James Ker-Lindsay
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jameskerlindsay.bsky.social
James Ker-Lindsay
@jameskerlindsay.bsky.social

Academic and analyst | Former LSE and RUSI | Conflict and Security | Cyprus and SE Europe |
Secession and State Creation (OUP, 2023)
http://www.YouTube.com/JamesKerLindsay

The Cyprus problem, also known as the Cyprus conflict, Cyprus issue, Cyprus dispute, or Cyprus question, is an ongoing dispute between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot community in the north of the island of Cyprus, where troops of the Republic of Turkey are deployed. This dispute is an example of a protracted social conflict. The Cyprus dispute began after the Greek Cypriot community challenged the British occupation of the island in 1955, the 1974 Cypriot military coup d'état executed by the Cypriot National Guard and sponsored by the Greek military junta, and the ensuing Turkish military invasion of the island, and hence the presence of Turkish soldiers, despite a legal reinstatement of a stable government. The desire of some of the ethnic Turkish people for the partition of the island of Cyprus through Taksim, and mainland Turkish nationalists settling in as a show of force as a supposed means of protecting their people from what they considered to be the threat of Greek Cypriots, also plays a role in the dispute. .. more

Political science 74%
Sociology 19%

Interestingly, in 2016, the number one predictor of support for #Brexit - more than age, education, gender, location, or social class - was support for the death penalty.

I know what you mean. For some reason people seem to post stuff without any context. It’s rather strange. But overall I’ve actually seen an improvement over the past month or so. More people do seem to be using it. But there’s still far too many on Twitter. Governments should all have BSKY accounts.

Eight years ago, hundreds of thousands of #Rohingya were forced to flee #Myanmar. Today they’re forgotten, living in dire conditions in the world’s largest refugee camp in #Bangladesh. But as resources are stretched, there’s pressure for them to return home. But will they ever?
youtu.be/_ltGPLDcFoM
Will the Rohingya Ever Return?
YouTube video by Prof James Ker-Lindsay
youtu.be

Thanks. Yes, a much bigger win than expected. Interestingly, Turkey stepped back and didn’t support hardliner Tatar. Lots of guesses why: a wish better relations with the EU, not wishing to support an obviously unpopular candidate, a belief that talks will be obstructed by the Greek Cypriots anyway.

Agreed. But it also damages the EU. I suppose they think voting rights becomes an incentive for reform once in. I’m not so sure. Meanwhile, taking them in prematurely invites problems. It’ll erode the Union from within. I fully support enlargement. But the conditions are there for a good reason.

Great! So glad you saw it. It was a great piece. 🙂
Honored to see my Balkan Insight op-ed 📝 cited by @jameskerlindsay.bsky.social as a ‘straightforward explanation’ (9:31) of Turkey–Serbia dynamics in his latest video 🎥. It’s encouraging to see this topic gaining wider attention beyond policy circles. youtu.be/0-t7V0EtB5k?...
Are Serbia-Turkey Relations Collapsing?
YouTube video by Prof James Ker-Lindsay
youtu.be
🎧Under Erdogan, Turkey has diversified its foreign policy. What are the country's driving forces behind its external relations? Soner Cagaptay speaks with @jameskerlindsay.bsky.social about Ankara's shifting views of the West, implications for the region, and more.
Understanding Turkish Foreign Policy | Soner Çağaptay
YouTube video by Prof James Ker-Lindsay
www.youtube.com

So true. Really, I’ve never understood why the U.K. can’t seem to make the link between tax and services (or why politicians don’t make it clear). It wants European social welfare, but has the American obsession with low tax rates.

Agreed. But maybe the sense that Labour would be committed to this course could actually shore up support from many disillusioned pro-EU voters. They would then have a real reason to make sure Labour isn’t defeated by Reform. (I know Reform winning should be enough, but I’m not sure it is.)

True. But I think there’s also a critical psychological dimension here. Yes, actually doing anything would take time. But there would be a big confidence boost if people and businesses see that the relationship is being rebuilt. Just announcing a plan for customs union would have a dramatic effect.

But listed on the Nobel Prize site as a category. So, no, not an original one, but widely accepted as one nevertheless.

There’s always one! Every year! 🙂

Wait until someone tells him about the role of large scale immigration in making it all work!

Reposted by Ben Tonra

#Ireland has a truly fascinating, controversial, but often misunderstood, foreign policy history. From WWII to Ukraine, neutrality to peacekeeping, Good Friday to Brexit, Trump to Palestine. Really great to discuss all this with @bentonra.bsky.social
youtu.be/hv5ggSV2-vQ
Understanding Irish Foreign Policy | Ben Tonra
YouTube video by Prof James Ker-Lindsay
youtu.be

All this is very reminiscent of Brexit. Every senior officer I met opposed it. They knew it would damage British interests. But they didn’t want to wade into the public political debate. Meanwhile, they were faced with the other ranks who thought it was great because it was “British independence”.

Could (or should) #Trump recognise #Somaliland? The case for and against.
youtu.be/o8xoQU1w_r8
Will Trump Finally Recognise Somaliland?
YouTube video by Prof James Ker-Lindsay
youtu.be

How did so many become so hateful?

I completely agree. To my mind, this was always the one and only potential benefit of Brexit. And yet, despite a massive majority, Starmer completely failed to seize the chance.

Music added. Hosted on YouTube as BSky video uploads always fail for me.

youtu.be/2x5-JtDhTns
Yakety N*zis
YouTube video by Matt B
youtu.be

Is the only correct answer.
Music added. Hosted on YouTube as BSky video uploads always fail for me.

youtu.be/2x5-JtDhTns
Yakety N*zis
YouTube video by Matt B
youtu.be

Thanks so much. GOSH does amazing work in so many areas. Good luck!

Looks perfectly normal to me.

Oh, bugger! 😀

#Moldova faces a truly critical election this weekend. Having pushed ahead with #EU membership, this could all be set back by pro-Russian parties, with help from Moscow. But why is all this happening? And why does it matter so much?
youtu.be/FuBrkvrbR8Q
Could Moscow Win Back Moldova?
YouTube video by Prof James Ker-Lindsay
youtu.be

I haven’t stopped looking at ideas of statehood. But, to most people, it doesn’t mean much, or else sounds far too nebulous or academic. I have been tightening up videos recently, and this was just one of those changes. But ideas of statehood and governance are most definitely still there. 🙂

Maybe the UK is finally getting over its strange fear of ID cards. Living in a country where they’re required, you soon see the benefits. Frankly, general privacy is over anyway. Perhaps that’s why people now feel far more at ease about the idea than they did 20 years ago. This is tame stuff now.

Yes. It was a profoundly stupid decision based on ignorance and lies. It has done untold damage to the U.K. Sadly, while many now see the damage, others don’t and appear willing to follow Farage deeper into the mess he helped create, adopting ever more racist language. Time to stand up to them.

Lisa Nandy was always an apologist for Brexit and pandered to ordinary Leave voters. She’s not going to go against them and their views now.