All language subtitles for TRUMP WANTS TO USE THE KURDS AGAINST IRAN . THE WORLD’S LARGEST STATELESS NATION

How can an entire nation exist without a
country?

In the mountains of the Middle East
lives one of the largest stateless

in the world.

Millions of people who share a language,
a culture, and a powerful sense of

identity, yet their homeland does not
officially exist on any political map.

They are the Kurds. For more than a
century, this ancient people has been

divided between Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and
Syria.

caught in the middle of wars,
revolutions, and geopolitical struggles

shaped the modern Middle East. Despite
this, the Kurds have remained one of the

most resilient and influential
communities in the region, but their

even more dramatic in the 21st century.

But before we begin...

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All right, Kurds, let's travel through
the mountains of history.

In the mountains of the Middle East
lives one of the largest peoples on

without a state of their own.

More than 30 million individuals share a
common language, cultural traditions,

music, and identity.

Yet when you look at the political map
of the world, their homeland simply does

not appear.

These are the Kurds. Their ancestral
lands stretch across a vast, mountainous

region that cuts through what are today
four different countries, Turkey, Iran,

Iraq, and Syria.

For centuries, Kurdish communities lived
in these rugged landscapes, forming

tribes, villages and regional kingdoms
that preserved their traditions, despite

the rise and fall of empires around
them.

But history rarely respects the borders
of identity.

When the Ottoman Empire collapsed at the
end of the First World War, the

political map of the Middle East was
redrawn by international agreements and

national governments.

Lines were drawn across mountains,
rivers and deserts, lines that divided

Kurdish lands into several separate
countries.

Instead of becoming citizens of a new
Kurdish nation, millions of Kurds

found themselves minorities inside
different states.

In Turkey, Kurdish identity would often
face strict political pressure.

In Iran, Kurdish regions remained under
firm central control.

In Syria, Kurdish communities struggled
for recognition, and in Iraq, Kurdish

territories would become the center of
some of the most intense conflicts of

late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Despite these challenges, Kurdish
culture endured.

The Kurdish language continued to be
spoken in homes and villages.

Songs and oral traditions preserved
stories of past heroes and lost

Festivals, clothing and customs kept
alive a powerful sense of belonging to

something older than modern borders.

Yet there was another challenge.

The Kurds were not a perfectly unified
nation.

Kurdish society historically developed
through tribes and regional groups.

Different political movements emerged,
sometimes cooperating, sometimes

competing with one another.

Some sought independence, others
autonomy, and some simply survival

countries where they lived.

This fragmentation would become one of
the greatest obstacles to creating a

unified Kurdish state.

Still, the dream never disappeared.

For generations, Kurdish leaders,
fighters, and intellectuals imagined a

homeland called Kurdistan, a country
that would unite Kurdish territories

a single flag.

But every attempt to turn that dream
into reality collided with the

realities of the Middle East.

Because Kurdistan would not be carved
out of empty land.

It would have to emerge from the
territory of several powerful states.

And none of them were willing to give it
up. For decades, the Kurdish question

remained one of the most complicated and
explosive issues in the region.

A people without a country, surrounded
by governments that feared the

consequences of Kurdish independence.

But history was about to change
dramatically.

In the early 21st century, a new force
would emerge in the Middle East, one so

violent and so ambitious that it would
push the entire region into chaos. And

the middle of that storm, the Kurds
would find themselves on the front line

war that would transform their role in
world politics.

Because when the Islamic State began its
expansion across Iraq and Syria, the

Kurds would no longer be just a
stateless people.

They would become one of the most
important armies fighting to stop it.

Ottoman Empire collapsed after the First
World War, the Middle East entered one

of the most dramatic moments in its
history.

For centuries, vast territories across
the region had been ruled by a single

imperial authority.

Different peoples, religions, and
cultures lived under the same political

structure. But when that empire finally
fell, the old order vanished almost

overnight. What came next was not a
natural evolution of borders, but a

geopolitical redesign.

European powers, particularly the United
Kingdom and France, played a central

role in shaping the new map of the
Middle East.

Territories were reorganized into new
states, mandates were established, and

modern borders were drawn across regions
that had never before been divided in

such ways.

And in this process, one of the largest
ethnic groups in the region found itself

without a homeland.

The Kurds.

Early diplomatic discussions had briefly
raised the possibility of creating a

Kurdish state.

In theory, Kurdistan could emerge from
the mountainous regions where Kurdish

communities had lived for generations.

But in practice, geopolitical interests
quickly outweighed that idea.

The land that might have become
Kurdistan was divided instead.

Part of it became part of the Republic
of Turkey. Another large portion

inside Iran.

Northern regions were incorporated into
Iraq, and smaller Kurdish populations

lived within the borders of Syria.

The dream of a unified Kurdish homeland
disappeared from official diplomatic

negotiations almost as quickly as it had
appeared.

From that moment forward, Kurdish
communities would face very different

realities depending on the country in
which they lived.

In some places, Kurdish language and
cultural expression were restricted.

In others, Kurdish political movements
were suppressed or forced underground.

Governments feared that any recognition
of Kurdish identity could encourage

separatist movements and threaten
territorial integrity.

Kurdish identity survived.

Across villages and cities, Kurdish
culture continued to flourish in quiet

Families preserved their traditions,
storytellers passed down histories of

resistance and exile, and songs
remembered the idea of a homeland that

fully existed on a political map.

But the lack of unity among Kurdish
groups complicated their struggle.

Kurdish society was historically
organized through tribes and regional

Political organizations emerged with
different ideologies, strategies, and

leadership structures.

Some groups favored armed resistance,
others political negotiation, and some

focused primarily on cultural
preservation.

At times, Kurdish movements cooperated
across borders.

At other times, internal divisions
weakened their collective influence.

This fragmentation made it extremely
difficult to form a unified Kurdish

political project.

Meanwhile, the governments of the region
viewed Kurdish nationalism with deep

suspicion. Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria
all feared that a strong Kurdish

movement could trigger territorial
fragmentation.

As a result, Kurdish uprisings and
political movements were often met with

military force or political repression.

For much of the 20th century, Kurdish
aspirations seemed trapped in an endless

cycle of rebellion and suppression.

Yet the story was far from over, because
history has a way of reshaping

political realities when unexpected
crises emerge.

And in the early years of the 21st
century, one of the most violent forces

region had ever seen would rise from the
chaos of war.

A force that would redraw battle lines
across Iraq and Syria.

A force that would threaten entire
populations with extermination. And once

again, the Kurds would find themselves
at the center of a conflict that would

change their role in the Middle East
forever.

Because, when the Islamic State began
its rapid expansion, the Kurds were no

longer just a divided people.

They were about to become a crucial line
of defense against one of the most

dangerous militant movements of the
modern era.

At the beginning of the 21st century,
the Middle East was already living

a period of deep instability.

Wars, political revolutions, and
collapsing governments had created a

where power was constantly shifting.

In that chaos, new movements began to
rise, some political, others militant,

some far more dangerous than anyone
initially realized.

Among them was a group that would soon
shock the world.

What began as a faction connected to the
militant organization known as Al

-Qaeda slowly transformed into something
far more ambitious.

Internal rivalries and power struggles
fractured the movement, and from those

divisions emerged a new organization
that declared it would no longer operate

under anyone's authority.

It called itself the Islamic State.

The group's objective was extraordinary
in scope.

Its leaders envisioned the creation of a
vast caliphate, a political and

religious state that would unite large
portions of the Middle East and North

Africa under a single rule.

In their vision, national borders would
disappear, replaced by a centralized

authority governed by their
interpretation of religious law.

At first, many observers underestimated
the group's potential, but within a

surprisingly short time, the Islamic
State began expanding rapidly.

Taking advantage of the instability in
Iraq and the civil war raging in Syria,

the organization captured cities,
military bases, and entire regions.

Their strategy combined military
aggression, propaganda, and brutal

intimidation. Communities that resisted
were often subjected to extreme violence

designed to instill fear across the
region.

Entire populations were forced to flee
their homes.

Historic cities fell under militant
control.

Ancient cultural sites that had survived
for centuries were destroyed in acts

meant to demonstrate ideological power.

Oil fields, strategic roads and border
crossings were seized, giving the

organization access to enormous
financial resources.

One of the most critical targets in
their expansion was northern Iraq.

This region was not only strategically
important, it also contained significant

oil production areas.

Control of these resources could help
finance the militant state they were

trying to build. But northern Iraq was
not empty land.

It was home to millions of Kurds. As
Islamic State forces advanced toward

Kurdish regions, the situation quickly
became catastrophic.

Villages were attacked, communities
displaced, and civilians faced extreme

violence if they refused to submit to
the group's authority.

Minority communities in particular
suffered devastating attacks.

Entire populations were forced into
exile, and in some cases, Massacres

the international community.

For Kurdish regions, the threat was
existential.

This was not simply a territorial
dispute or another political

For many Kurdish communities, the
arrival of the Islamic State meant the

possibility of complete destruction.

Suddenly, the Kurds were not just a
stateless people struggling for

They were a population fighting for
survival.

Across northern Iraq and parts of Syria,
Kurdish militias began organizing

defensive lines.

Fighters, many of whom had little formal
military training, prepared to defend

towns, villages, and mountain passes
against one of the most aggressive

forces the region had ever seen.

At first, the balance of power seemed
dangerously uneven.

The Islamic State possessed captured
military equipment, heavy weapons, and

thousands of fighters.

Entire Iraqi military units had
collapsed during the group's early

leaving vast quantities of weapons
behind.

Yet something unexpected began to
happen. Despite their limited resources,

Kurdish forces refused to retreat.

Village by village, hill by hill, they
began resisting the advance.

And as the scale of the conflict became
clearer to the world, a crucial question

began to emerge among global powers. If
the Islamic State continued expanding,

who could actually stop it?

Because at that moment, one group seemed
more determined than anyone else to

stand in its way.

The Kurds.

By the time the Islamic State reached
the northern regions of Iraq and Syria,

much of the world was still trying to
understand the scale of the threat.

Entire cities had fallen with alarming
speed.

Military units had collapsed.

Governments struggled to respond to a
militant organization that seemed to

stronger with every victory.

But in the mountains and plains of
Kurdish territory, the response was

immediate. Kurdish militias began
organizing defensive forces across

Iraq and Syria.

These fighters were not part of a single
unified army.

Different Kurdish groups operated in
different regions, each with its own

leadership and history.

Yet the urgency of the situation created
a rare moment of coordination.

They were defending their homes.

Men and women joined the fight.

In several Kurdish militias, female
fighters stood alongside male soldiers,

striking image that quickly captured
international attention.

Entire communities mobilized to protect
villages, strategic roads, and mountain

passes that could determine the fate of
entire regions.

The first confrontations were brutal.
Islamic State forces possessed heavy

weapons, armored vehicles, and large
numbers of fighters.

Much of their equipment had been
captured from collapsing military bases

their rapid expansion.

They moved aggressively, attempting to
seize territory before resistance could

organize. But the Kurds refused to
yield.

Across northern Iraq, Kurdish fighters
began slowing the advance of the

militants. Every town defended, every
supply route disrupted, every strategic

hill held back the expansion of the
Islamic State just a little longer.

At the same time, the conflict was
attracting the attention of global

The United States faced a difficult
decision.

Sending large numbers of American
soldiers back into another major Middle

Eastern ground war was politically
unpopular after years of previous

Yet allowing the Islamic State to expand
unchecked posed a serious international

security risk.

A new strategy began to take shape.

Instead of deploying massive ground
forces, the United States would support

local allies already fighting the
militants.

Among the available partners in the
region, Kurdish militias quickly emerged

one of the most effective options.

Military aid began to flow, weapons,
training, intelligence support, and air

coordination dramatically strengthened
Kurdish defensive capabilities.

With this assistance, Kurdish forces
began transitioning from desperate

resistance to organized counter
-offensives.

Battle by battle, the momentum began to
shift.

Kurdish fighters recaptured towns that
had fallen under militant control.

Strategic supply routes were cut off.

Positions once thought impossible to
reclaim slowly returned to Kurdish

At the same time, other international
actors entered the conflict.

Russia launched military operations in
Syria, supporting the government of

Bashar al -Assad and conducting
airstrikes against militant targets in

region. The war against the Islamic
State was no longer a local struggle.

It had become a global confrontation.

Yet on the ground, One reality remained
clear.

Kurdish forces were among the most
reliable and determined fighters,

the militants directly.

For many Kurdish communities, this war
carried a deeper meaning.

It was not only about defeating a
militant organization, it was also about

proving something to the world.

For generations, the Kurds had been
treated as a stateless people, divided

across borders and often ignored in
international politics.

Now, they were demonstrating that they
could shape the fate of an entire

And as the Islamic State began losing
territory, Kurdish fighters realized

something that had once seemed
impossible.

For the first time in modern history,
their military strength might give them

political leverage.

But victory on the battlefield does not
always guarantee victory in politics,

because once the war against the Islamic
State began to wind down, the Kurds

would face a new and familiar question.

Would the world finally support the
creation of a Kurdish state, or would

geopolitical realities once again stand
in the way of Kurdistan?

As the power of the Islamic State began
to crumble, a new reality emerged.

across the battlefields of Iraq and
Syria.

Cities that had once fallen under
militant control were slowly being

Supply routes collapsed.

Oil fields were recaptured. One by one,
the territories that had formed the

heart of the Islamic State's self
-declared caliphate began slipping out

grasp. Among the forces responsible for
this reversal, Kurdish fighters played a

decisive role.

Years of intense combat had transformed
Kurdish militias into one of the most

capable ground forces in the region.

Their knowledge of the terrain combined
with increasing international support

allowed them to hold strategic positions
and push militant forces back across

large areas of northern Iraq and Syria.

For many Kurds, this moment carried
enormous significance.

They had not only defended their
communities from destruction, they had

helped dismantle one of the most
dangerous militant movements of the

And naturally, a question began to
spread across Kurdish political circles.

If the Kurds had sacrificed so much in
the fight against the Islamic State,

would the world finally recognize their
right to an independent state.

For generations, Kurdish leaders had
dreamed of a nation called Kurdistan, a

homeland that would unite Kurdish
territories under a single political

authority, a place where Kurdish
language, culture, and identity would no

exist under the shadow of larger states.

Now, with Kurdish forces controlling
large areas of northern Iraq, That dream

suddenly seemed closer than it had ever
been.

But the world of geopolitics rarely
follows the logic of sacrifice.

Powerful governments quickly began
weighing the consequences of Kurdish

independence. And the conclusion many of
them reached was clear.

Creating a Kurdish state could
destabilize the entire region.

Because Kurdish populations did not live
only in Iraq.

Millions of Kurds also lived in Turkey,
Iran and Syria.

The creation of an independent Kurdistan
in Iraq could encourage Kurdish

movements in those countries to demand
the same thing.

For governments already wary of
separatist movements, that scenario

a major security concern. Even countries
that had supported Kurdish fighters

during the war against the Islamic State
were hesitant.

The United States, for example, had
developed close military cooperation

Kurdish forces during the conflict, yet
supporting full Kurdish independence

risked creating serious tensions with
Turkey, a long -standing ally and member

of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization.

The result was a compromise. Instead of
independence, Kurdish regions in

northern Iraq would receive a high
degree of political autonomy.

Local Kurdish authorities would manage
many internal affairs, maintain their

security forces and exercise control
over significant regional institutions.

In practice, this created what many
observers described as a semi

Kurdish region within Iraq.

For Kurdish leaders, the outcome was
both a victory and a disappointment.

On one hand, Kurdish institutions had
never possessed so much political

influence or territorial control.

The Kurdish regional government became
an important actor in Iraqi politics and

maintained significant control over
local security forces.

On the other hand, the ultimate dream of
Kurdistan remained unfulfilled.

Once again, international borders and
geopolitical calculations had blocked

creation. of a Kurdish state.

Still, the events of the war had changed
something fundamental.

The Kurds were no longer simply a
marginalized population scattered across

Middle East.

They had become a strategic force,
militarily capable, politically

and deeply embedded in the complex
balance of power shaping the region.

And that new reality would soon draw
them into another dangerous chapter of

Middle Eastern geopolitics.

because the conflicts surrounding Iran,
Turkey and regional power struggles were

far from over.

And once again, Kurdish territories
would find themselves positioned at the

crossroads of larger geopolitical games.

By the time the territorial power of the
Islamic State had largely collapsed,

the geopolitical landscape of the Middle
East had changed in ways few could have

predicted.

Entire regions had been destroyed and
rebuilt, new alliances had formed, old

rivalries had intensified, and in the
middle of this complex web of power, the

Kurds now occupied a position far more
significant than before.

For decades, Kurdish groups had
struggled simply to survive within the

of larger states.

Now they controlled strategic
territories.

In northern Iraq, Kurdish authorities
governed a region with functioning

institutions,

organized security forces, and control
over key economic areas.

Some of these territories included
important oil -producing zones,

that gave Kurdish leaders leverage in
negotiations with both Baghdad and

international partners.

But this newfound influence also placed
them directly in the path of regional

rivalries. The Middle East is not only
shaped by local conflicts, it is also a

stage where global and regional powers
constantly compete for influence.

Countries like the United States, Iran,
Turkey and Russia all maintain strategic

interests in the region, and Kurdish
territories often sit at the

of those interests.

For the United States, Kurdish forces
proved to be reliable partners during

war against the Islamic State.

Military cooperation built strong
operational ties between Kurdish

Western military structures.

For Iran, however, Kurdish movements
represent a potential threat along its

Western borders.

where Kurdish populations also live
inside Iranian territory.

Turkey views certain Kurdish armed
groups with deep suspicion as well,

particularly those linked to
organizations that have historically

the Turkish state.

This means Kurdish political and
military groups operate in one of the

delicate strategic environments in the
world.

Every decision they make, every
alliance, every military movement, every

political demand can trigger reactions
from multiple powerful actors at once.

At times, Kurdish groups have been
encouraged by outside powers to play

roles in regional conflicts.

Their geographic position, military
experience, and organizational structure

make them valuable allies in certain
strategic calculations.

But this dynamic carries risks.

History has shown that smaller regional
actors can sometimes become instruments

in the larger geopolitical strategies of
powerful states.

Support offered in one moment may shift
as alliances change and new priorities

emerge.

For Kurdish leaders, this reality
presents a difficult dilemma.

Cooperation with global powers can
strengthen Kurdish security and

relying too heavily on external support
can also leave Kurdish movements

vulnerable to sudden changes in
international politics.

And the broader Kurdish dream, the
creation of a fully independent

remains complicated by these same
geopolitical forces.

The mountains of Kurdistan have long
been described as the Kurds' only true

allies. But in the modern era, the Kurds
have also demonstrated something else,

resilience. Despite centuries without a
state, despite political divisions and

regional conflicts, Kurdish identity has
endured.

Communities have preserved their
culture, their language, and their sense

belonging even in the absence of a
unified homeland.

Today, the Kurds remain one of the most
influential stateless peoples in the

world. Their fighters helped defeat one
of the most dangerous militant movements

of the modern era.

Their political institutions govern
significant territory.

Their communities stretch across
multiple countries, shaping regional

in ways that few other stateless nations
ever have.

Yet the central question remains
unresolved.

Will the Kurds one day achieve the
independence that generations have

of? Or will Kurdistan remain an idea,
powerful, persistent, but always just

beyond the reach of political reality?

Only time will tell.

The story of the Kurds is one of the
most remarkable in modern history.

It is the story of a nation that
survived without a state, a culture that

endured despite political borders, and a
people who repeatedly found themselves

at the center of conflicts far larger
than their own ambitions.

Across mountains, deserts, and divided
frontiers, Kurdish communities preserved

their identity through centuries of
shifting empires and modern geopolitical

struggles. They fought to defend their
homes against extremist movements. They

negotiated with global powers.

They built institutions where few
believed it was possible, and yet their

greatest aspiration remains unfinished.

Because the Kurdish story reminds us of
something profound about history,

nations are not defined only by borders
drawn on maps.

They are defined by people, by language,
by memory, and by the persistence of a

dream that refuses to disappear.

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