#next targets: arabia and the ottoman empire

[slutcore-starships]

OUGHE I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO WIN THR OPIUM WARS ONLY TOOK LIKE FOUR TRIES . THIS GAME

[cincinnatusvirtue]

Battle of Alcacer Quibir (1578 AD) (Battle of the Three Kings).  Portugal’s attempt at colonialism in Morocco backfires and a new Moroccan dynasty secures its independence from foreign intervention.

 Overview:

-Morocco’s history is largely driven by its strategic location.  The Northwest corner of Africa at the tip of the Sahara Desert region, just south of the Iberian Peninsula in Southern Europe and hugging the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea at the Atlantic Ocean.  Its position was crucial to geostrategic considerations with access to so many sea & overland trade routes.

-Its native peoples were Berber or Amazigh who encountered the Greeks & Romans of antiquity, they were a varied people across North Africa united by some common language and customs.  After the rise & spread of Islam by Arabs from the Middle East, North Africa including Morocco became a target of conquest and religious conversion.   The Berbers in time took on the Islamic religion while somewhat retaining their own customs.  Gradually, they took on a cultural Arabization that takes place today with most of Morocco’s population being ethnic Berbers with Arab acculturalization becoming Arab-Berbers.  There were however some Arab colonists who migrated from the Arabian Peninsula, Syria and other parts of the Middle East who settled & setup their lives in Morocco mixing with the local Berbers.  Arabs & Berbers went on to invade the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AD under the Visigoth Kingdom which they largely over threw aside from the north of modern day Spain.  In time Muslim dynasties ruled in Iberia and the Arabs and Berbers set up a colonial presence there while some Visigoths and Iberian Romans converted to Islam making up the majority of Iberia’s population well into the Middle Ages and the combination of Arabs, Berbers & European converts to Islam became known as Moors which covered no single ethnic group but rather the cultural ties that bonded these various peoples, though was previously used to describe just Berbers.  

-In time, civil war amongst the Muslim dynasties that came & went along with the Reconquista, a centuries long Christian Crusade to rid the Iberian Peninsula of a Muslim presence weakened the Moorish hold over southern Europe.  Arab & Berber dynasties from Morocco would often intervene in Iberia to reverse the tide of misfortune befallen its Muslims but inevitably they too would be brushed aside or retreat to Morocco which had become so intertwined with Iberia at that point.  By the end of the 15th century, the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim power in Iberia had fallen.  The Kingdoms of Portugal & Spain had arisen from earlier Iberian Christian kingdoms and become more powerful than their Muslim rivals.

-Complicating matters was the rise of the Turkish Islamic dynasty in the east, the Ottoman Empire.  By the 15th & 16th centuries, The Ottomans found themselves masters of the eastern Mediterranean and in competition with the Spanish Hapsburgs for control of the Mediterranean Sea.  By then Spain had established dynastic control over parts of Italy & small colonial possessions on the coasts of North Africa spreading from Morocco to Libya.  This was contested by the local Arab-Berber presence and the Ottomans.  Likewise the Ottomans were overtaking North Africa from both their European rivals & the Arab-Berber dynasties of North Africa.  Though direct Ottoman power would be varied depending on location and sometimes they relied on governors of theirs to rule in their stead, which in turn became increasingly semi-autonomous.  these dynasties engaged in piracy of European trade and in particular in the enslavement of European Christians giving rise to the Barbary Pirates of Barbary Corsairs, so named for the Barbary (Berber) Coast of North Africa from which they operated, ranging in port cities from Morocco to Libya.

-The Ottomans and Spanish eyed Morocco as an area of political control.  The Ottomans hoping to make it a protectorate like the rest of North Africa and the Spanish a home to various ports to counteract the Ottoman attacks against their shipping lanes.  Meanwhile, Spain had for the last century engaged in exploration and conquest of the so called New World, the Americas.  Spain’s other Iberian counterpart, the Kingdom of Portugal, likewise has engaged in colonization and conquest with the Americas, namely Brazil.  Both Spain & Portugal saw it in their interest to secure the shipping to their ports from the threat of Ottoman and other Muslim piracy which confiscated their gold and other raw materials from the Americas.  To this end they were determined to and did indeed conquer Moroccan port cities.  Likewise the previous overland Trans-Saharan trade routes of gold, ivory and enslaved Sub-Saharan Africans which had previously enriched the Arabs & Berbers were of less importance due to both European investment in the Americas and control of Moroccan ports.  This had lead to impoverishment of the Moroccan economy & flight of its many intellectuals draining its infrastructure and governance as well.

The Power Players:

Morocco & domestic politics...

-16th century Morocco had seen the foreign encroachment of the Portuguese & Spanish hold strong.  Portugal held many of its Atlantic ports while Spain its Mediterranean.  Meanwhile, the Ottomans who had overtaken neighboring Algeria were threating invasion to oust the Europeans but likewise overrule the local Arab-Berber population.

-At the start of the century Morocco was nominally ruled by the Berber dynasty known as the Wattasids.  They had come to power in 1472 AD overthrowing their fellow Berbers, the Marinids.  However, Wattasid rule only held sway in the north of Morocco with their kingdom being centered around the city of Fez.  The south of the country was much more divided into various principalities and the populace in general resented the Wattasids for their seeming political and military impotence to eject the Europeans from their port cities.  They failed in their promise to recapture these cities time & again.  

-In the south of Morocco, a new power was rising that promised to remove the weak Wattasids & eject all foreign influence on Morocco.  This new promising power was the Saadi dynasty.  The Saadis were of Arab origin with a known ancestor going back to 13th century Arabia from the port city of Yanbu on the Red Sea who migrated to Morocco.  The family is generally considered to be of Sharifian origin, which is an Arab honorific word meaning “noble or highborn” and reserved by Arabs for descendants from the Prophet Muhammad.  The Saadis claimed descent through Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah and her marriage to Ali ibn Abi Talib, the prophet’s cousin & companion.  The descent to the Saadis then continued through Ali & Fatimah’s son Hassan and as descendants of Hassan, the Saadis became known as Hassanids and were given the title of Sharif.  Whereas descendants of Muhammad’s other grandson through Ali & Fatimah, Husayn were given the honorific title of Sayyid.

-The descent from Muhammad of the Saadi dynasty is a matter of some political conjecture, with their rivals trying to down play it as mere propaganda.  Others will concede they descended from a relative of Muhammad but not his daughter Fatimah herself.  It will probably be next to impossible to establish its veracity but it was promoted by the dynasty along with numerous other Islamic dynasties throughout history even into the present.

-The Saadis derive their name from the word for “happiness or salvation” and were settled by the 14th century in Morocco from their Arab ancestors in the southern part of the country.  Centered around the city of Tagmadert in the Draa River valley.  It was a region that neared the Sahara Desert.  It was here that the family intermixed with the Arab-Berber populace and gave rise to the popularity of Sufism in Morocco.  Sufism is a form of Islamic mysticism akin to the Kabbalah in Judaism or Gnosticism in Christianity.

-The chief (Sharif) of the Saadi family circa 1510 was Abu Abdallah al-Qaim who ventured to Medina in modern day Saudi Arabia as part of his religious pilgrimage and evidently while there had a dream involving two lions leading a large crowd of people to a tower.  Taking this mystical vision as a sign he visited with a Sufi mystic who confirmed it as God’s mission for his son’s who would play a crucial role in the family and indeed Moroccan history.   Al-Qaim returned to Morocco and aligned with the Sufi orders in the south of Morocco around the Draa Valley and organized them into a military order to declare jihad on both the Wattasids & the Europeans with a now holy mission to save Morocco.

-The Saadis gradually overtook by force and diplomacy much of southern Morocco’s other principalities.  They captured the city of Tidsi in 1510 and al-Qaim’s two sons ventured to Fez to beseech the Wattasid sultan to undertake a nationwide jihad against the Europeans.  When this did not materialize the Saadis gradually felt it was their duty to save the nation.

-The Saadis began a campaign against the Portuguese ports in the south of Morocco and had gradual success in retaking these port cities.  Making them increasingly popular with the locals at the expense of the Wattasids in Fez.  1524 saw the Saadis capture the city of Marrakesh.  Al Qaim’s son Mohammed al-Shaykh became the leader of the dynasty in 1517 and Al-Shaykh’s campaign against the Portuguese now turned to the Wattasids.  His brother Ahmad Al-Araj was placed in charge of Marrakesh while Al-Shaykh controlled the city of Taroudannt and in 1527 the Saadis defeated the Wattasids in the Battle of Wadi al-Abid after which they recoginzed a divided dominion in the south for the Saadis and north for the Wattasids. 

-However, Al-Araj & Al-Shaykh soon turned on each other and the brothers engaged in a civil war with Al-Araj seeking Wattasid assistance.  Additionally he fought the Portuguese and successfully took the port city of Agadir in 1541 which led to other port cities to be evacuated by the Portuguese.  His brother was defeated and fled to eastern Morocco to live out his days in exile.  Meanwhile, the Wattasid capital of Fez was captured in 1549 using a reformed army that was based on the Ottoman model, including modern artillery.

-The capture of Fez gave the Saadis a chance to now attack Portuguese ports in the north with more success.  However, some cities like Tangier remained in Portuguese hands.  

-The Saadis also expanded into Western Algeria and captured a portion of that territory.

-Meanwhile Saadian expansion, concerned the Ottomans who hoped for it to become a protectorate.  The ousted Wattasids cut a deal with the Turks to invade Morocco, oust the Saadis and become Turkish vassals in their own right.

-Al-Shaykh and the Saadis were driven out of Fez in 1554 by a combined Wattasid-Ottoman-Algerian army.  The recapture was short lived as in the September of 1554, the Saadian army once more met the Wattasids & Turks in the Battle of Tadla and defeated them, the Wattasid ruler, Ali Abu Hassun was killed by the Saadian troops in battle and ended the threat of their dynasty.

-Al-Shaykh having united the country against the Europeans with success, having defeated his brother, the Wattasids & Ottomans had unified his rule over Morocco as undisputed Sultan.  The Saadi dynasty was now firmly established, but much work remained and in the process of the Saadian conquest they had made many enemies.

-1557 saw plans for Morocco to ally with the Spanish against the Turks who still sought a foothold in Morocco.  As this came to fruition, the Ottoman governor of Algeria ordered Sultan Al-Shaykh’s assassination.  A number of Ottoman assassins claiming to be deserters infiltrated the Saadian armed guard of the Sultan, earning his trust before killing him.

- Al-Shaykh had multiple sons but three sons: Al-Ghalib, Al-Malik & Al-Mansur who would all play important roles in the coming years.  

-Al-Ghalib being the oldest became the new sultan of Morocco.  He had to defend against an Ottoman Algerian invasion in 1558 which was successfully halted at the Battle of Wadi al-Laban.  The battle was inconclusive itself but word had reached the Turco-Algerian forces of a Spanish counterinvasion of Algeria and they were forced to turn back, sparing Morocco a potential take over.

-As so often happens in history, the concern over dynastic struggle takes place.  Worried about civil war with his younger brothers Al-Malik & Al-Mansur, the two younger siblings went into exile with the Ottoman Empire, visiting its capital of Constantinople and living in Turkey with lavish existence.

-The two exiled Saadi princes served in the Ottoman army, battling in the famous 1571 naval confrontation off the Greek coast known as the Battle of Lepanto against Spain and a Holy League.  It was a Christian victory that cost the Turks their best naval commanders and while their navy did replenish its numbers it never again had the level of experienced commanders and subsequently its training and experience stagnated, beginning a slow withdrawal from direct Ottoman involvement in the Mediterranean.  Likewise, Lepanto contributed to the rise in its North African governors taking de-facto power for themselves.  Giving rise to the age of the Barbary Corsairs who operated out of the North African city-states of Tunis, Algiers, Tripoli and later various Moroccan ports with these pirates peaking their powers in the 17th century and lasting until well into the 19th century.

-Al-Ghalib fought the Spanish and Turks and for 17 years kept Morocco in virtual peace.  He improved the economy and built new mosques and other architecture, raising the stature of Marrakesh, which became the primary center of Saadian power.

-Al-Ghalib died of asthma in 1574 and was succeeded by his son, Abdallah Mohammed.  Abdallah Mohammed like his father suspected struggle with brothers, one of whom was killed on his orders while the other was imprisoned.  The reign of Abdallah however was challenged by his uncles Al-Malik & Al-Mansur.  Now in Ottoman Algeria, they invaded Morocco with Ottoman backing in 1576

-Fez was captured by the Ottoman backed Saadian prince Al-Malik.  Whose now ousted nephew Abdallah Mohammed fled first to Spain and ironically then to Portugal, former enemy of his grandfather & great-grandfather.

-1576 saw Al-Malik take power but with the understanding that he was a de-facto vassal of the Ottomans.  However, his nephew sought to regain the throne and was willing to work with Portugal to regain it...

Portugal & King Sebastian...

-Sebastian of Portugal was born in 1554 and a member of the Aviz dynasty which had ruled Portugal since 1385 and was responsible for Portugal’s global empire, sometimes in competition with neighboring Spain.  They had established control of Brazil in the Americas and had colonies as far flung as Macau in China, parts of India where they fought against the Ottomans in the Indian Ocean and even in Africa with control of Angola, Mozambique and elsewhere.  Though the Portuguese and Spanish had rival colonial ambitions they had a common enemy against the Ottomans and Portugal in particular conflicted with the Turks in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Ethiopia and other parts of Africa.

-Sebastian’s mother was of the Hapsburg dynasty that had ruled Austria and Spain which with Spain’s global empire had become the most powerful dynasty in Europe if not the world.  His grandfather was Charles V and uncle was Philip II of Spain.

-His father died when he was an infant and his mother later remarried in Spain. while his grandmother Catherine of Austria helped raise him.  He grew to be tall and physically fit.  He was also given a stern religious upbringing under Jesuits tasked with his education.

-He technically took the throne at age three with the death of his paternal grandfather and a regency was put in place for him.  As he grew older he became more stubborn in his personality but was always devoutly religious.  Sebastian also had several marriage proposals made but none had come to fruition.

-Under his personal rule he improved relations with Spain, France, England & the Holy Roman Empire wanting to secure the peace and trade of all for his global empire.  He also rewarded natives in Brazil who aided the Portuguese against the French by giving them their own grants of land and freed them from slavery by decree.  He also restructured the laws of administration and the judiciary in Portugal.  Hoping to expand education for his people, he also created royal scholarships for students of medicine at university.

-Finally, he sough to patronize the arts with poems  & operas being written during this time and dedicated to him.  He also reformed the military which proved successful in fending off attacks in India against the Portuguese colony of Goa.

-However, one everlasting goal of his since 1568 at the age of 14 was to conquer Morocco by Crusade against the Saadi dynasty which had expelled the Portuguese from control over numerous ports.  These ports were important as way stations for Portuguese ships traveling in India where its colonies were important in the spices, gems & other precious commodities trade.  A combination of religious fervor and economic concerns over nearby Morocco guided Sebastian.

-The opportunity for his Crusade arose in 1576 with the ouster of former Saadian Sultan Abdallah Mohammed who had been overthrown by his uncle, the Ottoman backed Al-Malik.  

-Abdallah Mohammed had fled first to Spain and then Portugal asking for aid in the restoration of his throne.  After which he promised his support against the Turks, Portugal & Spain’s principal rival.  Sebastian was intrigued by the offer and visited with his uncle, Philip II of Spain to discuss joint plans for a combined Portuguese-Spanish invasion of Morocco to restore Abdallah Mohammed as their friendly ally who would allow future use of Moroccan ports for trade and as launching points against Ottoman Algeria.  Philip refused to participate whole heartedly since he sought a treaty with the Ottomans to give some much needed breathing space for other concerns, namely England.  He did offer a smattering of Spanish volunteers though.

-Despite Spain’s lack of full commitment, Sebastian decided to go it alone.  Absolutely convinced of the technological superiority and training of his army against the Moroccan army.  Technically this was true with advances in gunpowder driven small arms, artillery and armor being superior along with overall discipline.  Whereas Morocco relied on light cavalry, had less artillery and mostly ill trained and ill equipped irregular troops.

The invasion and Battle of Alcaber Quibir.

-Sebastian began preparations for summer campaign in 1578.  He departed Lisbon with an army of 17,000 men made up of Portuguese regulars at foreign mercenaries from Germany, Spain, Italy & the Netherlands.  He also asked the Portuguese nobility to accompany him.  Convinced the campaign would be quick, he wanted to demonstrate his power before them while also establishing colonial holdings in a Portuguese controlled Morocco.  Some nobles brought over their whole retinues & families as well as a fully stocked kitchens, portable chapels and even a whole church choir, giving the crusade an almost picnic or hunting expedition feel for some.

-The fleet stopped at Cadiz for the promised Spanish volunteers, they did not materialize and so on they sailed for Morocco.  Arriving in June south of Tangier they joined Abdallah Mohammed with 6,000 loyal Moorish troops.

-Upon reaching the shores and in front of his still disembarking nobility Sebastian and a small contingent chased away an enemy contingent.  This demonstrated to many assembled that Sebastian was a brave commander fully confident in his mission.  To some of his commanders though there was concern it might mean he was also too headstrong to listen to reason.

-They suggested to the king that he first capture ports along the coast and avoid venturing into the interior of Morocco at this juncture.  The ports would be important for reopening Portuguese trade and weakening the Moroccan economy.  From there they could also resupply by sea for future operations, typically sound military advice.

-Sebastian did not heed the caution, he sought a decisive victory to end the campaign quick.  He ordered a march into the Moroccan interior.  Despite knowing he would face a numerically superior opponent.  Confident Portuguese technology, training & God’s will were on their side.

-Al-Malik as Sultan of Morocco, took advantage of the Turkish backing, training his troops in advanced Ottoman techniques and acquiring some Turkish arquebusiers (early muskets) and artillery.  Nevertheless, the majority of his forces were Berber and Arab irregulars from the Moroccan countryside or Moors expelled from Iberia, though some Ottoman Turks and Algerians had joined in the army.  While his army was of poorer quality training & technology, it was made up for in raw numbers of men and morale for defense of their homeland.

-Al-Malik also suffered one more setback going into the battle, his own health was suffering by some undisclosed illness, possibly the plague.  Only his brother (Al-Mansur) and physician knew of this illness as Al-Malik did not want to discourage his troops morale, to it was kept secret.  He rode out from Marrakesh with at fast speed the drive of which gave Al-Malik barely any rest and only worsened his condition.  Al-Mansur rode out from Fez and the two planned to meet and intercept the invaders & their nephew’s army.

-The two opposing armies would meet at the town of Ksar-el-Kebir rendered in Portuguese as Alcacer Quibir.  Sebastian had 23,000 troops at his disposal against the Moroccan 50,000 strong under Al-Malik.  Fearing being outflanked by a larger foe, he ordered his forces in a fortified square.  Placing his artillery & arquebusiers in the front with cavalry & pikemen in the rear on the sides.

-Al-Malik was so ill he had to be strapped to his horse.  He would choose to give a rousing speech to his troops before the battle’s start.  His army formed in a crescent shape

-The battle began with volleys of artillery & arquebusiers from both sides while the Crusaders elite cavalry charged the Moroccan center.  The Portuguese made headway until Al-Malik and his personal bodyguard and other cavalry rode out to blunt the charge and hold the center.  Likewise he signaled Al-Mansur to command the tribal horsemen from the Berber tribes of the northern mountains of Morocco he had been hidden in reserve with the goal of enveloping the main Portuguese square which was now without the use of its best cavalry.  Al-Malik has setup a surprise trap.  now the task of enveloping the whole Portuguese army was to begin.

-Al Malik and his bodyguard joined his brother while the Moroccan center reorganized having surrounded the Portuguese cavalry.  Seeing what was happening, Sebastian rode out personally leading his reserve heavy knights & nobles along with the horsemen of his ally, the deposed Abdallah Mohammed.  The goal was to take down Al-Malik personally and break the Moroccan army’s morale.

-The retinues of all three kings met in the middle, with Al-Malik losing many men around him but the sultan and his bodyguard fought on while his brother Al-Mansur continued with the encirclement of the main square.  

-Al-Mansur’s cavalry encircled the square and using dragoon tactics charged the square only to turn around just before being impaled by the Portuguese pikemen.  Once the Moroccan horse pirouetted around the rider fired their musket at point blank range inflicting casualties on the European infantry.  This tactic continued for hours in order to wear down the Crusaders.

-Meanwhile, Sebastian and his retinue fell back trying to rally the square.  Soon the whole square was attacked on all sides.  At some point while bravely fighting he lead another charge and was cut down, his body never recovered.  He was only 24 years old and without wife or heir.

-Eventually the flanks of the Portuguese square were worn down and soon the Moroccans pushed onto the center which overwhelmed it.

-The battle ended after four hours of heavy fighting resulting in a decisive Moroccan victory.  Sebastian had been killed in the fighting along with much of the nobility with 8,000 Crusader & Moorish troops in the Portuguese army dying.  Another 15,000 troops including their camp followers were taken prisoner and enslaved.  Roughly only 100 are believed to have escaped to the coast or Portuguese controlled ports.  Abdallah Mohammed had escaped the battle on horseback but drowned crossing a river in hasty escape.  However, for Al-Malik and the Moroccan army, it was costly too.  Al-Malik, sick with a fever and plague died of natural cause due to over exertion due to riding on horseback and personally fighting, the exact point he died is uncertain but kept secret from his army so as not to break their morale until after the battle had been decided.  The Moroccan army also suffered around 7,000 dead according to Portuguese sources as the bravery and determination of the Portuguese were acknowledged despite their defeat.  With the deaths of Sebastian & the rival Saadian sultans Abdallah Mohammed & Al-Malik, the day be became known as the Battle of the Three Kings.

-Though it could be called the battle of four kings as Al-Malik’s younger brother and second in command, Al-Mansur would become his heir and successor as Sultan of Morocco.  Al-Mansur also became the pinnacle of the Saadian dynasty reigning from 1578 until 1603 during which time he was the absolute ruler of a Morocco that was unified and expansive.  He extended control to parts of Algeria and southward into Mauretania & Mali where he conquered the Songhai Empire and revived the important gold, ivory & African slave trade overland routes of the Trans-Sahara, vastly improving Morocco’s economy.  He also went on to eject the Ottoman influence and  army from his court.  Asserting an independent Morocco free of European and Turkish influence.  While there remained some European controlled ports, Al-Mansur was mostly successful in stabilizing his country.  He also built up Marrakesh & Fez including vast palaces and the Saadian Tombs, considered the peak of Saadian architecture.

-After Al-Mansur’s death in 1603 Morocco fell into civil war and relative chaos once more.  As had typified the Saadian dynasty from the start, the sons fought over control of the country.  This time, the Moroccans had joint sultans who ruled divided portions of the country, creating a power vacuum that allowed for the rise of Barbary Corsairs and their pirates republics which would claim de-facto independence from the sultans, most notably the Republic of Sale headed by the Dutch privateer turned Barbary pirate, Jan Janszoon Van Haarlem also known by his Muslim name as Murad Reis the Younger.

-Eventually the Saadi dynasty was overthrown in the mid 17th century by the Alaouite dynasty which was another Arab Sharifian dynasty and which rules Morocco to this day.  Though the Saadis are still regarded by the Moroccans for their architecture and role in securing an independent and stable Morocco, free from foreign influence.

-As for Portugal, it lost its king without an heir and much of its nobility.  It was in this power vacuum that subsequently it was overtaken by the Kingdom of Spain being in a so called Iberian Union for the next 60 years before it became independent once again.

-Meanwhile, the Ottomans increasingly lost their ability to have a direct hold over North Africa altogether and despite nominal over lordship of Egypt to Algeria, Morocco remained relatively untouched by Turkish influence, given it a special place in the Muslim world.  Additionally, the Turks with a stagnating navy turned their attention to expansion in the Middle East and Europe with the 17th century being the start of a long stagnation for them as well, their best days long behind them.

-The Battle of Alcacer Quibir fought on August 4th, 1578 was the culmination of domestic and foreign power struggles for Morocco, the product of colonial and imperial desires amid a succession crisis and civil war.  Ironically, it triggered a succession crisis in the invading country and resolved one in the very country that triggered the foreign intervention.  It was also a case in point of the arrogant illusion of the inevitability of European and Ottoman colonialism in North Africa and of course became a great symbolic victory in the psyche of an independent Morocco...

[mandrocles]

Colonies and protectorates

In general empires have various relationships with parts of the empire outside the core area, which are usually variants of sovereignty over colonies and suzerainty over protectorates. In recent centuries the ottoman and spanish empires were mostly colonial, the english empire was mixed, and the soviet and american empires mostly had or have protectorates.

My impression is that while accidents of history and power relationships have some influence, in general empires created by political powers aim to have sovereignty over colonies, while empires created for the benefit of businesses tend to have suzerainty over protectorates.

Of this the mixed nature of the english empire 1600-1950 seems to me most illustrative: a large part of India was an english protectorate, as set up by the english East India Company (in which the english royalty had a large investment), but most of the militarily important stage points between England and India were english colonies (Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, Aden, Kenya on the eastern side, and various african colonies on the west side). Usually the colonies were next to protectorates.

In our time in general the only remaining big empire, the USA empire, is made of protectorates (Europe, central and south America, Arabia, east Asia, southern Pacific) because those are the areas that are of main interest to USA businesses as targets markets or suppliers of materials.

There are many american colonies but they tend to be smallish and strategic military places, like Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, Aden were for the english empire.

As to USA protectorates they tend to fall in three groups that partially overlap:

Those like most of north America (including most USA states), Europe and east Asia that lack materials and whose value to the USA elites is mostly as target markets or loosely strategic, and for the latter reason they tend to have many USA permanent military bases, but otherwise are allowed to have some self government as democracies and latitude of policy as long as they give free access to USA based businesses.

Those like some parts of central and south America and Arabia that supply materials, where the USA elites prefer authoritarian governments as a way to more directly control them.

The less important ones, like most of Africa and much of south America and south-east Asia, whose importance is loosely strategic, and usually don't matter very much to USA businesses, and have sometimes non-permanent USA bases.

Note: there are also countries so insignificant that they are pretty much ignored by the USA business and political elites, but they are still very loosely USA protectorates as they fall within the region of operations of one of the USA armed forces "combatant commands".

Being under somewhat loose USA domination in countries in group 1 is fairly good, because it comes with permission to export to USA markets. For most people in countries in group 2 USA domination does them no favours, but their elites are very well rewarded. People and elites in countries in group 3 are mostly left alone by the USA, as long as they don't have the impertinence of aligning with potential rival powers.

A large part of the troubles of China-mainland in their relationship with the USA elites is that their elites used the privilege of exporting to the USA like countries in group 1 (e.g. Germany, Japan), but with the insolence of behaving as an independent power in recent years.

[autodidact-adventures]

World War I (Part 10): The Ottoman Turks

Turkey and the Ottoman Empire had nothing directly to do with the July crisis that lead up to WW1, but it would not have happened were it not for them.  If the Ottoman Empire hadn't been falling apart, the Hapsburgs wouldn't have annexed Bosnia, and there wouldn't have been an independent Serbia.  Nor would there have been a power vacuum in the Balkans, which Russia and Austria-Hungary were pulled into, and thus into that level of conflict with each other.

It wasn't just the decline, but the also the earlier rise of the Ottoman Empire that caused the Balkan situation.  The Ottomans had ruled the Balkan peninsula for 500 years.  At their peak, they reached west into Italy, north into Austria, Hungary and Russia, and all the way around the Black Sea.  By 1914, the Ottoman Empire still stretched across the Middle East to the Arabian Peninsula, although they had little territory in Europe.

The Ottman dynasty began with the Turko-Mongolian chieftain Osman I (c.1299 – 1323/34) in eastern Turkey.  From there, they expanded in all directions.  In 1354 they entered Europe, and in 1343 they took Constantinople, the heart of the Byzantine Empire.  From then onwards, Constantinople would be their home.  The Hagia Sophia, a Roman building, was turned into a mosque.

They kept expanding for another century after that, taking all of Eastern Europe south of the Danube, as well as other regions.  Selim I (ruled 1512-20) won a battle that gave them Algeria, Egypt, Palestine and Syria, doubling the empire's size.

As their power increased, the Ottoman rulers kept harems instead of marrying – sometimes hundreds of women, kept as property and prisoners.  They weren't allowed any contact with other man, except for eunuchs who served as their custodians (most of them were Africans).

Ten generations after Osman I, the Ottomans reached their peak with Selim I's son, Sultan Suleiman the Lawmaker (the Magnificent to the Christians) – but they also began their decline.  His rule was from 1520-66.

Suleiman I (c.1530).

Suleiman personally led the army in 13 campaigns.  Under him, they took Belgrade and Budapest, and even besieged Vienna; however, they were unable to capture it because heavy rain prevented them from bringing the heavy guns north.  Suleiman was a builder, and he made Constantinople grander and more beautiful than ever before.  He was also a poet, and a student of the works of Aristotle.

He had about 300 women in his harem, but everything changed when he was given Ghowrem, a red-haired Russian girl who'd been captured in a slave raid in modern Poland.  She would be called Roxelana and the Hürrem Sultan, and also be known as “the witch”.  After she arrived, Suleiman stopped having sex with his other women, and he eventually married her, which no Ottoman sultan had done for centuries.

Suleiman's son was called Mustafa, and he was a promising heir.  He was an excellent military leader, a capable provincial governor, and a popular hero.  But Roxelana wanted her own son, Selim II, to rule, so she persuaded Suleiman that Mustafa was plotting against him. Mustafa was overpowered and strangled with five professional executors, with Suleiman watching.  The executors had had their eardrums broken so they wouldn't hear any secrets, and their tongues slit so they couldn't speak of what they saw.

Selim II (also called Selim the Sot) succeeded Suleiman, and he was useless.  He was short, fat and a drunkard, and never fought in any war.  After 8yrs, he fell down in his marble bath, fractured his skull, and died.

His son Murad III was next, but he was also a drunkard, as well as being addicted to opium.  He reigned for 20yrs, and had 103 children, but didn't do much else.

Mehmed III succeeded him in 1595.  At the start of his reign, he ordered all his brothers to be put to death, including the children. The sultans who followed him would do the same.  Like Murad III, he spent the rest of his life on copulation and not much else.  And so the pattern continued.

When a sultan died, all his women would be moved far away, and kept in strict solitude for the rest of their lives.  Any who were pregnant would be murdered, usually by being drowned in sacks.  The younger brothers and half-brothers of the new sultan would be murdered, too, usually by strangulation.  Even the babies were killed.

A windowless building called the Cage was built, and the ruler's heirs were kept here from early childhood, until they either died (of natural causes or not), or succeeded to the throne, having been taught absolutely nothing.  Thus the decline of the Ottoman Empire continued rapidly, with useless, ignorant sultans, some of whom had spent decades in the Cage.  As rulers, they could do what they liked, no matter what it was.  Often they would kill or main anyone they wished for any reason, such as playing the wrong music or smoking, or for no reason at all.

Between Suleiman I and WW1, only one sultan displayed any of Suleiman's abilities – Murad IV (reigned 1623-40).  He became sultan when he was 10yrs old, and he'd been too young to be imprisoned in the Cage.  He was the first ruler to be a soldier since the time of Suleiman, and he led the army into Persia & savagely put down an uprising there.

Murad IV.

But he was still very much like the others – in fact, he was even crueller than most sultans.  In 1637 alone, 25,000 people within the empire were killed, and many of them by Murad himself.  He claimed the right to kill 10 innocent people per day, and sometimes he'd just sit on a palace wall & shoot randomly at people passing by.  At night, he visited Constantinople's taverns, and anyone found smoking would be killed right then.

Kara Ali, his chief executioner, followed Murad everywhere he went. In his belt he carried various tools of torture and murder, including gimlets, nails, clubs, and canisters with different kinds of powder for blinding people.

Unlike nearly all the other sultans, Murad had no children.  His brother Ibrahim was his heir, and he'd been living in the Cage since the age of 2yrs.  On his deathbed, Murad ordered Ibrahim to be killed, but the order was not obeyed, as he was the last living member of the Ottoman dynasty.

Ibrahim reigned from 1640-48.  He built up a harem of 280 women, but upon hearing a probably-untrue report that one of them was romantically involved with an eunuch, he had them all drowned.

The Ottoman Empire was by now a good target for other powerful countries/empires.  In 1798, Napoléon Bonaparte invaded Egypt and conquered it easily.  He was driven out by the British navy, not by the Turks or their Egyptian subjects.  More and more, the survival of the Ottoman Empire was a result not of their military or political strength, but of the rivalries of the European powers.  They continued through the 1800's because Britain and France stopped Russia from finishing them off.

But in the century leading up to 1914, the Ottomans lost war after war.  War with their own Turkish satraps, who wanted to achieve autonomy in Egypt, Syria, and other places.  War with Arab chieftains who were seeking independence; with Persia; with the Balkan Christians.  Between 1806-78, they fought Russia four times and lost each time (although Russia didn't manage to take Constantinople).

In 1830, Britain seized Algeria in North Africa.  Around the same time, they began building a power base in Arabia (the Arabian Peninsula) and the Persian Gulf (also called the Arabian Gulf).

Persian Gulf.

Arabian Peninsula.

In 1853, the Crimean War broke out.  Russia invaded the Ottoman provinces south of the Danube, and if Britain and France hadn't intervened to stop them, the Ottomans might have been finished in Europe.

The Russo-Turkish War was 1877-78.  Britain again stopped Russia from destroying the Ottomans, because they worried that if Russia broke through to the south, their control of India and their position in the eastern Mediterranean region might be lost.

But by now, several other countries (including Britain) were taking over Ottoman European territory.  Austria-Hungary took Bosnia and Herzegovina, annexing it officially in 1908.  France took Tunisia & Morocco in North Africa, with British support.  (Germany opposed it so strongly that for a while it seemed like war would break out between them.)  Britain took Egypt and Cyprus, and Italy took Tripoli (modern Libya), as well as islands in the Aegean & Mediterranean.

Germany arrived to late to join in, so they focused on building ties with the Ottomans.  They began building a Berlin-Baghdad railway, and Wilhelm II paid a state visit to Constantinople and Jerusalem.

Enver Pasha was a young army officer who lead a group of attempted reformers called the Young Turks.  In 1908, when he was 27yrs old, they took control of the government, and introduced a constitution.

In 1912-13, the Turks were nearly driven entirely out of the Balkans when they lost the First Balkan War.  The ruling faction's prestige was seriously damaged by 1) this massive loss, 2) their failure to carry out the expected reforms, and 3) their failure to halt the empire's decline.  They were replaced by nationalist extremists led (again) by Pasha.  Some of the territory they lost during that war was regained during the Second Balkan War in 1913.

Enver Pasha (right) after the 1913 coup.

The second-last Ottoman sultan was Mehmed V.  He was as useless as his predecessors, and he was nothing more than a figurehead: nobody even pretended that he mattered.  He had been picked as a safe choice for the throne after boasting that he hadn't read a newspaper in over 30yrs.

In January 1914, Pasha left the army and became Minister of War.  In July, he made a secret defensive alliance with Germany.

Even though the Ottoman Empire had lost so much, as of July they were still geographically bigger than Austria-Hungary, Germany, and France combined.  They still ruled Arabia, which would soon emerge as the world's largest source of oil.  If war broke out, no-one knew whose side the Turks would fight on.  They would be either an important ally, or a rich and probably easy conquest.

[trendingnewsb]

I Visited Saudi Arabia Before They Opened The Country To Tourists, And Here’s What I Saw

Saudi Arabia was the world’s most difficult country to visit for a non-Muslim as it did not issue tourist visas. Only Muslims making the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, were allowed to enter.

But things may change as Head of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz announced that Saudi Arabia will begin issuing tourist visas in the first quarter of 2018.

A few years ago, the government issued tourist visas for a short time before doing putting an end to it and I was able to obtain one. This rare opportunity to visit a country that regularly makes the headlines allowed me to discover over the course of two weeks a culture preserved in a highly conservative society.

Before setting foot on Saudi territory, one must make sure to leave at home:

��� any alcohol (including alcohol filled chocolates);

– non-Muslim religious items;

– pork-based products;

– pornographic books;

– games of chance;

– medicines containing codeine.

More info: ericlafforgue.com

Throughout the stay, a police escort will clear the path for us – officially to make our movements easier

In fact, the Kingdom has been the target of many al-Qaeda attacks against Westerners for years… An additional reason not to open quickly the country to these potential targets.

“Start of the sacred area”

These arches that are highly visible on the roads around Jeddah mark the boundaries of the areas where non-Muslims may travel. Beyond them, the road leads to Mecca. Breaking the law can result in imprisonment or even death penalty.

Saudi people like saying that if you find an open door, you can go in and you will be offered some tea

Most of the time, you will be welcomed by an Indian servant and will never see any woman. This hospitality is a given in small villages, where you will be invited to drink tea and eat dates, the pride of the nation.

No, you are not in a Swiss chalet but in a tent in the Saudi desert

Urban families love to spend a few days in their tent, usually over the weekend. A modern version of the Bedouin life of their ancestors, but with satellite TV, air conditioning, and a fridge.

Falcon hunting in the Al Jouf desert

A pigeon is released into the air before a falcon chases it down. The owner jumps into his four-wheel drive to try and follow his bird of prey. But the hunt is short-lived – in less than a minute, the falcon has killed the pigeon. It receives its head and heart as a reward. The owner never leaves his pet out of his sight, and for good reason: the falcon cost him 20,000 dollars.

The Saudis worship camels

Many own farms in the desert where these animals are raised by Sudanese Rashaida. The most beautiful camels also generate substantial income thanks to the breeding services of the reproductive males.

This is an ancestral passion that can also be found on the rocks of Abar Hima, a site on the ancient incense road…

A hunter chasing a camel with a spear. Saudi Arabia is full of prehistoric petroglyphs on sites that are unprotected and accessible freely.

Each encounter with a Bedouin is an opportunity to taste some foamy camel milk

It is a protein-rich milk sold in supermarkets and it is reputed to have medicinal properties in the prevention of some forms of cancer.

Saudi Arabia is the world’s third largest producer of dates – they are all over the markets

The palm tree is one of the main symbols of the country. The stalls were deserted at the time of one of the five daily prayers because, a few minutes before, the muttawa, the religious police, came to remind the vendors of their duties and punish the ones who cheat.

The only women you will be able to talk to in the street: emigrants, who are all Muslim

Pictured here a Somali girl in the streets of old Jeddah.

Under the weight of ancestral traditions, women are deprived of many rights in Saudi Arabia

To go out, they must wear an abaya, like this young girl.

Without the permission of their male legal guardian, whether it be their husband, father or brother, women are denied freedom to do things

Some of them are as ordinary as enjoying a coffee in a patio, swimming at the pool, enrolling at the university, going to a restaurant with a man who is not a relative, traveling, or even riding a bicycle.

Revolver cases for men on the Najran market

In the south of the country, it is not unusual to see very young drivers

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women did not have the right to drive until late 2017. This was not stated in any law, but defying the ban put women – and their guardian – at risk of serious fines.

Saudi society has many rules on people’s social status

Families have a right to special treatment – they board planes first or enjoy reserved secluded space in restaurants. Single people also have special status and will, for instance, be grouped together to take a cable car. As a tourist, I enjoyed VIP family treatment.

Saudi men rub their noses together to say hello, like Eskimos!

They may also walk while holding hands in friendship. Do not mistake it for a sign of homosexuality, which is severely punished in Saudi Arabia though less so than extramarital affairs.

Many imagine the Kingdom to abound with luxury buildings and signs of wealth

But outside of the cities, the country remains rural and in some places, you can see scenes that are reminiscent of « biblical » times, like here with a camel turning the mill for the pressing of sesame oil.

A Somali girl begging in the streets of Jeddah

Since 2013, the authorities have carried out a campaign to send back hundreds of thousands of illegal migrant workers, resulting in abuses against many of them and their forced return in a country at war.

A flea market in Najran

Many places are more reminiscent of the Gaza strip than an oil state. Seeing my astonishment, the man explained that despite State assistance and the existence of many free services, the cost of living has forced him to sell these items. Saudi Arabia is home to many poor people and the government has launched plans to put an end to poverty.

Until recently, these towers were used as granaries

Some villages are surrounded by an outer defense wall and foreigners – including Saudis from other regions – are not welcome as the local tribes have famously kept their traditional way of life and reject the central authority.

The flower men live in Yemen and Saudi Arabia

They wear crowns made of flowers and herbs and live in the hills. Meeting them at the souk of Al Farsha was really special. Hospitality is a concept that is foreign to flower men. Some of them seem to have stepped out of ancient frescos. Our mandatory police escort couldn’t wait to leave.

The Bin Hamsan house in Khamis Mushayt, in the region of Aseer

Many of the modern houses remain brightly painted inside and outside. This art has become classified by UNESCO. Women were responsible for it.

The Sarat Habidah houses are made of adobe

To protect them from the rain, tile-shaped stones are placed all around them at regular intervals in order to ensure proper water drainage. The thick walls help keep temperatures cool in the scorching summer. At the top, there is a terrace to get fresh air.

Heritage conservation is a priority of the Saudi government. The forts were all renovated to perfection

The architecture of old Jeddah typically puts one in mind of the Tales of 1,001 Nights

Tall buildings covered with mashrabiya, wooden balconies that allowed women to see without being seen. Saudis have fled the old city, which has never been restored despite its classification by UNESCO. Only Somali, Pakistani and Yemeni refugees live there in precarious conditions.

Saudi Arabia also has mountains on its territory, like the one acting as a border with Yemen in the south

The Al Faifa mountain peaks at over 2,000 meters and is highly sought after by Saudis having to deal with the searing heat in the plains. Houses have proliferated on the slopes, each new one seeking to tower over the others.

No, this father is not in the desert

His house is at the top of Al Fifa mountain, with the best view in Saudi Arabia. But the real fun for him is to be in a room where he has set up… a Bedouin tent.

These traditional adobe and brick houses in Najran are called midmakh and are typical of the south

They reflect Yemen’s cultural influence in the area. They may have up to seven floors. The ground level is for the livestock. The next level is for human accommodation, complete with small windows to keep out the heat as well as intruders. As you climb up the building, the windows become larger to let in more light as well as cooler air.

Some of these residences were built centuries ago

Now, many Saudi families have kept their old houses for holidays or weekends. Fortunately, some Najran residents seem to be really keen to preserve their traditional homes, often modernizing them with metal roofs and air conditioning.

Madain Saleh is a sister city to Petra, Jordan

It is a UNESCO World Heritage site that is home to 111 perfectly preserved Nabatean tombs. The magic of the site also lies in the total absence of tourists, Coca-Cola sellers or souvenirs shops.

The Hijaz Railway was designed by the Ottoman empire to transport pilgrims to the holy cities of Medina and Mecca in the early 20th century

The railway was built in May 1900 and connected Damascus to Medina. The railway was sabotaged by Lawrence of Arabia during World War I. It stopped running in 1918. Some cars can still be spotted in the desert.

The Omar Ibn al-Khattab mosque

It was built with stones in 633 and is located in the town of Dawmat al-Jandal, an important crossroads of ancient trade routes connecting Mesopotamia with the Arabian Peninsula.

The Al Hamra Open Air Museum in Jeddah is the largest open air museum in the world

It was built during the oil boom in the late 1970s. As a result, Jeddah is home to works by Arp, Cesar, Calder, Henry Moore, Joan Miró and Victor Vasarely. They are placed along the cliff, with no protection. Subject matter is often elements of the traditional Saudi culture. Everything is abstract as Islamic tradition prohibits the depiction of living creatures, including humans.

The only way to reach the Farasan Islands in the Red Sea is to rent a boat for a two-hour ride

The islands are famous for their Ottoman architectural treasures and white sandy beaches where nobody swims. Locals just walk around. To be allowed to go to the islands, one has to go through a very strict security check – forms must be filled, passports shown, bags checked, body searched… both on the way to the islands and on the way back. One cannot help but wonder what secret is hidden in those nearly deserted coral islands.

The relics on the Farasan Islands date back to the first century BC at the earliest and the Ottoman invasion at the latest

Stucco work was very important and everyone adapted their decoration to their taste.

Extravagance is one of the characteristics of urban design in Saudi Arabia

Here, a train coming out of a store in Jeddah, in the main shopping street.

Roundabouts are each more extravagant than the next, like this one representing a coffee pot almost 20- meter high

The government is urging Saudi people to visit their own country instead of going abroad as soon as the heat becomes unbearable

Malaysia, Lebanon, Marbella are popular destinations for Saudi families, while single people prefer Thailand or Morocco. It’s the chance for all to escape the shackles of the strict domestic rules.

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2DCIzPF via Viral News HQ

[tumblarian-blog1]

1.) kurdish YPG warned Turkey's aggression against Rojava-canton-Efrin! 2.) Turkey's aggression against Efrin and issue in town Idlib explained. ( Post from imgur user @RojavaHasDefenceForce): Reading this could help a bit to get an idea of how the next steps in Syria crisis will be about... Before we start translating the article: There is an @OP appendix at the bottom of this post: it's about why posts like this just started in first place. Thank you. This is a damn long post i know. sorry about not being able to shorten it. (you still can omit the @OP appendix at the bottom of the text...) Before we look at the LOOONG interview with YPG commander, please let me give you some little hints with which reading the rest of the text everyting will be clearer in first place: To put it short: The nightmare for enemies of kurdish achievements like in Rojava for instance Turkey right now is following scenario: Kurdish YPG etc. fight their way through enemy lines for the aim to fully combine the 3 already proclaimed kurdish cantons (Jazira, Kobane and Efrin are now self-governing...). Would this happen then kurdish Rojava on an geographic map would reach from eastern canton (Jazira) to Kobane then to the far west to Efrin which Turkey is gonna try to sabotate this issue with one fear many other enemies of Kurds share alike: The Kurds could liberate kurdish area up to the sea area (left on the map). This is the so called "White Sea". It is a general fear of (not only) Turkey that after having liberated Raqqa soon the Kurds could make the above move (joining all 3 kurdish cantons up to the White Sea border, see map for more). This seems to be regarded as some kind of disaster for the enemies of kurdish people in general. After having successfully sabotated this potential achievement of Kurds (so seems to be the desire of Turkey government) all enemies of Kurds would again summon anew around a big round table with not only western support to ... (you get the idea?)... That means even many sides that are not publicly announced to have ties into this plans nevertheless share the same desire of Turkey... For those who still want to read here the interview: link: anfkurdi.com/rojane/ypg-hisyariya-efrine-da-tirkiye-gaveke-ji-nikari-nez-bibi-87304 link to map: https://i.imgur.com/TAIQSDL.png Sipan Hemo, the highest commander of the Peoples' Protection Unit (YPG) of Rojava Kurdistan (the norther part of Syria is called Rojava region) has given out a clear warning to the aggression of Turkey's and its' allied terrorist fighters: "You will definitely not be able to even approach Efrin with one single step. Therefore YPG, YPJ, Ceys el Siwar and Kurds will teach you an historical lesson!" article from Saturday, 14.10.2017, 09:37 [hint by @OP: the original source is in non-english-language (it's in kurdish) and even i needed help to collect this for you, so enjoy :) ] All in all, the article covers somehow the strong presence of Turkey's military occupying Idlib (town in Syria, very very strategic location...). The article says the eyes of the whole world (foreign policy...) is directed versus Idlib and what is being done there right now... To put it short, it says that occupation of Idlib by Turkey right now has the ONE and ONLY aim: surrounding militarily the kurdish canton Efrin (in Rojava) and completely wiping out the kurdish (not only militarily) achievements so far. In the interview commander Sipan Hemo said that: * if Turkey attacks Efrin or Şehba [@OP remark: another town in that region] then they will give Turkey a historical lesson. * to put it short: he said that right now, Idlib has been turned into a nest for all those operating groups that work for powers and forces from abroad who's aim is the fall of the Syrian regime. This is why also so many secret services of countries like Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia - and even involvement by forces of USA and Russia are existent in this place. * he said that Turkey has failed in the Middle East. * he gave hint to the fact that the other groups of (quotation:) "komên çete" (see explanation below) inside Syria after having signed agreement with the Syrian regime have alltogether been gathered inside the town Idlib. for your info: "komên çete") describes those groups (translated from "kom") that are not really fighting to liberate the people in Syria but only either to replace the Syrian regime for sitting instead on the totalitarian throne or even only acting as a military puppet for foreign countries' interests inside Syria The YPG commander explained that these are the reasons why every side has an own calculation of his own upon Idlib. Referring to the plans of Turkey, he said (translation based on context): "Turkey which has lost in the Middle East in every side cannot successfully pull through its dreams of creating anew an 'Ottoman Empire'. It's policy in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya failed. Whatever with Yemen it couldn't even gain any role. No matter which plans it had put for itself on the table it failed pulling all them successfully through and step by step failed." As a summary he added that as a result of all these reasons it is mobilizing all of its abilities and tries to bind its' existence to Idlib. YPG commander Sipan Hemo made also this statement: All the policy and plans related to Middle East on the part of Turkey - after they failed: with time they all retransformed into 1 single aim and project: the war against the Kurds, destroying the achievements made by Kurds so far and preventing any new achievement of the Kurds. In this context the turkish government has build its' policy upon enmity against Kurds and on this basis has made negotiations with actors on this field. [hint by @OP: please understand that this really is a "short part of the full interview" and that it's very tedious to write each and every word down at least for this imgur post. The next part will be a vague summary which on the other hand will not be able to encompass everything from the interview...] In the following sentences the YPG commander emphasized the tactical way how Turkey had the Syrian towns Hama and Heleb be attacked by militants paid by Turkey in order to get both, the Syrian regime and its' russian ally get into panic. This way the regime and its' ally would in panic pull back from advancing in town Dêra Zor so they would not lose both to them very strategic cities... By continuing he said to the reporter that this way through this panic negotiations followed and at the end of the day Turkey was granted Idlib. And instead of fighting El Nusra terror group which did hold grip on the South of Idlib, again one negotiation later El Nusra gave that place without any fighting over to Turkey which this time again will be accompanied by absolutely all of its possibilities regarding state-of-the-art weaponry from western and other continents also as well as full logistic supplies etc. To put it short: So what can be seen is that the target for coming into Idlib for Turkey policy is solely the attack on kurdish canton Efrin... To put it very short: Sipan Hemo, the highest commander of the Peoples' Protection Unit (YPG) of Rojava Kurdistan (the norther part of Syria is called Rojava region) gave here the clear statement as response to the aggression of Turkey's and its' allied terrorist fighters: "You will definitely not be able to even approach Efrin with one single step. Therefore YPG, YPJ, Ceys el Siwar and Kurds will teach you an historical lesson!"... He went even further and told that no matter what high developed arsenal and technology and whatever not only Turkey but also those countries giving support to Turkey and even if all those make use of EACH AND ANY possibilities of them in their plans they have set for Efrin and Şehba even then they will not be able to approach even one single step. He added that if Turkey were really to attack them then the hard answer against this attacks would [to put it short:] not be limited to that particular area but the enemy attacking would become target anywhere else it were... Let's end the interview for today... These were the most basic parts Appendix of @OP (optional to the text above but.... you're welcome) (was dedicated to imgur.com but won't modify it...) ...whatever... Hello dear users I really don't know at all how to start let alone how to write the posts on imgur. I really like imgur.com so much and even spent big time in passion watching this amazing and somehow almost addictive looking features of imgur. Once you want to see how and what users on imgur like you have in mind to share with each other, commenting hillariously on each other's comments, exchanging experience etc. You get it? Right! It's a world you don't want to miss anymore since you meet so many users you wished you would do in real life... That's awesome!!! So why i describe it this way, my feelings? The answer is not short but i guess i can share it with you on imgur since on imgur you..... share?.... :-) Recently i dug a lot into news about game consoles, in particular about the launch of Microsoft's XBOX One X around november... it is said this one is really to become an amazing console. So here my point: One day i just - can't even explain accordingly - imagined ridiculously: "So many years the XBOX was not successful enough on the gaming field (3 console launches within a short period of 4 years or so?). Rival Nintendo and Sony are some how better off..." "What if XBOX could be sold to millions of people in the MiddleEast once all wars are settled down and safety takes place..." "That would be like healing ointment for giants like XBOX company and co: People out there barely have seen one day without struggle for existence or safety within brutal dictatorial Regimes (let's say everyone should at least have heard by now about the Assad-regime in Syria...) that opress many peoples within their reach..." "Today many people out there do not have enough electrity or even a refrigerator... speaking in their mother-language was long time impossible in public etc. but when peace and freedom will hopefully soon reach also those peoples which are suffering to the very day (see Syria conflict)...:" "Then also those peoples will want to consume things like crazy: invest in let's say, refrigerators, ......., XBOX One X.." "Hey wait! Did I just say XBOX?" I laughed at myself a lot.. but also knew.. why not? It's damned about time! This is when i realized writing on beloved imgur for users about MidEast issues. Because one should always keep in mind about the MiddleEast: the MiddleEast has become such reactionary in many manners while western world were thriving into high standards and technology... because: One opinion is that unlike the western neighbour, the Middle East people society were alltime based on "tribe" and such groups and structure instead of focussing on sth. like: "Hey! We are all one nation, one people!" or sth. This way they never could develop the need or spirit to draw lines between groups of groups (building a viable people...) but only between one's group (tribe...) and another's... Another opinion is (if some do not even combine both opinions...): the western modern world is not so rich under its earth and on the surface of its earth... It is said that agriculture and stuff like this first got invented in areas of Middle East... It is told that the first empires (reaches far back to the times of the Sumer...) were to be born in Middle East area, not e.g. the East or West area... So the richness and fertility of the area around Mesopotamia etc. are all areas with histories reaching back thousands of years... Since the western neighbours united themselves (war after war and declaring unity after unity) there was also the interest of them to have always colonial powers and the strategic tactics: If you divide your aim, you rule better over them... Thus let's say Libya: obviously a ruler was put on the map on the table and that new state got designed. Other examples: Per vile treaty of Lausane (in Switzerland 1923) the kurdish people was SPLIT into 4(!) parts to make it impossible to regain what it lost this way... with now 4(!) enemies torturing their desire to be a unity, one people, and be respected in international area: instead they were up until recently neglected to hell... recently you ask? Well since defeating ISIS in Kobane and onwards at the latest, the fruits of the kurdish struggle for freedom around their leader Abdullah Ocalan since nearly 4(!) decades has made Rojava Kurds now a strategic player on the stage of policy and interests even for the foreign policy of USA. The USA foreign policy is ambitious and unlike other powers (especially unlike Europe's foreign policy) the USA seems to be one of the kind that can change in order thrive and not be fixed to old views forever risking to lose EVERYTHING once things don't go as expected... If nothing unpredictable occurs, let's say an all-out-war where everyone just loses and loses and loses (primarily MidEast itself!) and all will be burried into dust and blood or sth...: If this will not happen than the wars of plundering and ISIS & co. will cease from existing because they would become an absolutely ineffective "tool" in the hands of plotters and oppressors anymore.. Having said and thought about this while anyone checking the news coming daily from MidEast (Syria, ISIS, ... Rojava kurds...): One thing that is predictable for sure is: This is it! This is the turning point that occurs once in thousands years...: When the fight for freedom seemingly out of reach for hundreds of years, is for the first time in history doable while succeeding! The struggle of Rojava & co. could at this very time could be set equal to a "badly needed RENAISSANCE" for the people to stop living reactionary and in chains by dictators like the Assad regime etc. While other people in history not seldom wait for help from abroad for being rescued... the kurdish Rojava is today shaking the world with a military power that even caught the interest and respect of America's foreing policy itself! When America changes it's foreign policy, then sooner or later everyone will do! In the past this was not seldom the case! Concerning MiddleEast, there are so many warmongers and terroristic organisations (ISIS, El Nusra, ...) and their conductors involved... all want to cement or fortify their hegemonial or what ever interests, be it strategical, tactical or simply political ones. As an example let's just look at Iran's aspiration regarding it's hegemonial claims in that region... But it doesn't mean Turkey is different: they're even more brutal and blood-licking (especially when their victims are kurds then all what Turkey wants to do (if they could) is genocidal wipe from surface). I took a lot of your time reading all along, sorry for that and thanks anyway. Appreciate a lot. I do promise you posts will be cut as short as possible except for it's according to the content not adviseable or even possible to do so (when topics are so mingled...). Glad to be with you and for you all on imgur. Thank again for your attention. PS: some typing errors are to be expected... :-) Any critics are welcome and appreciated. Have a great time