And "to" seems the right word, because this was done to Turkey by Recip Tayyip Erdogan and his political machine. International electoral monitors cite fraud; so too does the powerful Republican People's Party. That hardly matters, it seems. Turkish election officials will not allow a recount. And so even if cheated, it is a victory for … Continue reading What the hell just happened to Turkey?
Nature abhors a vacuum; so too does geopolitics. The nation-state has conquered the world, and it cannot abide an empty place on the map for long. The collapse of the Syrian state has left behind such a vacuum. The question has never been if it will be filled; short of human extinction, that is inevitable. … Continue reading Turkey Goes Into Syria: Or, Understanding How To Influence People With Tanks
There was a time not so long ago when it seemed like the Middle East's worst problems were either endless cycles of tit-for-tat violence or mind-numbing stagnation. In 2010, it was possible to think Ghaddafi was going to die in his bed and that Saudi Arabia was a pretty stable, albeit deeply dull, place. Sure, … Continue reading ISIS Is Going to Change Everything In the Middle East
In my previous post, I posited that Kurdistan as an independent state is inevitable. There's basically two reasons for that: 1). When regions fall into anarchy, oppressed groups get shots they wouldn't otherwise have As the Middle East slides into a more or less permanent state of chaos, Kurdistan will have a chance in two … Continue reading What Kurdistan Will Probably Look Like
A Kurd is not a piece of cheese often used in one of Canada's most treasured of national dishes. It's a type of human being. For most of history, they've been ignored, oppressed, conquered, and passed by, as greater powers nearby sought to use them as a buffer. But now it's looking more and more … Continue reading The Coming of Kurdistan Is Inevitable
