[Destro]

The true evil empire with the genocide of Christians as it's legacy.

[Destro]

bump

[Cicero]

This strikes me as a pretty simpleminded history of the Middle East by a typically undereducated reporter who has probably now read three or four books on the subject.

I suppose I shouldn't complain. At least this poor guy is trying.

[bobi]

But the European powers were surprised when the indigenous European subjects of the empire — including Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria — won independence for themselves.

Greece got its Independence through a brave fight against the Turks. No one can dispute their bravery. It was 1828 I think. Too lazy to check.

Buuut there was a Western naval fleet as well that went againts the Turkish fleet at the same time.

Bulgaria was more or less independent through a direct action by the Russians. Few days ago it was an annerversary of the Bulgarian inderpendence from the Turks and Vladimir Putin was in Bulgaria to remind them how they got their freedom.

Serbia. Well after the 1st failed uprising 1804? then the second in the 1820's the Serbs showed who is the fighting nation in the Balkans. Either they were too brave or too thick headed to fear anything.

Any way there was a western influence in all this as Greece got its borders south of Mount Olympus, Serbia north of Kosovo and Bulgaria east of Mount Pirin.

Macedonia was still under turkish rule .....

[a_Turk]

The article is ok, but wear your hip boots.. Dastro is here..

[FirstTomato]

I just got finished reading an interesting book--a history of the Ottoman Empire's harems and the kidnapping and slave trade which supplied young beautiful women from all over Europe for the Sultans. These women were immediately made to convert to Islam, natch.

[longtermmemmory]

boing

[Voronin]

If it weren't for the Brits and the Frogs, the Ottoman Empire would have gone belly-up (bankrupt)mid-19th century. This is what real foreign policy is about, it transcends religion for 'balance of power/interests (commercial or otherwise)', or because they needed the Ottoman Empire to balance against the Russian Empire, regardless of the cost to the Armenians and others under the yolke.

Support started to crumble when stories of Ottoman atrocities reached the London papers. The Brits kept the Ottoman Empire just long enough for the nascent German Empire to step in with grand projects such as the Berlin Baghdad railroad.

The much expected re-birth of Turkish influence in the immediate region in 1990 began with the export of tens of thousands of turkic script typewriters to the 'stans of the FSU. The idea became as vapid as the much expected US-German alliance that was peddled at the same time. As we have seen from current events, there is plenty to do At home and the dream has turned to joining the EU rather than becoming a major arbiter of power on the border of Europe and Asia.

VRN

[aruanan]

...as it's legacy.

...as its legacy.

[Nogbad]

Ping

[Monty22]

"Kuwait belonged to Iraq, Mr. Hussein argued, because modern Iraq was the lineal descendant and heir of Ottoman Basra. And Kuwait had come under the sovereignty of the province of Basra in the days of the Ottoman Empire"

Whoah whoah.. stop right here. Awful grammar.. awful!