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- Up in the Zagros Mountains
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have long lived a people called the Kurds.
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There are people with a
centuries long history
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of fighting back against invaders
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who have crossed through their lands,
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resisting conquest in
the name of defending
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their shared cultural identity.
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Some living as nomads,
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a people with no friends,
but these mountains.
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(suspenseful music)
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Eventually the Ottoman Empire
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did take over all of this
territory, but even then,
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the Kurds maintained
large amounts of autonomy
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and freedom in their land.
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Then came World War I
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when the European powers
defeated the Ottoman Empire
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and conquered all of this.
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The winners got together and discussed
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how they would carve it up between them.
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If you look back at old European maps,
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you'll see that all of this
area would be labeled Kurdistan,
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an area where the Kurdish people lived
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and had some self-rule.
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So while drawing these lines,
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the British wanted to mark all
of this as Kurdish territory,
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paving away for an independent
country for the Kurds,
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but the new leader of
Turkey opposed this plan.
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He didn't wanna give all this land
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and resources to the Kurds.
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So he pushed the European
forces out of Turkey.
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They gave up on this plan to
give the Kurds their own land.
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And in the end, instead of
drawing borders around the Kurds,
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the Europeans drew borders through them.
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(suspenseful music)
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What could have been Kurdistan
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was now five different territories,
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the Kurds split between them.
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But at first these were
just lines on a map
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and the Kurds continued to
move through this region.
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Eventually the Europeans left,
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and these became independent countries
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with leaders who wanted to
consolidate and centralize power.
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So these lines hardened,
restricting the Kurds' movement
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and their livelihood in this region.
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But even still, across this region,
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the Kurds didn't give up on their idea
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of someday gaining
independence, self-rule,
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or maybe even a country of their own.
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(foreboding music)
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I don't like the feeling
of being spied on,
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but we all are kind of spied
on, some of us by governments,
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but almost all of us are
spied on by corporations
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who collect our information,
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put it on these data broker lists,
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and sell it on an open market
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to people who wanna make money off of us.
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And that brings me to the sponsor
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which is a personal
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What you do is you sign up for Incogni
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and to take you off of all of these lists.
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They audit, like, how many lists
you're on, they go find it,
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and they show you on this dashboard,
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like, you are on hundreds of
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And then they go through
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that you be taken off that list.
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And if anyone pushes back,
like one of the corporations,
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like, makes it harder,
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The people who want this
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who wanna sell you,
like, new tennis shoes,
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but it's, like, people search sites,
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which are becoming a
thing that use this data
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to, like, put you on
these people search sites
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so people can find your information.
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Health insurance companies
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will sometimes buy some of this data
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so that they can use, like,
your web browsing history
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to, like, jack up your
health insurance bill.
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Luckily, Incogni exists,
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and I am genuinely grateful for that,
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like, unrelated to the fact
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that they're sponsoring today's video,
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which, like, I'm very
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So if you wanna get in
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there's a link in my description.
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It's incogni.com/johnnyharris.
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When you click the link, it
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Thank you, Incogni, for
sponsoring our journalism.
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And now it's time to dive
into this mapping story.
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Throughout the 1900s,
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the Kurds in each of these new countries
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took different approaches
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to fight for an independent Kurdish state.
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Some Kurds would use politics,
others would use violence.
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The early uprisings were
crushed by the leaders
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of these new countries who
saw the Kurds as a threat
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to their efforts to unify their country
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around a common language and culture.
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Like in Iran, where the Kurds
had some political rights,
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but they fought for more.
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They wanted autonomy and independence.
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The government of Iran
wouldn't have any of this.
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They would crack down with
violence on the Kurds,
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often supported by Western powers.
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By the 1970s, Iran was
going through a revolution
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and the Kurds tried again to rise up,
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but this new regime had no tolerance
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for a group that would
challenge the leadership
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of the ruling religious leader.
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So once again, they were put down.
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Over in Iraq, Kurdish fighters fought hard
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against the government
throughout the 20th century,
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until the 1970s, when
this new regime came in
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and made a deal with the Kurds,
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saying that they would be
recognized as an ethnic group
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and would be guaranteed
political representation.
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It seemed like a huge deal for the Kurds,
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but it turned out to be a false promise.
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The Iraqi regime now led by Saddam Hussein
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would continue to repress the Kurds,
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eventually dropping
deadly chemical weapons
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on Kurdish towns in Iraq,
systematically killing thousands
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of Kurdish civilians
in a genocide supported
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00:05:12,330 --> 00:05:15,303
by American made supplies
that were sold to Saddam.
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Over in Syria, the Kurds
were treated decently
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under the French controlled government.
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They were citizens and had some rights.
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But after the French left in the 40s,
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the regimes that came
after oppressed the Kurds,
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and by the 1970s, the Syrian
government was arresting
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and deporting them, taking their land
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and giving it to Arabs.
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In total, the Syrian government
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would remove 140,000
Kurds from the country.
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Decades later, Syria and the United States
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would both find the Kurds in Syria useful
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for their political goals.
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But first, let's talk about Turkey.
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There's more Kurdish people
here than in any other country.
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The same government that had fought
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against a Kurdish state early on
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continued to oppress the Kurds,
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denying them citizenship,
outlawing their language,
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and keeping them out of politics,
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all with the goal of wiping
out their culture from Turkey
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as a part of this Turkification campaign,
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which tried to unify
Turkey under one culture,
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targeting the Kurds and
other ethnic minorities.
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Some Kurds fought back against
this in the early years,
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but were quickly crushed
by the Turkish state,
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leading to the creation of
an armed insurgent group
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with communist ideology.
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They're called the Kurdish
Workers Party, or PKK,
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and it would become one of the biggest
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Turkish resistance movements.
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The PKK would use violence
like suicide bombings
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and improvised explosives,
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as well as youth militia fighters
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against the Turkish government,
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tactics that they say are the only way
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to fight back against such oppression.
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And as a result, Turkey
and most Western powers
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consider the PKK a terrorist group.
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So that's how the Kurds
in these four countries
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became locked in a conflict
with their governments.
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They all have different struggles,
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but they're all unified by the dream
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of some version of Kurdish independence.
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But it doesn't take long for these regimes
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to see that they could use the
Kurds as a tool, as a weapon.
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One of the earliest examples of this
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happens at the end of World War II
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when the Soviet Union sees
an opportunity to gain land
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and access to oil by supplying
and arming the Kurds in Iran,
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allowing them to rise up
against the government
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and declare their own country
supported by the Soviet Union.
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But it didn't work.
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The US pressures the Soviets to leave,
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and now without support,
the government of Iran,
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which is backed by the US and UK,
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go on to crush this movement
of Kurds in their country.
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The Kurds are backed to being
repressed by the government.
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In the 1980s, Syria uses the Kurds
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as a weapon against its rival
Turkey when it allows the PKK
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to start operating within Syria,
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giving them money and weapons
so that they can hurt Turkey.
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Syria is doing this in
spite of having spent years
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removing hundreds of thousands of Kurds
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from its own country.
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This escalates the
conflict between these two,
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and Turkey threatens to invade Syria.
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So Syria backs down and kicks the PKK out
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to avoid being invaded,
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showing once again how the
Kurds willingness to fight
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can easily become a pawn in
the geopolitics of the region,
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discarded once they aren't useful anymore.
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In the 1980s, Iran and
Iraq both used the Kurds
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at the same time as a
weapon to hurt each other,
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even as both are cracking down on Kurds
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in their own country.
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00:08:58,170 --> 00:09:01,800
Saddam Hussein funds and
arms the Kurds in Iran,
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00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:05,430
while Iran funds the
Kurds in northern Iraq,
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00:09:05,430 --> 00:09:07,980
both sides hoping to
spark a Kurdish uprising
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that will distract and weaken their enemy.
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00:09:10,710 --> 00:09:13,020
In Iraq, Saddam Hussein retaliates
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against the Kurds in his country
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with that genocidal chemical
attack we talked about earlier
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that killed at least 50,000 Kurdish people
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00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:21,963
and probably much more.
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00:09:23,100 --> 00:09:25,590
Once again, the Kurdish
dream of independence
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00:09:25,590 --> 00:09:28,050
was used by outsiders as a weapon,
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00:09:28,050 --> 00:09:30,393
and the Kurdish people
paid heavily for it.
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00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:34,530
The US would get involved when in the 90s
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00:09:34,530 --> 00:09:35,790
they would come to this region
220
00:09:35,790 --> 00:09:39,060
fighting against Saddam
Hussein for the first time.
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00:09:39,060 --> 00:09:41,010
The US rallies the Kurds,
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00:09:41,010 --> 00:09:43,140
calling for them to overthrow Saddam.
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00:09:43,140 --> 00:09:46,140
George Bush Sr. literally
calls them to action
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00:09:46,140 --> 00:09:49,560
with television and radio
broadcasts throughout the country.
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- That the Iraqi people
should put him aside,
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00:09:52,410 --> 00:09:56,760
and that would facilitate the resolution
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00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:58,470
of all these problems that exist
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00:09:58,470 --> 00:10:02,070
and certainly would facilitate
the acceptance of Iraq
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00:10:02,070 --> 00:10:04,860
back into the family of
peace-loving nations.
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00:10:04,860 --> 00:10:06,330
- [Johnny] And it seems to work.
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00:10:06,330 --> 00:10:09,870
It sparks an uprising that
looks successful at first.
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00:10:09,870 --> 00:10:12,657
The US had instigated this uprising,
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00:10:12,657 --> 00:10:15,570
and they have forces in the
region that they could send
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00:10:15,570 --> 00:10:18,570
to support the Kurds, but they do nothing.
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00:10:18,570 --> 00:10:21,480
This allows Saddam to regather his forces
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00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:25,020
and crush this coup and to
increase this oppression,
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00:10:25,020 --> 00:10:27,570
ensuring that nothing like
this ever happens again.
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00:10:28,620 --> 00:10:30,840
Now, the US and UK do eventually step in
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00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:32,820
to create this no-fly zone
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meant to protect the Kurds in the north
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00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:36,120
and the Shiites in the south.
242
00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:39,090
This gives the Kurds some
autonomy over their region
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00:10:39,090 --> 00:10:42,363
and protects them from further
airstrikes by the Iraqi army.
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00:10:43,380 --> 00:10:45,720
Soon the US is back in Iraq.
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00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:49,500
It's 2003, and the Bush
administration decides to invade
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00:10:49,500 --> 00:10:51,450
and remove Saddam from power.
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00:10:51,450 --> 00:10:54,990
The Kurds in Iraq hope that
the US presence in this region
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will mean finally they
will get their own state,
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00:10:58,080 --> 00:10:59,790
they will be independent.
250
00:10:59,790 --> 00:11:02,460
They join the US in
fighting against Saddam
251
00:11:02,460 --> 00:11:05,070
and his loyalists, battling insurgents,
252
00:11:05,070 --> 00:11:06,736
and later against ISIS.
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00:11:06,736 --> 00:11:09,120
(guns shooting)
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00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:11,460
The Kurds would even go on to hold a vote,
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showing that 92% of the population
256
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was in favor of independence,
257
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but the US won't support this,
258
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worried that it might
destabilize this new Iraqi state
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that the US just propped up.
260
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Even when the Kurds fight
on the side of the US
261
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and their interests, US
support for their cause
262
00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:32,430
still remains very limited.
263
00:11:32,430 --> 00:11:33,750
They still look the other way
264
00:11:33,750 --> 00:11:37,923
as Turkey bombs their towns
in Iraq hunting for the PKK.
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00:11:39,690 --> 00:11:42,480
This same pattern has
continued in recent years
266
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in the country of Syria,
267
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a country that descended
into civil war around 2011.
268
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This chaos looked like an opportunity
269
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for the Kurds in Syria, a
chance to establish real control
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00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:55,980
over what they see as a part of Kurdistan.
271
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The PKK in Turkey helps
create a new Kurdish militia
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called the People's
Protection Unit or YPG.
273
00:12:04,050 --> 00:12:06,600
They seize large swaths
of land in the north
274
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and they declare self-governance.
275
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Around this same time,
the terrorist group ISIS
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is taking huge swaths of
territory in the north
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and east of the country, creating
their so-called caliphate.
278
00:12:18,780 --> 00:12:22,920
And here comes the US once
again asking the Kurds for help,
279
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hoping that they will fight against ISIS
280
00:12:24,870 --> 00:12:26,130
on the ground for them.
281
00:12:26,130 --> 00:12:30,450
But because this group
is allied with the PKK,
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which they consider a terrorist group,
283
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the US asks this militia
to rebrand themselves
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to the Syrian democratic forces,
285
00:12:37,650 --> 00:12:40,410
which obscures their
connection to the PKK.
286
00:12:40,410 --> 00:12:44,340
The US then trains, funds,
and arms them to fight ISIS.
287
00:12:44,340 --> 00:12:48,060
The Kurds are, once
again, the US's weapon.
288
00:12:48,060 --> 00:12:51,480
This plan works, and with
help from US airstrikes,
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00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:55,440
this Kurdish militia kicks
ISIS out of more and more land.
290
00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:57,030
But Turkey hates this.
291
00:12:57,030 --> 00:12:59,460
All they see is a potential Kurdish state
292
00:12:59,460 --> 00:13:03,270
right on their southern border,
a safe haven for the PKK
293
00:13:03,270 --> 00:13:06,210
that will allow more attacks
against the Turkish military.
294
00:13:06,210 --> 00:13:08,730
But Turkey can't attack
this branch of the Kurds
295
00:13:08,730 --> 00:13:11,280
while they're being supported
by the United States.
296
00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:14,250
Lucky for them, there's a new
president in the White House
297
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and he's promised to pull the
US out of the war in Syria.
298
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And in 2019, to the dismay of the Kurds,
299
00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:22,380
he makes good on this promise.
300
00:13:22,380 --> 00:13:25,500
With the US out of the
way, Turkey invades,
301
00:13:25,500 --> 00:13:27,300
launching airstrikes and artillery
302
00:13:27,300 --> 00:13:29,520
against the Kurds in this border region,
303
00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:30,990
saying that their plan is to create
304
00:13:30,990 --> 00:13:34,950
a 32 kilometer deep safe zone
right here along the border,
305
00:13:34,950 --> 00:13:37,440
and that no Kurdish forces
are allowed to be here.
306
00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:40,380
The plan was to then
resettle Syrian refugees
307
00:13:40,380 --> 00:13:42,063
currently living in Turkey.
308
00:13:43,740 --> 00:13:45,720
It's a brutal campaign that looks a lot
309
00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:48,743
like what Syria was doing
to the Kurds in the 70s.
310
00:13:48,743 --> 00:13:51,660
(foreboding music)
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00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:55,410
The US completely abandons the Kurds,
312
00:13:55,410 --> 00:13:58,440
even after using them to
fight their enemy ISIS.
313
00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:02,730
Turkey, a NATO and US ally,
continues to bomb them
314
00:14:02,730 --> 00:14:05,250
using weapons from the United States.
315
00:14:05,250 --> 00:14:08,160
They spend the next four
years sending drone strikes
316
00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:10,620
and airstrikes into Syria and Iraq,
317
00:14:10,620 --> 00:14:13,740
anywhere they think
the PKK has a presence.
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00:14:13,740 --> 00:14:17,043
This map shows all of their
attacks during this time.
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00:14:19,050 --> 00:14:22,413
You can see that it's not just
against the Kurds in Turkey,
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00:14:23,550 --> 00:14:25,657
but across this whole region.
321
00:14:25,657 --> 00:14:29,040
(suspenseful music)
322
00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:31,440
Today, the Kurdish groups in this region
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00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:35,190
vary more widely than ever,
each with different values
324
00:14:35,190 --> 00:14:37,020
and visions for the future,
325
00:14:37,020 --> 00:14:40,920
forged from each of their
unique struggles and traumas.
326
00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:43,500
Kurdish groups still fight
the government in Iran
327
00:14:43,500 --> 00:14:45,630
with the goal of creating their own state.
328
00:14:45,630 --> 00:14:48,800
The Kurds in Iraq did gain
some autonomy from the US
329
00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:51,000
in the new Iraqi constitution,
330
00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:53,640
but it doesn't seem like
this autonomy will last.
331
00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:57,300
As recently, the Iraqi army
is fighting with the Kurds
332
00:14:57,300 --> 00:15:01,200
to maintain control over the
oil resources in this area
333
00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:03,540
to keep the Kurds economically dependent
334
00:15:03,540 --> 00:15:06,630
on the central government so
that they never break away.
335
00:15:06,630 --> 00:15:08,970
Once again, the US is
not supporting the Kurds
336
00:15:08,970 --> 00:15:09,803
in this fight.
337
00:15:11,100 --> 00:15:14,670
Turkey continues its
offensive against the PKK
338
00:15:14,670 --> 00:15:16,830
and other Kurdish groups in the region,
339
00:15:16,830 --> 00:15:19,410
and they continue to crack
down on the Kurds politically,
340
00:15:19,410 --> 00:15:21,990
arresting Kurdish
politicians and activists,
341
00:15:21,990 --> 00:15:25,080
censoring journalists to
intimidate the Kurdish people
342
00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:27,630
from participating in the election.
343
00:15:27,630 --> 00:15:31,620
The Kurds in Syria face a
new and uncertain future.
344
00:15:31,620 --> 00:15:34,410
They do have some autonomy
up here in the north,
345
00:15:34,410 --> 00:15:36,360
but are surrounded by enemies,
346
00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:39,403
no longer counting on
any support from the US.
347
00:15:39,403 --> 00:15:42,570
(suspenseful music)
348
00:15:42,570 --> 00:15:45,330
The story of the Kurds
is the story of a people
349
00:15:45,330 --> 00:15:48,300
who are willing to fight like few others,
350
00:15:48,300 --> 00:15:50,970
all in the name of their
culture and identity.
351
00:15:50,970 --> 00:15:53,730
That willingness to fight
has presented a threat
352
00:15:53,730 --> 00:15:57,540
to regional governments, bent
on control of their people
353
00:15:57,540 --> 00:15:59,970
and the resources within their borders.
354
00:15:59,970 --> 00:16:02,550
That willingness to fight
has also been hijacked
355
00:16:02,550 --> 00:16:05,700
by outside powers, turning
the Kurds into a pawn
356
00:16:05,700 --> 00:16:08,460
to fulfill geopolitical objectives,
357
00:16:08,460 --> 00:16:11,250
each time showing how
willing these powers are
358
00:16:11,250 --> 00:16:14,279
to use the Kurds and
then abandon their cause.
359
00:16:14,279 --> 00:16:17,279
(suspenseful music)
27765
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