Thank you.
Some of that I accept. BUT, you must remember the Kurds, Alevi, Ezidi, Assyrians and probably the Armenians were living in this region (what is now Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria) for much longer than the Turks (Monguls) did.
There is NO EXCUSE for Genocide, not ever. And it has been Turkish practice from the beginning of Modern Turkey. And from the Ottoman “conquerers” before the Turks.
Erdogan is a Fascist Islamist Tyrant.
Iran is a brutal Islamist Dictatorship.
Assad is also a Brutal Islamist Despot, who does tolerate minorities but does not share power with them. In the Northern part of Syria where the Kurds evicted ISIS it is almost totally secular in nature. Only the Jihadi Militias are not. To survive, the separate ethnic groups had to work together to survive. they are willing now to rebuild their lives and a better social structure. As each town was freed, elections were done and local governments were set up. Some of them are almost totally communal. I have mixed feelings about that. On one hand they must be almost totally self sufficient to live. (little money, mostly agricultural based, some oil, embargoed from outside) I think the Kurds are smart enough to evolve from that. There are some true Lefties among them, but I don’t think it will cripple most of the communities.
Assad’s toleration is limited but he always had the upper hand. He is deeply indebted to both Iran, their Militias. their Terrorist groups; and to Russia.
Iraq is not yet sure what it is. Baghdad is under control of the Iranians and the Shia Iranian elements. The KRG region is probably 98% Muslim, of which it is estimated 75% Sunni and 25% Shia. I suspect the Shia elements have grown some and the Sunni shrank some. The Kurds are not as secular as those in Syria. Many of them hate the Ezidi’s and consider them Satan’s children and that they should be killed on sight.
And Christians? The Ninevah Plains in Iraq were almost totally cleared of them during the time ISIS controlled it. Some are trying to come back, but Shia Iranians have made that difficult. I was told by one of the groups supporting them, that the native Christian (Chaldean and Assyrian) have not come back and may not. But local converts are beginning to fill the space they took.
There have always been some Christian communities in Syria. From the time of Christ. They were threatened by ISIS for extinction. Kurds helped them survive and they fought right beside the Kurds from the beginning (Kobani). Syriac Christians are not necessarily the same as Assyrian Christians. In the beginning Syriac Christians were in the YPG, later they formed their own units too. Some still stayed in the YPG units. The number of Christians in Syria are growing by conversion. In some places it is significant but not talked about because of danger.
The question? How can outside pressure by other nations bridle Turkey and Iran and support self determination within Syria and Iraq? That is a big order.
It is easy to paint Turks as the aggressors, and they certainly share much of the blame - but look at what the US did in order to preserve the country intact. Same sh!t, different continent.