in it's NATO membership bid? I could go on but I'm rather surprised you don't even know 1 of the many such cases of Turkish anti European agenda.
Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo should give up the land north of the Ibar river to Serbia (they don't control it in any case) and then join Albania. Serbia may be ready to accept that and have a proper relationship, Kosovo doesn't really lose anything, and a federal Albania (call it Illyria if people want) would be a stronger country if ever conflict erupts again in the Balkans. It would also mean one less country which should please those international diplomants who don't like new states.
There is will be never a country or proxy called "kurdistan". Our Ancestor died for defend our land. and as grandsons of them, we will protect our land from anyone. The west should do their things in their country and stop interrupt the other contries. Also if you want a proxy state called Kurdistan too much so give them france's north east and Germany's weast south lands because there are lots kurds and they have to represent themselfs in democry
concerning the Kurds and their prospective state: it makes no difference if the international community recognizes you as a state or not. what matters is your ability to uphold the state as a sovereign territory (e.g. Taiwan, Somaliland). Kurds will have a state if they can defend whatever territory they captured in Syria / Iraq etc. I believe in that is possible and likely they can do that in Syria.
Kurds are Iranian people, the only reason they are even in Turkey is because of the Ottoman Empire, who brought them in to increase the size of Muslims in Christians areas. So this notion of they don’t have a state it’s bs. They have Iran and Tajikistan!
Regarding Turkey and the E.U., I believe it's a question of history and culture. As an example, Georgia and Armenia are unquestionably European both culturally and genetically; Turkey, however, is not. Turkey has a history of targeting and slaughtering Europeans, as well as Turks coming to European nations and forcing their beliefs on the indigenous populations. I believe this is the key issue - one we see with many from non-European nations. Additionally, the people of Anatolia were historically considered no different from what we now call Europeans, until the Turkic invasions when the demographics of the region changed. I believe a cohesive set of values is critical to organizations such as the European Union, and Turkey does not share our values. I know it may be deemed unpopular to state, but it's the reality.
This must be the most absurd comment I have ever seen in the world. The Turks fought against the Crusader Alliance that came against them and won. We did not covet anyone's land or gold. We did not impose religion or culture on anyone. Which community that separated from us lost its language, alphabet, religion, traditions? None of them did. The Turks are Asian, but in the millennia that passed, a new ethnicity that we call Eurasia was formed. In addition, the best commanders of the Ottoman Army were from other ethnic groups such as Albanians, Georgians, Bosnians and Serbs. Turkiye does not share the same values with you, this is true because we are in favor of unity and you are in favor of division, and we do not kill women, children or the elderly even in war, but your culture allows the massacres in the Balkans and Anatolia.
Hi James, it is not about just Kurds and Kurdistan, the hegemonic states in the region do not respect the rights of ethnic and religious minorities. The minorities are under the oppression of the states and those states are not willing to even consider their linguistic and cultural rights. They are tortured, killed, jailed, exiled, de- populated and ect It is impossible for minorities including Kurds to live in harmony with those states.
@@KevinGACMk thank you so much for point that out I absolutely agree with that. I am a Kurdish and I can easily tell you that living amongst the states of Turkey Iran Syria and Iraq is never easy. Thanks to the English and the French that rejected our rights 100 years ago and the English 🏴 still does it so and is against a Kurdish state by all means
You guys don't live in Turkiye and have weak opinions about us. I have met many kurds and they are pretty good people. One of them is more nationalist than me, opposes pkk. They have equal rights as all citizens. Many people who lived in east side is calling themself kurd even they more Turk than me or Syrian. You guys created racism, nazism, seperated people and expect other people to act like you. There isn't certain line that seperate us. We are anatolians and look alike.
@ You right we Kurds don’t live in Turkey. We live in Turkish prisons. There is not even one factory in Kurdistan but every single town and city is well- build prisons
Thank you for answering my question on the "central asian union". As european that deeply values the EU for all the reasons you explained, and cherishes NATO for keeping us safe from Russia (although it allowed us to get complacent and become dependent on the US for our security) I must admit I do not know much about the "stans". I know little about their history and I only met a few people from that region. I guess it seems to me that the reason for "sticking together" would be a joint interest in resisting Chinese and Russian (and maybe one day Indian and Iranian) influence, acting as a fairly powerful block that can leverage its geographical position instead of just being sandwiched between giants. On a security level, I suppose the biggest threat would be Russia, followed by Islamic extremists such as IS-K and the talibans. Again, sticking together would help them face this issues as a united front of people with a common history as imperial subjects with turkik-iranian cultural heritage. The main obstacles in my view would be the disparity between these states in terms of population and power, the crazy nature of turkmenistan's state (making it an unreliable partner) and the ethnic tensions in the area. And as you pointed out, the lack of a complex governmental structure in these countries (which are still led by strongmen or outright dictators, as far as I know) makes it hard to build a reliable framework for lasting cooperation on the level of NATO or the EU. I wonder if these countries would need to democratize further before starting the process of building a Union or, thanks to the agility that comes with autocracy (as well as the greater capacity of those regimes to ignore dissatisfied segments of the population that would suffer from the establishment of a common market) they could actually build a framework faster by relying on personal ties between their leaders (it would be a house of cards, but still they would have a roof over their heads). China and Russia would try their best to divide and conquer, anyway. Still, one can hope that the people of their region can recognize their shared cultural ties and their common interests, and become a regional player of their own.
It's simply not possible to create a Kurdish state. There's no economic or political incentive for any of those countries to create a Kurdish country, nor would Kurds in the region really benefit all that much from it considering they'd be stripped of economic activities in their land and instead be forced to develop on their own accord. There's also the rationale that the Kurds could just oppress other ethnic and religious minorities so what would be the purpose then
ORASININ ADI KÜRDİSTAN DEĞİL, GÜNEYDOĞU ANADOLU BÖLGESİDİR. KÜRT VATANDAŞLARIMIZIN YOĞUN OLDUĞU BÖLGE OLMASI ORAYI KÜRDİSTAN YAPMAZ, GERİ ZEKALI! 🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷
Central Asian union won't be possible because all central Asian countries except Tajikistan, are Turkic and Turkic countries already have a union headed by Turkey which is willing to excert its power in that region despite pressure from Russia, China and Iran. They need a connection link to attach Turkey to Azerbaijan directly and through Caspian Sea to Turkmenistan. Qarabagh war was a part of this plan. Azerbaijan took its occupied land back from Armenia. Now Azerbaijan and Turkey want to take Armenian land in Syunik area to connect Turkey to Azerbaijan. Armenian population and Iran are totally against this idea. In brief, it is impossible at the moment because of conflicting interests.
Thanks so much to everyone who submitted a question. Sorry I couldn't tackle them all. By the way, I hope to do these more often. Please do keep an eye out on the community tab for calls.
Number of Kurds = 45M, number of Tamils = 90M. Who is the largest nation without a state?
BTW, Prof, Much respect for your work and a huge fan of you and I like every video of yours I come across.
In response to your segment on a Central Asian Union. I believe the most likely form this would take would be states attempting to facilitate the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. Also, I believe that Russia's Eurasian Economic Union would be the most likely foundation for such a union.
Perhaps the growing ties between Russia and Iran would help this. I have to imagine the role of Turkey is crucial-- Will Turkey join the European Union, or will it help Russia in creating a Eurasian Union.
I think the conditions for this will depend on whether or not war comes to the Middle East. If Turkey invades Iran, then I think they would use this as a platform to project influence into Central Asia.
In response to your segment about the Balkans. I personally foresee an increase in US attention on the Balkans as the Trump Administration attempts to wind down the war in Ukraine. I think people underestimate the role of the Balkans in Russia's Black Sea region strategy. Perhaps Trump could offer Russia concessions in the Balkan region in return for concessions over Ukraine?
Can there be a Independent Baluch State in 10-30 years time or is it not feasible
Free Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Gibraltar, Cyprus, Falkland Islands! Autonomy for Pakistanis in the UK
If things continue this way, I think the likelihood of a Kurdish state emerging somewhere in Europe before Turkey is higher. Technically speaking, Europe provides a more favorable environment in terms of diaspora influence, political ground, and international support ha ha 😄
Hahhaaaa :)
Only Turks would laugh about the way they have destroyed and every day continue to destroy the rights of a people in their country so badly that said people are totally alienated and contemplate separation. Look up how many Kurdish leaders in Turkey are assassinated, tortured, or imprisoned on made up charges of being PKK.
kurds dont need one in the eu they have Sweden and Germany they are treated way better in europe than in Turkey why would they make problems fror European countries :/
How many kurds are there?
Not really. They know that nobody would even dare to initiate separatist movements in Europe, that won't be tolerated at all. In Germany some Turks were portrayed as terrorist in the state media when they founded a new party for minority rights.
As a Turkish citizen, I must say that my perspective on the EU has changed drastically upon witnessing their stand and actions during recent events. The EU claims to prioritize democracy and human rights, but their actions prove otherwise. They continue to perpetuate the same colonialist mentality that has dominated the history. Their intentions are not genuine and they simply want to maintain control and dictate their terms. This is a common view among the majority of Turkish people. However, it is important to also acknowledge the issues within Turkey and the current leadership of Erdogan. While we may be struggling on many levels, the EU is not the solution. Instead, we must focus on building our own economy and creating opportunities through collaborations such as the BRICS alliance. This will lead to more production and employment, ultimately providing a sustainable solution for our country
TLDR: turkey is not democratic enough cause a wannabe dictator is in power and wants to genocide a population in his territory cause they are inconvenient. Cope bro. If you come to the eu you need to chill or you are good on your own
agreed on all except brics, which is not even a 'union' and shows no progress for its own. i think turkey should pursue neutrality just like switzerland or austria whilst staying in nato.
As someone who is not from Turkey or EU..both EU and Turkey were colonialist powers and both still employs colonialist method ,both use democracy to suit thier own purpose..so its a kettle calling the pot black kind of thing..
@@ashapuhin72 Learn the term colonialist means. Turkey never had colony in history
@@alperenbaser7952 yeah really? Turkey was never a colonialist power?
As a Kurdish Turk, I can clearly say that the majority of us will never allow Turkey to lose land. Turkey is our land, and our country and we will fight for it. 🇹🇷
@@ihsanpt helal olsun koçum
Hahahahaha…okay Mehmet😂
You either a Kurd or a Turk.
Lyier. You are Turkish, don't act like you are Kurdish.
I am not Kurdish or Turkish. I have a question for those supporting Kurdish cession in South East Turkey. Good numbers of Kurdish people leave in the west of the country. What do they expect these populations to do?
@daraa151he literally says that he is Kurd and he sees himself as TURK
The west is dying to carve up Turkey and create a Kurdish state just like they engineered the whole middle east in the past and get surprised with the following perpetual conflicts.
As we see the decline of the west i think this dream is now harder than ever.
Turkey also did lots of "engineering" in the middle east. You crying imperialism is weak.
@@s871-c1q What the hell Turkey did in Middle East since 1919? Stop comparing European colonialism of 20th century with zones controlled by Ottomans since 16th century.
@@s871-c1q You’re making a strong argument about the Ottoman Empire’s legacy in the Middle East compared to European colonial powers. The Ottomans ruled the region for about 400 years, yet local cultures, languages, and traditions largely remained intact. Unlike European colonial powers, the Ottomans did not systematically erase native languages or impose their own in the way that, for example, the French did in North Africa or the British did in India.
The Ottomans governed through a millet system, allowing different ethnic and religious groups to manage their own affairs under Ottoman oversight. They didn’t extract resources in the same way European colonial empires did-for example, the British and French heavily exploited Middle Eastern oil and other natural resources in the 20th century. The Ottomans were more focused on taxation and maintaining stability rather than resource extraction.
When comparing this to Western colonialism, it’s true that European powers looted historical artifacts, took control of natural resources, and drew artificial borders that led to long-term instability. The Ottomans, despite being an empire, didn’t carve up the region in the same way, nor did they remove local cultures.
@@mertnecati875Your home is in Altai mountains, you are colonists in Anatolia. BIJI KURDISTAN 💚☀️❤️🇬🇷
Ugh conspiracy theories. Turkey is doing fine. The sooner the conspiracy theories end the sooner everyone will be better.
*Lovely video as always James! but I can’t help but wonder at **1:00** , what about:*
🇮🇳 500 million Hindis - हिन्दी
🇵🇰 100 million Punjabis - ਪੰਜਾਬੀ 🇮🇳
🇮🇳 90 million Marathis - मराठी
🇮🇳 90 million Telugus - తెలుగు
🇮🇳 80 million Tamilians - தமிழ்
🇮🇳 60 million Gujaratis - ગુજરાતી
🇵🇰 60 million Pathaans - پښتو 🇦🇫
🇮🇳 50 million Urdus 🇵🇰
🇮🇳 40 million Kannadigas - ಕನ್ನಡ
🇮🇳 40 million Odias - ଓଡ଼ିଆ
🇮🇳 30 million Malayalis - മലയാളം
🇵🇰 30 million Sindhis - سِنڌِي 🇮🇳
🪯 30 million Sikhs
_…surely they far outnumber the Kurds, and they all (except Urdus) only have just states in India & Pakistan where they are the majority?_
When you put it that way! Great point. Perhaps time to revise the conventional wisdom. :-)
That's a completely different situation to Kurds. that's like saying Kurds are like the Bavarians the swabians the low Germans and the frisians of Germany, or like saying catalan and basque of Spain are in a similar plight to Kurds. Completely an ill comparison.
@@blinbby8633 In what way you say? The Kurds are largely Muslim, write in the Latin or Arabic scripts, speak much the same Language & have similar skin tones.
Compare this to South Asia on the other hand - all of these Indian ethnicities I’ve mentioned have their own Scripts, completely different Language families (Indo-European & Dravidian), can vary from having the darkest to lightest skin complexions & follow all the World’s 5 Largest Religions from Christianity to Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism & Sikhism. ✝️☪️🕉️☸️🪯
How in any way are they different from Kurds?
@@blinbby8633 I'm not sure that any "plight" is relevant here. Well, of course it's relevant in the sense that it affects what (if anything) should be done about the situation. However, the quote was just about Kurds being the largest people without their own country. Even if the peoples in India and Pakistan mentioned by OP might not have faced same kind of hardship Kurds have, that still doesn't change that they don't seemingly have their own country. Maybe they don't even want that and are content with their own state within e.g. India but that still doesn't change that the quote would seemingly better apply to some of them.
@@AchyutChaudharyActually Kurds and Turks usually look different. Turks speak an Altaic language while Kurds speak an Indo-European language. Kurds and Turks were not in contact 200 years ago.
Thank you for answering, sir. 🥹
Thanks. It was a great question.
The EU is politically, economically and industrially dominated by France and Germany. This is half the reason why the UK left the EU because it could never get its own policies implemented because Germany, France and governments close to them wouldn't allow it. This is the fundamental reason why Turkey has not and will not be admitted into the EU. All these other explanations about human rights or not being European, they're literally misdirection. Majority of the EU's eastern members never met the requirements to join, they were let in because there wasn't objection to it.
The majority of EU states including former-member UK already support Turkey's admission into the EU, but the vote has to be unanimous. Germany, France, Greece, Republic of Cyprus, Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands are among the only states that don't support Turkey in the EU. If Turkey joined the EU, it would immediately become the third major political force on par with Germany and France.
Hungary and Poland have nowhere near the industrial, military or population size as Turkey and look at how they've been received by the Franco-German-Swedish internal bloc. Spain and Italy have their own competitive dynamics with them too. Turkey being an EU member would shift the dynamics entirely. Realistically, Turkey has understood that for years and isn't looking forward to joining the EU either because it won't happen.
The other half of the reason the UK left is because the EU isn't going to be viable in a few decades. Most of Eastern Europe has been in a demographic decline for decades while at the same time not wanting immigration to make up for it like Western Europe has. Besides the low birthrates, many Eastern Europeans migrate to Western Europe for work. In totality, multiple states are in population crisis. We may see China's and Eastern Europe's economic crisis hit around the same time. Global recessions are inevitable, and everyone's just waiting for when it happens. The UK getting out with short-term pains was worth it in their eyes because they don't want to deal with mass legal EU immigration alongside illegal immigration any longer, nor do they want to foot the bill when some of those areas start collapsing.
If we support territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, we have to also support the territorial integrity of Turkiye, Syria, Iraq etc. Why would we support Kurdish separatists?
The Kurds have proven to be a more reliable partner for the West while Turkey has a totally different agenda from that of the West
How about instead of supporting the territorial integrity of made up countries, we support the happiness and freedom of our fellow human beings
C’est incroyable l’Europe c’est l’union mais faut séparer la Turquie comme si que c’était un territoire immense , au contraire la Turquie doit impérativement s’unir avec d’autre pays
Along this rather narrowminded thinking, why should anyone support turkey's claims on occupying illegaly for 52 years north cyprus? Should the world be cautious of turkey's expansionistic plans and grandiose plan of a neo othomanic empire? Think about the above points and cease subjucating 35 m kurds and raping, killing kurdish people.
Thank you for your answers, i like this mode that you are interacting with your followers by receiving their questions and giving answers from your point of view, please keep on.
Thanks so much. I’ve always loved doing these types of video.
Can't wait to watch your video on the timeline when Catalan, Basque and other similar states will be formed in Europe and join the EU... 🙂
never gonna happen.
@@CharlesAydin scotland, wales , northern ireland, cornwall.
The Usa should stop supporting terrorist groups in Syria or Iraq! What if ,let's say, Italy establishes a terrorist organization in France or Spain to immobilize them? What would happen?
Don't threaten the Italians with a good time. Roma Invicta!
Why does romans want to restore their old lands😅
Well, it's not a question of "if" because there really is an Italian terror organization in France. They seek Corsican independence or something.
And in gaza and in iran
If your country, UK, and the USD get their noses out of the Middle East, it will be much safer and prosperer area, not for only itself, but also for the World. English out of other countries! Simple.
I mean, the UK can barely pay for itself; let alone a military expedition to the Middle East. Not sure how you would consider them to still be a factor in Middle (or Near) Eastern politics, since their withdrawal from Iraq.
As for the US dollar, you would have to ask the Saudis to stop selling their oil in dollars for that to happen.
Turkeys treatment of the Kurds (and others) morally requires all people of the world to get involved just as German treatment of Jews during WWII required the world to get involved.
Maybe stop trying to ethnically cleanse your region of minority groups before asking others to stop getting involved
No country would give up their territory for a separate Kurdish state. That's the reality people must accept.
Secondly, I believe vast majority of Kurds in Turkey are now happy living within Turkish state with few exceptions of course.
There's a reason why majority of the 21st century separatist movements don't succeed.
So why should Israel give the Palestinians land?
😂😂😂 no Free the Kurdish people
@quzunarqozi5171we aint lol palastians are gone
You know nothing about turkey and we Kurds so just shut up
@@quzunarqozi5171 I do not support Israel in their encroachment of Palestinian lands and nor do I support Hamas infiltration on Israeli land.
Prof. James Ker-Lindsay I must say that these question and answer sessions have become one of my favorite ways to learn more about international relations as you are studied , enlightening , and so professional that I enjoy and trust that you are giving us information that we would get no where else . Well spent time and I thank you as nothing in life is free .
Thanks so much, Chris. That's really kind of you. I really appreciate it. :-)
If Kurds lived in neatly separated regions in their host countries, it would have been easier to separate them. However, Kurds live all over Turkiye (Turkey), and in fact the Turkish city with the highest Kurdish population is Istanbul. So how can you separate the Kurds from the Turks (or the other ethnic groups such as Arabs, Lazes or Circassians)? Similarly in Iraq, Arabs, Turkmens and Kurds sometimes live in the same town. and let's not forget one more important thing, not all Kurds wish for separation. The map that you put up there is inaccurate - I have seen it circulate in the internet with no actual backing by census numbers. Maps of election results from Turkiye reflect the demographics better. But caution with maps: Ethnic cleansing by PKK has changed the demographics in Turkiye, Syria and Iraq. Kurds have become the majority in some regions only recently, after PKK terrorism forced many non-Kurds to leave the conflict zones through domestic or foreign migration.
Perhaps it would be better to focus on cultural rights than separatism. If the Western countries help keep Turkiye, Syria and Iraq more stable (rather than invest in separatist armed conflict) these countries would cooperate in the future to lift borders like in the EU. (There are already signs this could be happening in the future, for example Iraqi citizens over 50 can now travel to Turkiye visa-free.) Western countries unfortunately do the opposite, they aid and abet terrorists like PKK and cause bloodbath in the region. In their cynicism, they say "we're not helping the PKK, we are helping Syrian Democratic Forces" - which is neither Syrian nor democratic but a blatant offshoot of PKK. The USA especially wants to maintain a separate PKK state which it intends to use as a proxy in the region in its support of Israel. (This is not a conspiracy theory, anybody following the Israeli media would know that this is the actual truth behind the push for an independent Kurdistan)
If kurds have a right to a separate country on turkish territory, then african americans also have a right to a separate country on US territory.
Same goes for native americans and italian americans and irish americans and jewish americans and all the other ethnicities in the US. Let's see how they would like that
😂😂😂😂😂 lol nope you don't understand how nation building works
Lol Jewish people have a state because we built one .
You really have no idea about history of Kurdish people. You have no understanding difference between Kurdish people and other groups you mentioned. Honestly your ignorance is astounding.
@truthseeker9243 you are just calling me ignorant without making an argument which potentially could disprove me
@ how can I argue with someone who can’t differentiate between group of people who owns and belongs to that land and immigrants who’s gone to work in another country . Apart from Kurds and native Americans your comment is totally empty of any intellect .as far as black people of African descent they were brought to America as slaves . It’s a totally different story . Alas blacks in america are have no similar situation at all with native Americans or Kurds .! Kurds have been in Mesopotamia around 12.000 years. Turks have 1000 years history . Native Americans has been there for thousands years until European settlers decimated those unfortunate people.!
USA pays the bills for Europe security now it’s time for Europe to step up and start paying for their own security
And Europe suffers immigration wave after immigration wave thanks to American wars in the Middle East. Thank you America!
Ive never found someone put my thoughts on the Turkey in the EU situation so well! I completely agree with your points.
Thank you for the Q&A. I think this format is excellent.
Much appreciated.
In Germany are more than 3 million Turks & more than 1 million Kurds living.
Let us talk about separation there. It seems to be more realistic in a so called democratic western state. Maybe together with German Bavaria & German Saxonia, also not happy with the rest of Germans in Germany. Should Ankara back them?
1 million of these 3 million turks are kurds with a turkish passport.
@@eren3390 Stucked in your nationalism/racism, you did not understand the point. The point is, when they will claim and how Germany will react? Now, it is your turn.
@@benb.9235 where was the racism in my comment?
@@eren3390 When in a general point of view, you underline to differ Turks & Kurds in ethic groups (to claim better or more)...
@@eren3390 Racist guys never name themselves racist, they find reasons to think how they think.
As long as you have the Talabani's and the Barzani's ruling the region it will never stable nor reliable enough to become independent state. Just look into the amount of corruption that goes on, by the way there is no freedom of speech nor press there.
Can you guess this dudes bias?
@@s871-c1q Prove me wrong, data and statistics don't lie. I am very positive you are a beneficiary of KDP.
This was very interesting. I enjoyed the Q&A as there were great questions, and I'd definitely like to see more.
Thanks so much for letting me know, I hope to do these more regularly.
Professor, I must say, this here Q&A is probably your best so far.
You obviously chose the questions very astutely and spent much time and energy giving in-depth answers.
The result is a quite frankly a fascinating kaleidoscope of many fundamental geopolitical concepts being explained in appropriate detail.
You do important educational work, Professor, and I do share your videos with friends.
Cheers. ✌️
Free Kurdistan = Free gas, oil and water; this is the real meaning unfortunately...
Absolutely right. Without oil fields, the ambitions decrease rapidly.
Without, it takes decades, even centuries of hard work to achieve prosperity.
Too much! They want it faster and with less work by robbing with weapons,
how all lazy uneducated criminals dream & act. It is just a racist Mafia gang.
her şeyden önce su diğerlerinin önemi yok
@@AnqeLo99 If you make enough money (how its better possible in Irak than Syria) you can buy your water. Without oil, you`ve only water to drink, but nothing to eat, because even farmers need money.
@@AnqeLo99 Western colonialists are dividing and exploiting everything. That's what he meant, it's not about oil or water.
There are already 15 million Turks in EU countries. If it was 5 million it would have been too many already. 15 million is nuts.
And ebery year hundreds of thousands more enter. Enough is enough.
Love your comments!!! A pleasure to listen!!!
Hi James. Love your work. Obviously, Turkey under Erdogan does not meet the Copenhagen criteria. I agree with your skepticism about whether she ever will. But even if Erdogan died tomorrow and we Turks elected a new leader, and Turkey became a Jeffersonian democracy... EU membership would still be off the table. Upon joining, Turkey would be the largest member of the union by population, and suddenly a direct challenge to the dominance of Germany and France. Dysfunctional nations have been allowed membership before because they were small and considered "absorbable". Turkey of course could not be dictated to and humiliated as Greece was. So, I think we need to be honest and say Turkey will never be allowed to join the EU. This is unfortunate, as in a parallel universe a democratic Turkey could have been a great asset for the EU with her young population, large military and dynamic (if unstable) economy. But as xenophobia solidifies as a political force in the EU and Turkey veers into a misguided neo-wannabe-Ottomanism... It's time to say, this process is over. What do you think needs to happen for the EU to have the courage to officially announce that Turkey's candidacy has been cancelled? Or are both sides doomed to continue the farce that Turkey is a paused candidate forever ?
@icenerasin5283 i am pleased to hear honest voice based on realistic rational point of view. Turkey or the EU should stop this hypocrisy. Even Turkey would one day meet all criterums of Copenhagen and Maastrich, the EU would not allow Turkey to be member state. Greece, Greek-Cyprus and Austria very certainly and some other states probably will ban by veto. ''neo-wannabe-Ottomanism'' is mental sickness and is irrational flourished by two and half decades long and ongoing Erdogan's regime, and i hope Turkey returns to its natal orbit (science-technology-peaceful progress as ONE nation among other nations) after Erdogan regime is over. Turkey and the EU better have fair, equitarian relation models...
Why would they announce something like that the eu is controlling us turks like puppys, atleast we realised and feel a mutual feeling. You’re right the points you have made only makes sense and i can only respect that.
Thanks. I agree. I certainly didn’t mean to give the impression that this was about Turkey’s failings. There is quite clearly a very large and powerful bloc in the EU that has not engaged with Turkey in an honest manner. Regarding cancelling talks, I rather think both sides would like to do this. Erdogan clearly has no real wish to join, but can’t let it drop as this would alienate many. Likewise, the EU is terrified of the backlash from Turkey if it did announce the end of talks. On the meantime, both sides seem to feel it’s easier to let the pretence continue.
Let's not forget the whole issue of Cyprus... Even if Turkey democratizes, there needs to be a permanent solution. Cyprus is already a EU member and possible nato member. For Turkey to join the EU, it's going to have to convince it's biggest "adversaries"
@FragLord correction 'Cyprus' (sole Greek compound) is not NATO member.
If the kurds got their own state, even if it initially was founded and ruled by secularists/socialists in the beginning, eventually the kurds would overthrow their rulers and establish an islamic kurdistan state and government. This is a fact.
The kurds were the only people who didnt rebel against the ottomans nor the british to establish their own independent kurdistan state. The arabs rebelled against the ottomans with the british to establish their own nation states. The kurds remained loyal to the ottoman sultan and their islamic identity more than wanting a kurdish nation state which is why they remained with the Turks in the Turkish war of independence against the British and French.
Subsequently after Ataturk founded the secular nation state of Turkey. The kurds rebelled multiple times since the beginning such as the "Sheikh Said rebellion". These were islamic rebellions against Ataturk/Turkey to re-establish sharia and the Ottoman sultan who he had exiled. The kurds rebelled multiple times against Turkey as part of ISLAMIC rebellions. It was only a few decades ago that this transformed into the PKK and a socialist/communist kurdish independence movement. However, even today, the majority of kurds dont support PKK precisely because they are not religious, and just socialist group. This is why PKK fails to resonate with the majority of the kurdish populace. The kurds are more conservative/religious in south eastern turkey than any other region.
So Israel's "Oded Yinon Plan" which they have released publicly in the 1980's to further divide the middle east, will backfire.
"This is a fact" so you say. Don't agree.
@@s871-c1q Where do you even live? All he say is true. When you see 10 women in military uniforms I guess you thought Kurds are somewhat most secular people on Middle East. Bad news: There is nobody more secular than a Turk in region, at least that's the only nation in the region established and practiced democracy for at least 80 years and people traditionally embraced it even much more than in some Balkan nations or Russia like non-majority muslim nations. I am not a racist but Turkish state tried so hard to teach Kurds what is democracy as they were still insisting on living a feudal system based on what their tribe ruler decides. They paid taxes if he wants, they worked and gave money to him, and of course they voted for anyone he points out. This has changed since 2000s but not completely.
As a Kurd I don't think it will be a secular state as Turkey but not a state with Sharia too(myself support Sharia)
The biggest ethnic minority in Syria are Turkmen, who constitutes about 4-5 million people, while Syrian Kurds are about 1-1.5 million people. PYD, Syrian branch of PKK terrorist organization destroyed all Syrian Kurdish groups with the support of the West, and currently occupying a significantly larger area compare to the percentage of Syrian Kurds in Syria. Also, the Islamist government of Turkey seem to care more about Kurds rather than Turkmen in Syria, of course who they appear to care about first seem to me to be Arabs, as they believe in an Islamic nation notion, aka ummah, and see the Turks/Turkmen as a part of it rather than a different nation. This greatly contradicts with the Turkish national stance. So, you should take this into consideration as well.
No legitimate sources support your numbers at all.
Roughly speaking, 10% of Syrians are Kurds, and 5% are Turkmen.
@@SpacemongerrSo what is your legimate source ?
😂😂😂😂😂 Islamist government of Turkiye??? What a bullshit nonesense you talking here my god 😂😂😂😂 Hahaha.... So stupid... Türkiye is a modern democracy ❤
Chuuute faut pas crier sur tous les toits, ils le découvriront par eux même peut être de l’aide de l’IA
Thanks Prof. appreciated as always! 👍🏻🇦🇺👍🏻
Hello, Peter! Thanks so much. I hope all is well at your end.
@ Much better recently mate. Have been engaged in a cancer battle which hasn’t been a ton of fun. Coming out the other end now so pretty happy about that!. I hope all is well on your end.
Thank you, Prof!
i do think an underlooked bit of trump in the americas is it does also feel like a bit of a pacific focus as well with an early appointment of a diplomat whose main goal looks like to be setting strong expectations about the relationship between samoa and american samoa
Thanks Prof James. You answered all questions without provocation 🙌 I would like to listen about 'What is terrorism? What does terrorism mean in which countries and how is it perceived by people?' from your perspective and knowlegde. If you ever touch on this subject, I hope you start with A. Ocalan
As a 50 year old Turkish guy, the idea of Turkiye being a part of European Nation was a sweet dream for the youth of 90s and 2000's by %90... But then the internet changed everything... Turkish people began to learn more about Europe, they learned how bloody is the western history and how cruel is their mindset... European culture is not something to be emulated but something rather to be avoided... Thus, nowadays, the people supporting the EU membership is at most %20... Turks know they are not european and they don't want to be... They have their Turkic Nations Union to grow instead of wasting time with the older EU...
Which is laughable when you consider Turkish cruelty (Kurds, Greeks, Armenians and Cypriots!) and Ottoman History before that.
It's OK though, the feeling is mutual, because Europeans don't really want Turkey to be part of the EU.
you are really suggesting Turkish history is somehow "cleaner" than European one? Only Germany could perhaps claim to have committed worse crimes than Turkey and that's a stretch. You invaded and occupied 2 countries in the last 50 years and engaged in ethnic cleansing on a scale without parallel in modern history. I would rather see Russia in the EU than Turkey to be frank
How bloody western history is? Eh remind us again how you Turks ended up occupying the lands of Anatolia instead of living in Central Asia? Or what happened to the huge Greek and Armenian populations that lived on those lands for millennia.
@theinternetofrandomthings7796 You see how cruel we were where there still 30 million Kurds in Turkiye and millions around Turkiye, and there is still a people called Greeks in Orthodox Christianity and poor Armenians who backstabbed Ottomans in their worst time with the help and egging of Russians... We ruled Bulgaria and the Balkans for hundreds of years but their people still exist untouched with their identity, culture and religion... You are either an uneducated hearsayer or a biased liar to call Turks cruel...
Her iki bölgenin de sıkıntıları var diyip bu konuyu kapatalım. Tartışmaya gerek yok ve evet Türkiye AB'ye giremeyecek ve zaten artık çoğu kişide böyle bir düşünce yok.
I am sure it is difficult to answer so many difficult and complex international questions about international relations. Found it interesting that you seem to think our climate is an emergency and find it odd that the US should follow a movement that does not favor nuclear power which is zero emissions or one that embraces pushing electric vehicles that are not ready yet to replace the internal combustion engines. That favors wind power that kills so many birds and consumes fossil fuels too. If the climate was an emergency where is the Manhattan project that focuses on science to solve this problem, which is far different from a political movement focusing on human behaviors that is also against cows that provide meat, leather, and milk for the masses?
Awesome job..!!! Prof James Ker-Lindsay..!!!!
5:38 To build onto this point you could've mentioned Iraq and the Battle of Kirkuk that occurred after a Kurdish referendum vote in Northern Iraq. If the Kurdish Regional Government were to try to attempt another referendum or even declare independence, Iraq would likely respond more aggressively than they have in the past.
Isn't the clear center of gravity for NATO to be Washington DC simply because the EU's economic and currency structure makes it impossible to do both high social and high defense spending?
Watch them cut social in the UK and US
@Fredmayve There's not much to cut in the US.
It is called North Syria, or North Mesopotania, you may call it also part of Levante!
So called "Rojava" is just a new brand of the Marketing department, created some years ago instead "West Kurdistan", which is used up/ worn and local other groups got upset.
With (new) kurdish Names they try to let the region look more kurdish.
@@benb.9235 rojava means west, bakur means north, bashur means south, rojhelat means west. We’ve used those terms for north east south west Kurdistan at least for a decade
Shouldn't the people living there get to decide what they want to be called?
@@AraKarim-t6s Yes, this is, what I mean. It is not a historical name like the others well known. When did you as a Kurd hear it the 1st time? I heard it 1. just 10 or 12 years ago. Never before.
@@calebbearup4282 Never heard about a name selection.
"The people" all asked or only some "special" guys?
@@benb.9235 do you live inside of the region known as Rojava?
Türkiye will never join the EU. There is only one reason. Population of Türkiye is too high. If Türkiye join eu. It LL change and dominate everything in the EU. Non of the EU member wants it. Türkiye has to find it's own way to improve its technology specially arm forces.
Love what you do. Thanks for the videos!!
Thank you so much! :-)
@@JamesKerLindsay you better search the population of kjurds when it was 1915 and how their population rapidly grew (by making more child) . and you better look at 1000 years ago where they used to live (southof region )before turks came . and you better go research how they migrated west of turkish cities during the repubich time(1915- till now 2025 ) . and stop make propaganda although i didnt wacth the video . title got me angered . and do a video about how west uses and funds this minority group against turkey
The question about the US and China is somewhat ridiculous in my opinion. First, the US will not fall to a level close to China. The institutions are too strong and will outlast Trump. What we're seeing in the US is hesitancy to prop up global trade when Europe and China benefit far more, but yet the US is in charge of keeping free trade going. Also, it is looking increasingly likely that China will have a sharp correction to its economy after years or refusal to pivot to consumption. The fundamentals of the US are much stronger. So, I can't imagine China being the main superpower anytime soon.
Looking at the comments, as the psychiatrist said in Fawlty Towers 'There's enough material here for an entire conference'.
Once Saudi Arabia recognizes and establishes formal relations with Israel, will that be the end? Will the rest of the Arab World which hasn't already done so recognize Israel? Or will that still depend on Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state?
Thanks. I don’t think that Saudi recognition will happen any time soon now. After the conflict in Gaza it will take some time for things to settle. But even if it did, I don’t think it would change the position of certain other Arab states. Iraq, Lebanon and Syria will have their own agendas. It might shift Oman, Kuwait and possibly Qatar though.
You should do a review on Burkina Faso!
Thanks. Great suggestion. It is on my to-do list!
I look forward to these qustios videos - Excellent - Thank you.
Do you believe a Europe strategically independent of the United States would be viable is a geopolitical block, or be sidelined by more aggressive states?
Interesting question about Central Asia. It seems multiple outside powers are competing for that region, as had been the case in many past centuries during the Silk Road era. China has promised economic aid and development; Russia demands, and perhaps presumes, a Soviet-era historical allegiance; Turkey emphasizes common ethnic and linguistic ties and offers links to both West and East. Your response was perfect, though; these countries are very different, despite appearance to outsiders. And harmonizing any of their policies will be an uphill battle.
Hi James do you think Greenland will ever become an independent sovereign state and if so would they have a free association with the US, like some pacific island states or more likely to apply to join the EU in wake of Trump's threats to take over the island and have the Danish Monarch as head of State or their own elected Greenlandic president?
If US can do military operations to drug dealing cartels, creating safe zones outside border for security. Turkiye can do the same?
You should know that there are millions of Turks which have more in common with Bulgarians Greeks Fins Irish and other europeans then they have with millions of other Turks so what do you do???
Kurds a Garant for democracy in the region. We should support them. Kurds a very big nation. They need their own state in their Land where they have been living for 1.000s of years.
hey james, are you aware of the last updates on the turkish politics? the national movement party and the party representing the kurds had a meeting, the chairman of the nationalist party also called for ocalan the pkk founder to declare pkk to stop the fight. i guess these are steps to resolve hte kurdish matter in a more democratic way, i do not know which way will it go though. i just wondered if you were aware of it
Thanks so much! I am keeping a close eye on this. I know there is talk of a big announcement in a couple of weeks. I will of course cover it if we do see any major steps.
@ i am eager to hear your opinion on the topic in case of the announcement being something signficant, as a turk, even i am having a hard time interpreting all these abrupt steps
Everyone aware but nonsense
The US has _NEVER_ been a part of the Paris accords. That requires Senate ratification,
Hey James, the question of why Turkey doesn’t want a Kurdish state established in the territories of Syria and Iraq actually has a much deeper answer. Turkey doesn’t want it because it knows that any Kurdish state on its southern borders would essentially become a new Israel. Turkey fears that this state, which is being proposed, would be armed without limit by the Western world and the US, heavily supported both economically and politically, and turned into a puppet state propped up by the US. Ultimately, just like Israel has been a threat to Turkey’s existence in the Arab-Israeli conflict, this Kurdish state would pose a similar threat. Turkey has no fear or suspicion towards the Kurds within its own borders; the issue is with the Kurdish terrorist groups outside Turkey that are intent on creating a new Israel.
@@gokhankem perfectly spoken,commented ,100% correct too ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ comment!
Masallah to you Sir.💪💪💪
@@gokhankem how is Israel a threat to Turkey?
Dear professor @JamesKeriLindsay, thank you again. Israel has historically supported Kurdish aspirations in the region. Given Netanyahu's current rhetoric about reshaping the Middle East through the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, do you see any strategic connection between Israel's support for the Kurds in Northeast Syria and Netanyahu's broader vision of a 'New Middle East'? Could Israeli support potentially alter the dynamics you described regarding international reluctance toward Kurdish autonomy?"
Everyone has right to exist and live freely
Here's something that you may find interesting. :)
The name of my country has nothing to do with the interesting and delicious bird 'turkey'......
.....but the name of the bird does have a connection with the name of my country, let me explain. :)
In the past 40 years 37 countries have changed their name, fully, partially or made alterations in some way...
Obviously one can not change the name of an apple or an orange etc in other languages,
but country names are like peoples' individual names, so if you're named John we don't call you Karen. :)
Name of my country has always been Türkiye (although the official state name was 'Ottoman' because of the founding family dynasty), it's been known as such, Türkiye, since around the 1200's, many times presented as 'Turkiye' in various maps and memoirs by travellers and cartographers since the 1200's.
The name it self has a suffix, '-iye' that is Turk-iye, where the -iye suffix means 'land of/belonging to', this is just like the Latin suffix of '-ia' which exists in such country names like Austr-ia, Indones-ia etc.
Many would remember the country Czechoslovakia which (seperated, changed names), becoming Slovak-ia and Czech Republic and a few years ago changed that to Czechia (that is Czech-ia).
The Latin suffix -ia probably originates from Turkish -iye as Turkish been over 10,000 year is much older than Latin which is around 2300 years old with proto-Latin stretching back about 2700 years. (Yes the Orkhon Stone monuments are just a very recent occurance in Turk history, it's not the start of it, blame your historians/institutions for not teaching you that).
Spelled in different languages in different ways to phonetically RESEMBLE (to sound like) 'Türkiye', in time we got;
Turk-ije (Dutch)
Turch-ia (Italian),
Turq-uía (Spanish)
Turq-uie (French)
Turk-ei (German)
Turk-ey (English)
Remember that English is an 'offshoot' of the German language; you can see the Germans tried to copy the pronounciation of 'Turk-iye', with the English almost copying the German version of the pronounciation, ending up with Turkey, Turk-''e''-''y'' = (Türk-i-ye) interesting isn't it? :)
Mind you all these attempts to copy the pronounciation of the name Türkiye was WAY BEFORE the animal we currently know as turkey was FOUND by the europeans when they explored the north americas! :)
The bird was first sent to europe from north americas in the year 1519, so up until that point there was no bird named as turkey by white people....
...during their exploration/invasion of north americas, they came across the bird and thought it was a specie of a fowl/chicken they had been buying from the country of Turkiye (again the country was KNOWN since the 1200's as Türkiye, even though the name of the state was Ottoman State), so they named the bird 'Turkey Fowl' to define 'Turkish Chicken', just like how a dog breed is known because of it's geography of origin, German Shepherd, American Bulldog, British Terrier, Greek Harehound etc etc.
In time you don't get to call the harehound simply as greek and the country Greek or you don't call the terrier british and the lands Britain, or shepherd as simply german so on and so on, but in time the Turkish Fowl started to be called just 'Turkey' and later 'turkey', and this went on for hundreds of years.
Now in modern times, this caused confusion, especially when we have people across the world unable to point to their own country on an atlas. :)
Basically we didn't change the name of our country, we changed the mistake made in the English language only. : )
The use of the suffix '-iye OR -ia ' is no different thn the use of the suffix '-land', which comes after various country names like;
Ire(Eire)-land,
Po(le)-land,
Eng(Anglo)-land and the like,
we can see that the suffix ''-ia/iye'' is in a way the same as ''-land''.
Furthermore, another variation of this ''-iye'' suffix is used in English in the form of the suffix ''-town'', for example James-town, Williams-town etc etc.
A Turkish example for this would be a town called Fethiye (a major tourist attraction), Feth-iye is named after the first Turkish pilot to be shot down by enemy fire, Fethi Bey who was shot by english fire in 1913 over the lands of what is modern day Syria which was part of Türkiye, Fethiye, the town been named after him, meaning ''Fethi-town'', again a play on the definitions of 'belonging to, land of'.
So, there's some tid bit information for you to have a great day, if you read upto this point you have a great night too, ohh just have a wonderfull life. : )
Best wishes. ;)
Your description of how languages are related to each other is super inaccurate, otherwise interesting story, it could have been explained in a couple of sentences tho instead of all that linguistic nonsense
I read it and appreciated your time. Insight is always around you. Thanks.
@ It's quite accurate infact it is the fact.
Ohh and try getting out of the other side of the bed next time, you can't live like that. :))
@ Sure is Stefan, thank you for your kind message, wish you the very best, have a great day.
@@stefanr579 too bad much of what he wrote is nonsense
Old Cumbrian Celtic language needs to be revived in Western England, which was a Britannic Celtic dialect like old Welsh. Celtic languages have been viciously suppressed by English Imperialism, till very near past. I have friends from Wales that are still talking about torturous Welsh NOT. If a small kid was caught speaking Welsh in the school, a piece of wood with the words Welsh Not or often just WN was hung around their necks until the next child was caught , hence the Welsh Not punishment. At the end of day, physical torture waited for them! Cornish got extinct due to these extreme atrocities. Cornish got revived again very recently. Most Cornish people do not speak Celtic though. Celtic languages needs to be spoken from Cornwall to Western England to Wales and to Scotland. After reviving and spreading all these Celtic languages, these areas need to be fully independent from England, which only needs to be sovereign in Southeastern England. Southeastern England had the most Anglo Saxon genes. This would be only fair to these suppressed people! Viva Britannia Celtica!
Good luck reviving a language that went extinct 800 years ago and nobody speaks it today. Good luck reviving a language that has very few literary sources and nobody knows realistically how to approach it. All we know of this language comes from secondary non-Cumbrian sources. Is there an interest among the locals in Cumbria to revive it? No. If there were, like it was in Cornwall, they would have revived it by now. It has simply been too long. Cornish went extinct more recent, in the 19th century and unlike Cumbrian, it has been in circulation long enough and left literary sources behind and more evidence of its existence and usage. That is why it can be revived and there is an interest in reviving. Cumbrian, not so much. We don't even know if the people who spoke it called it Cumbrian. This is a term we used today that denotes the geographical area, not the language.
Please ally with us in Ireland
I think it would be more fun to simply roll out mandatory Welsh and Cornish learning to students across all of England. Afterall, Britannia was once all entirely Brythonic or some sort of Celtic speaking. Why not make the whole British/Irish Isles Celtic again? (And most English people have a significant amount of Celtic ancestry anyway.)
@@solsunman383 And what would that solve? No matter how much we try to change the past, what was done is done. What would this measure solve? Would it improve the lives of average Brits? Not really. If the communities living in those areas have a vested interest in reviving the language that used to be spoken there, more power to them. But if they don't, and are content with how things are today, then they should not be forced to learn it.
Also, one does not know today what a lot of these languages sounded like, or how they were written even. Cumbrian is almost impossible to reconstruct, as everything we know of it comes from second-hand sources. They left next to nothing written behind.
Welsh call their language Cymraeg; means Cumbrian. They already speak Cumbrian. There were many dialects of Old Cumbrian in ancient times. Similarly old Anglo Saxon had many dialects. But one triumphed them all as being the standard aka London English. Standard Welsh should be the medium for all Britannic Cumbrians, since it has continuous literary tradition. Cornish can be spread to all Cornwall and then Devon later.
Lacking a state apparatus to undertake the task of creating a standard Kurdish language, the Kurds continue to speak a myriad of languages, despite many unsuccessful attempts by Kurds to create such a standard national language.
kurds made multiple versions on a standard language versions of kurdish but that sounded unnatural so they went for plan b . the plan b is use media to teach all kurds to learn both northern and southern kurdish that make up 75% of kurds .
Majority of people in Türkiye do not want an EU membership. EU's double standards and open support of g-side in Gaza has opened eyes. The international legal orders are for everyone to follow. Germany is still supplying weapons to a an apartheid state that is committing g-side.
What we have seen cannot be unseen. As for Türkiye, I believe that the country's future lies in BRICS and a possible Turkic Union. Either way, Türkiye will find its place in a changing global order.
The fact that Turkey supports Gaza and HTS goes to show that as things stand now the nation is not civilized
@@calebbearup4282 What do you mean? Who is determining if nation is not civilized? And with what authority? I don't understand your comment.
What is the relationship with Türkiye's stance against g-side and its EU-bid?
@@CY-ye5dz Turkey backed up the HTS in their takeover of Syria. Turkeys long history of trying to ethnically cleanse a variety of minority groups from inside of their country as well as their history of trying to remove Kurdish identity from outside of their own borders. Turkeys pushback against Israel with the terrorist activity in Gaza.
Along with a wide array of other activities.
One might be explained away. But with as many stances as they take they have no legitimate claim to civilized behavior.
Hence my accusations of being uncivilized until they correct some things
@@CY-ye5dz Turkey has a stance of denying its own genocides maybe figure that out before you demand everyone call Israel out. And lots of western countries have called Israel out, unfortunately ultranationalist fanatics don't really respond well to accusations of genocide, you in Turkey should know that.
What would it be like if an independent Kurdish state was created? I guarantee you that it would not be like Switzerland; almost surely, it would be like Afghanistan. Kurdish people in Turkey enjoy far more democracy and human rights than they can possibly have if they had an independent state.
Thats what these western people dont understand just because some want independence it doesn’t mean all of them do yet the west doesnt understand as they already know what they are doing trying to carve up turkiye to conquer.
@@KSayar ha ha stop spreading that Nonsense stuff!!!! Kurds are being assimilated tortured and their rights are being denied by all means!!!! They can enjoy that democracy of Turkey when they choose to be Turkish not Kurdish!
Yes, totally, they are living in paradise in your apartheid state. Turkish dishonesty is always brought out when this topic arises and it shows we have nothing in common.
@@zakariyashakir4091 sounds like you have a pending application for visa in Sweden.
Please explain the democratic freedoms that have gone away in the US?
I would like to see an independent Scotland and Welsh Nations. They deserve to have their own country.
And they will, when a majority wants it. That’s the key difference between their cases and others. Scotland has already had an independence referendum. Support for independence in Wales runs at about a third, at most. The most recent poll put it at a quarter. But the things that, like in most countries, it’s perfectly possible to state this openly in public. Indeed there are perfectly legal political party calling for Scottish and Welsh independence.
What is so in-democratic in the US since Trump’s election? Does isolationism, heightened border controls make it less democratic?
Yes, it does.
Freedom and high walls & restrictions do not match.
You cannot eat only the cherries on the cake,
if you want to name yourself democratic. You must decide.
Just thought to share this feedback with you James: you sounded much more relatable and interesting in this video, very much like the academic debate style. But in your normal videos I think you take a style that is common in traditional media, narrating, monotonous... Thought to share this with you in case it is useful, I don't know. Either way, thank you for sharing your knowledge, as a scientist with keen interest in geopolitics I learn from your channel.
Thanks, sort of!? Unfortunately, I have to be very heavily scripted in the main videos. I don’t like it, but that’s the way it is. I am dealing with complex issues and any small mistake gets jumped on. I love doing these Q&A videos because it is much more me.
I agree that its good to see inter-state cooperation in an organization like the EU. But, I disagree that such a system needs highly complex regulation. To my mind, "complex" means bureaucratic. I think states adopt a highly bureaucratic government at their peril. The state cannot regulate the distribution of goods and services as efficiently as relatively free market. Additionally, in such systems, large companies often influence the creation of regulations which impair their smaller competitors, and the state might begin to impose excessive fees which greatly inhibit potential new businesses.
Its good to have a system which allows the Spanish apple seller get through French customs. It bad to have a system in which apple sellers need a legal team to fill out the paperwork, and in which a significant apple registration fee is imposed.
We need to ask the poor Kurds and their supporters who cry because we don't have a state: When did you have a state throughout history? Don't say that the Persians' Median Empire is ours, let me warn you from the beginning.
Hi, about all the questions answered about kurds and their independence, I see most people think all Kurds are unified around the idea of independence. It is not true. Kurds who live either in Turkey, Iraq, Iran or what so ever have different ideas about it. Some fundamentally support, some just don't care, and some are strongly opposed. And all the Kurds spread in to a vast are don't share the same culture, same ethnic properties, same political ideas and even not the same language. So the famous map you showed where kurdish people believed to live and unified and under same oppression gives a wrong idea to people - specially who have never been in these countries and meet kurdish people, observe how is the life in general in these countries.
Of course you would try to speak for them. Nobody is listening to you. The wrong idea is that they were ever left in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, at all. Horrible countries to be a minority in.
@s871-c1q I don't agree with that at all since half my haritage is Kurdish. It doesn't mean anything to me. I don't care what my dna is. What I care is the country I live and and I want it to be in good conditions because I live in it. This is how I feel and think. There are other kurdish people who think different, who experienced the life as a kurd different. And that is what I was stressing out in my comment. Kurdish people consist of huge population in a vast area. They don't think, live and speak the same way. But - specially the political extensions of terrorist groups love to tell the story that all kurds are suffering and being oppressed (and they are the saviours). By the way, I love my life in Turkey, but most probably wouldn't in Syria. Again, not all kurdish think and say the same thing.
41:45 Thank you my Teacher ❤
Good luck to Pakistan. Pakistan is going to be one of those countries most affected by Climate Change in the near future and Pakistan also sits on a major earthquake zone where the indian tectonic plates meets the eurasian tectonic plate. Pakistan faces serious geographical and climatical challenges.
*What benefits would an independent Kurdistan offer to Israel, the USA, and Europe?*
Yeap 😮😮😮
Altruism must be your middle name.
A buffer state
Easy: security. Kurds have to deal with terrorists more than any of us do so they have no choice but to fight and they did/are doing it against ISIS/Al-Qaeda - our shared enemy. They also share much more common ground with regard to values such as women, secularism, etc.
@@s871-c1q "They also share much more common ground with regard to values such as women, secularism, etc. "
Tell me you have never been to middle east without tellling me you have never been to middle east.
Can you make a video explaining what’s going on in the balkans from as far back as you can, I don’t really understand what’s going on over there
Dear James. Kurds entered anatolia after muslim Turks took over the lands from Rome, Kurds were located only in Hakkari city to west of Iran North of Iraq and north east of Syria. They could not live in anatolia because they were muslims. Expecially the Roman's hated them because of Salahaddin Eyyubi's great victory against them in Jerusalem. The map they want is not belonging to them.We Turks took the lands by our blood and they want us to give those lands to them. We die but never allow this to happen. They can have Hakkari and down below. We want them to have their own country but not this map.
They are an Iranian group from Zagros Mountain, majorly Iran, just the city if Hakkari in Turkey, which they can take, I do not care... Thus, their language is rather similar to Farsi.
A triple standard professor James.
I have never seen the EU door really open.
Türkiye has not turned away, it is pushed away.
Yes and no. I think both sides have handled this badly at various points.
@@JamesKerLindsay I think, well educated or much travelled people know that a) Turks are proud, b) they are simply to be provocated and c) they tend to opposite reactions, when they see additional stones put on their way and do not feel welcome like others. Support by "partners" looks usually diiferent.
When Angela Merkel talked suddenly about "partnerhip with privileges without membership" after negoitations just started already, it was clear, that some powerful western EU members do not really want to see Turkiye in EU and there was a plan to avoid it. To take only South Cyprus in EU after breaking EU rules and promisses by EU and the reunion rejection by Greeks, was already part A of the plan to keep Turkiye out. Really everybody was knowing, that Cyprus will make it unpossible to join for Turkiye.
What a suprise that it happened how it was expected!
@@JamesKerLindsayyes, yes. Stop blah
Turkey's human rights record is abysmal which you could control. It's not the EUs fault they enforce their standards and you want it all without any changes to your own system.
@@s871-c1q Of course it is! It is a giant fault of EU to enforce their double standards. East Europe was completly not ready, some are still not, while others are turning back the time. And everybody educated knows it. It is just too shameful and too undemocratic to speak it out.
would be interested in briefly hearing about your reasons as to preferring using turkey instead of türkiye
i think if you look at broader european history, the turkish people have always been part of a broader european continuum
i agree that türkiye needs to follow eu standards if they want to join the eu, honestly i think what we see in the next succession of power in türkiye will answer what we should expect in the future
i also think erdogan, for his many problems, is not the furthest apart from eu standards we've seen in turkish leadership
I don't call Germany Deutschland. We're never going to call it anything but Turkey.
@@s871-c1qTürkiye is officially recognized in English , so all officials has to use that ,while Germany don't have that
Thanks. I have covered this many times in other comments. This is actually an issue I feel very strongly about. Frankly, I believe the name change is an act of political illiteracy borne of an inferiority complex. It is also offensive, especially as the change only applies to English. The English language does not have the umlaut. I do not expect Turkish speakers to refer to my country as “The United Kingdom” (in English) when speaking Turkish, especially as “The” is not used in Turkish the the “th” is not used as a sound. Likewise, I don’t want to use Türkiye, which uses a character not native to English and is uncomfortable to say, when speaking my language. No other country does this. Ellada, España, Deutschland, Suomi, Srbija, Hrvatska, etc. They all accept the English variant of their name. Just as I accept the local language variant of my country’s name in other countries. It is a silly move that, as someone who has worked on Turkey for 35 years, I refuse to pander to.
@JamesKerLindsay I will note it isn't the first country to do this, Cabo Verde and Côte D'Ivoire for example, but broadly fair.
@@JamesKerLindsay In official documents you have to use Türkiye since Turkey is not valid anymore, and it's not about inferiority complex since this is the true way
Bless you James, from a Kurd.
Iraqi kurd*
@ I’m not Iraqi and would never consider myself ”iraqi”, ”syrian” or ”Turkish kurd”. I am just a Kurd.
@quzunarqozi5171 sure buddy.
@@quzunarqozi5171so where are you from?(not trying to make a joke genuinely)
@ER0G He is from Kurdistan
🟥☀️🟩 _What benefits would the EU, Israel, and the USA gain if Kurdistan becomes a NATO and EU member?_
_If Kurdistan were to become a NATO and EU member, the EU, Israel, and the USA could gain several benefits:_
*1. Geopolitical Stability:* _Kurdistan could serve as a stabilizing force in the Middle East, a region often marked by instability. Its inclusion in NATO and the EU would strengthen the West’s strategic position in the area, creating a more reliable partner for combating terrorism and regional conflicts._
*2. Energy Security:* _Kurdistan is rich in oil and natural gas, and its membership could open up more energy resources to Europe and the USA, diversifying supply routes and reducing dependency on other volatile regions._
*3. Counterbalance to Iran and Turkey:* _Kurdistan’s membership would act as a counterbalance to the influence of regional powers like Iran and Turkey, both of which have complicated relationships with the West. The Kurds, who are often in opposition to these countries, could provide a more favorable strategic partner._
*4. Military Cooperation and Security:* _For NATO, Kurdistan’s membership would offer access to strategic military bases, improving intelligence-sharing and operational capabilities in the Middle East. It would also help in ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and regional threats, particularly ISIS and other militant groups._
*5. Economic Growth and Trade:* _EU and US businesses could benefit from new trade partnerships and access to Kurdistan’s growing economy, especially in sectors like energy, infrastructure, and agriculture._
*6. Humanitarian and Democratic Values:* _By supporting Kurdistan’s membership, the EU, Israel, and the USA could further their promotion of democracy, human rights, and stability in the region, aligning with their broader foreign policy goals._
_Ultimately, such a move would align with the West’s interests in promoting a stable, secure, and prosperous Middle East, while enhancing cooperation on military, economic, and political fronts._
17:00 It is kind of crazy to complain about the lack of German support for Ukraine in the conflict. They have willingly upended their entire economic model, which was dependent on the continued use of cheap Russian gas. This decision probably caused the recession Germany now faces. As a nation, they will probably suffer more because of the Ukraine conflict than any other country (other than the belligerents, obv.) Germany has also consistently been the 2nd largest financial backer to Ukraine.
Agreed. A few weak decisions by Olaf Scholz, with the added weight of Merkel's past poorly guided leadership made people blind to their real effort. Many times, videos have to reinforce with numbers, to attest to the amount Germany is giving. I wish they gave em Taurus, but that also may have helped encourage their own growth due to need. Humans are amazing, well demonstrated when needed. But....they gave them so much stuff and exactly like you said...no wussing out, just no Taurus and peeps be pissy.
@@stefanr579 I believe Prof. Ker-Lindsay's point was that they did not assume a leadership role - from the beginning, the Germans were perceived to drag their feet in all areas - from sanctions, to shutting off gas, to providing military hardware. Worse still, the transportation of military hardware by other nations was also blocked by the German government.
Whilst there were real and justifiable reasons in each of these cases, it sent a very poor message - that the Germans were not to be (and could not be) relied upon in a European existential crisis.
This does not negate the substantial and useful aid they are currently providing. It is simply that Germany's reputation has been badly damaged under the administration of Merkel and Scholz.
Short version
Turkey in the EU? - No never
A Kurdish State? - LOL NO
A Central Asian EU?- F**k no
20:47 We are no longer interested in becoming part of EU, respectfully. Our goal is Turkic union, from Istanbul to Yakut.
On the voluntary nature of international law and its breakdown, one of the more interesting pieces has been the effective falling apart of the WTO's enforcement mechanism and the response by some countries in SE Asia and Africa where suddenly natural resources can no longer be exported as they used to be (and were required to be under GATT treaties).
One of the big problems here is that Western colonial powers' economies developed with the assumption of access to cheap natural resources from their colonies, and this was further broadened after WWII using the GATT treaties, the IMF and World Bank influence etc to ensure that countries had to keep Western economies fed, as it were. So the fact that this area is breaking down particularly from countries which can reasonably claim to have been kept poor by this system of laws is unsurprising. One cannot expect those subject to oppression to voluntarily continue their own oppression, and so the end of WTO enforcement actions means countries are breaking free from what they see as fundamentally unfair deals enforced by Western powers.
So I wonder, do you think we need a more inclusive order with a lot less Western influence in order to have a system of international law that can fairly bind everyone?
Lloyd George just like yourself, dreamed about some weird dreams.. But the Turks were at the winning side. You are sitting at the losers side in Lausanne. I see you people do not learn from the history. That means history shall repeat itself once again to teach you yet another harsh lesson.
How is the US behaving that’s so bad?
Well ... the most obvious one at the moment is Greenland. Imagine for a second that Russia said "we want Alaska back, and we are prepared to nuke you if you don't". Would that be considered pretty bad behaviour?
(Now also imagine that this is from an ally, so it's more like if Germany said, "You should give us American Samoa back, or the EU will implement sanctions and secondary sanctions on anyone who trades with the USA".)
How do you not know that threatening all your allies with either war or tariffs might be bad behaviour?
It would certainly be in the interest of the countries of Central Asia to unite under a supranational structure, given that lots of greater powers around them (EU, Russia, China, Iran, India and Turkey) are wrestling over the future political control of large parts of Eurasia, threatening to tear Central Asia apart as so often in its history, despite the strong ethnolinguistic connections within it. The logistical importance as the continental crossroads holds a large economic and geopolitical potential if it is utilized in a coordinated way by the coutries of the region. This is reminiscent of the historical situation in Germany as the ethnolinguistically connected but politically divided crossroads of Europe between the fall of Rome and the 1870s, with various powers struggling over control of the European continent.
While people in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and continental Africa are experiencing genocide, the love of European countries that do not see this and even support it brings tears to our eyes.
You can establish it in a canton in central Europe that you like.
Just a small warning, Türkiye is developing and growing and Turks will never forget what was done to them.
Anyone who wishes can apply on time.
I find the argument that the US and China are similar to be very funny. It really does just sound like an excuse and says far more about the people saying it than about the US.
It's important to keep in mind the hate comments coming from 'supporters' of Modi and the BJP might not actually be real people, but actually trolls and bot accounts that make money per comment posted.
The irony of Turkey wanting to join the EU and not being allowed to, in comparison to the UK leaving and the EU establishment wanting them to stay. The EU is moving east with Moldova and Ukraine, maybe they should reconsider Turkey? Maybe the amount of time Turkey was waiting to join the EU, led to it having turning away from EU models of government? We could be looking at Turkey becoming another iteration of the Ottoman empire on the EU's doorstep now.
Turkey is the last country the EU wants. You forget Erdogan threatening to bomb athens? Blackmailing the eu with migrants? Blackmailing Sweden in it's NATO membership bid?
I could go on but I'm rather surprised you don't even know 1 of the many such cases of Turkish anti European agenda.
Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo should give up the land north of the Ibar river to Serbia (they don't control it in any case) and then join Albania. Serbia may be ready to accept that and have a proper relationship, Kosovo doesn't really lose anything, and a federal Albania (call it Illyria if people want) would be a stronger country if ever conflict erupts again in the Balkans. It would also mean one less country which should please those international diplomants who don't like new states.
There is will be never a country or proxy called "kurdistan". Our Ancestor died for defend our land. and as grandsons of them, we will protect our land from anyone. The west should do their things in their country and stop interrupt the other contries. Also if you want a proxy state called Kurdistan too much so give them france's north east and Germany's weast south lands because there are lots kurds and they have to represent themselfs in democry
concerning the Kurds and their prospective state: it makes no difference if the international community recognizes you as a state or not. what matters is your ability to uphold the state as a sovereign territory (e.g. Taiwan, Somaliland). Kurds will have a state if they can defend whatever territory they captured in Syria / Iraq etc. I believe in that is possible and likely they can do that in Syria.
The Uighurs; who before genocide were 40 million and kurds = 2 nations , which were illegally occupied - WILL BE FREE .
Kurds are Iranian people, the only reason they are even in Turkey is because of the Ottoman Empire, who brought them in to increase the size of Muslims in Christians areas. So this notion of they don’t have a state it’s bs. They have Iran and Tajikistan!
Regarding Turkey and the E.U., I believe it's a question of history and culture. As an example, Georgia and Armenia are unquestionably European both culturally and genetically; Turkey, however, is not. Turkey has a history of targeting and slaughtering Europeans, as well as Turks coming to European nations and forcing their beliefs on the indigenous populations. I believe this is the key issue - one we see with many from non-European nations. Additionally, the people of Anatolia were historically considered no different from what we now call Europeans, until the Turkic invasions when the demographics of the region changed. I believe a cohesive set of values is critical to organizations such as the European Union, and Turkey does not share our values. I know it may be deemed unpopular to state, but it's the reality.
you could have just said Turkey is a Muslim country :)
This must be the most absurd comment I have ever seen in the world. The Turks fought against the Crusader Alliance that came against them and won. We did not covet anyone's land or gold. We did not impose religion or culture on anyone. Which community that separated from us lost its language, alphabet, religion, traditions? None of them did. The Turks are Asian, but in the millennia that passed, a new ethnicity that we call Eurasia was formed. In addition, the best commanders of the Ottoman Army were from other ethnic groups such as Albanians, Georgians, Bosnians and Serbs. Turkiye does not share the same values with you, this is true because we are in favor of unity and you are in favor of division, and we do not kill women, children or the elderly even in war, but your culture allows the massacres in the Balkans and Anatolia.
@ ...Albania is a majority Muslim nation, yet you didn't see me mention them.
Hi James, it is not about just Kurds and Kurdistan, the hegemonic states in the region do not respect the rights of ethnic and religious minorities. The minorities are under the oppression of the states and those states are not willing to even consider their linguistic and cultural rights. They are tortured, killed, jailed, exiled, de- populated and ect
It is impossible for minorities including Kurds to live in harmony with those states.
@@KevinGACMk thank you so much for point that out I absolutely agree with that. I am a Kurdish and I can easily tell you that living amongst the states of Turkey Iran Syria and Iraq is never easy. Thanks to the English and the French that rejected our rights 100 years ago and the English 🏴 still does it so and is against a Kurdish state by all means
We will get our land one day
@@deniz3232 inşallah bra ❤️🤍💛💚✌🏻
You guys don't live in Turkiye and have weak opinions about us. I have met many kurds and they are pretty good people. One of them is more nationalist than me, opposes pkk. They have equal rights as all citizens. Many people who lived in east side is calling themself kurd even they more Turk than me or Syrian. You guys created racism, nazism, seperated people and expect other people to act like you. There isn't certain line that seperate us. We are anatolians and look alike.
@ You right we Kurds don’t live in Turkey. We live in Turkish prisons. There is not even one factory in Kurdistan but every single town and city is well- build prisons
do you have access to French missionaries' archives and German's state archives on the villages of Armenian converts in east/southeast Turkey?
Thank you for answering my question on the "central asian union". As european that deeply values the EU for all the reasons you explained, and cherishes NATO for keeping us safe from Russia (although it allowed us to get complacent and become dependent on the US for our security) I must admit I do not know much about the "stans". I know little about their history and I only met a few people from that region. I guess it seems to me that the reason for "sticking together" would be a joint interest in resisting Chinese and Russian (and maybe one day Indian and Iranian) influence, acting as a fairly powerful block that can leverage its geographical position instead of just being sandwiched between giants. On a security level, I suppose the biggest threat would be Russia, followed by Islamic extremists such as IS-K and the talibans. Again, sticking together would help them face this issues as a united front of people with a common history as imperial subjects with turkik-iranian cultural heritage. The main obstacles in my view would be the disparity between these states in terms of population and power, the crazy nature of turkmenistan's state (making it an unreliable partner) and the ethnic tensions in the area. And as you pointed out, the lack of a complex governmental structure in these countries (which are still led by strongmen or outright dictators, as far as I know) makes it hard to build a reliable framework for lasting cooperation on the level of NATO or the EU. I wonder if these countries would need to democratize further before starting the process of building a Union or, thanks to the agility that comes with autocracy (as well as the greater capacity of those regimes to ignore dissatisfied segments of the population that would suffer from the establishment of a common market) they could actually build a framework faster by relying on personal ties between their leaders (it would be a house of cards, but still they would have a roof over their heads).
China and Russia would try their best to divide and conquer, anyway.
Still, one can hope that the people of their region can recognize their shared cultural ties and their common interests, and become a regional player of their own.
Free kurdishstan. I hope turkiye, Syria,Iran and Iraq give independence to kurdishstan
it is nor kurdishstan
O İŞ OKADAR KOLAY DEĞİL, KENDİNE BAŞKA BİR İŞ BUL SOYTARI!🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷
It's simply not possible to create a Kurdish state. There's no economic or political incentive for any of those countries to create a Kurdish country, nor would Kurds in the region really benefit all that much from it considering they'd be stripped of economic activities in their land and instead be forced to develop on their own accord. There's also the rationale that the Kurds could just oppress other ethnic and religious minorities so what would be the purpose then
O biraz sıkar 🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷
ORASININ ADI KÜRDİSTAN DEĞİL, GÜNEYDOĞU ANADOLU BÖLGESİDİR. KÜRT VATANDAŞLARIMIZIN YOĞUN OLDUĞU BÖLGE OLMASI ORAYI KÜRDİSTAN YAPMAZ, GERİ ZEKALI! 🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷
Central Asian union won't be possible because all central Asian countries except Tajikistan, are Turkic and Turkic countries already have a union headed by Turkey which is willing to excert its power in that region despite pressure from Russia, China and Iran. They need a connection link to attach Turkey to Azerbaijan directly and through Caspian Sea to Turkmenistan. Qarabagh war was a part of this plan. Azerbaijan took its occupied land back from Armenia. Now Azerbaijan and Turkey want to take Armenian land in Syunik area to connect Turkey to Azerbaijan. Armenian population and Iran are totally against this idea. In brief, it is impossible at the moment because of conflicting interests.