Can Bosnia Survive? | Can Cyprus be solved? | Will Serbia invade Kosovo? | 200k Q&A Part II

[@JamesKerLindsay]

I had a few questions about Southeast Europe, which, as many of you know, is my academic area of study. I thought it might be nice to focus on the region.

[@lain1252]

Maybe I misunderstood you but I don't get how you think kicking Turkish Cypriots out of their homes (that used to belong to Greek Cypriots) will lead to long term peace. I don't know how the TRNC can even accept such a proposal

[@amotaba]

Yeah. Could you talk about the future of Hungary in relation with EU and Nato?

[@FlamingBasketballClub]

Can you please do a video on the 80th anniversary of United Nations? 🗣️📢

[@FlamingBasketballClub]

You meant to say the ongoing proxy war in Ukraine?

[@robert9016]

Balkanology :)

[@teoengchin]

Actually NATO Article 5 is deliberately vague on obligations. If Israel were to attack Turkey, a NATO member could just send a strong diplomatic reprimand to Israel and do absolutely nothing else

[@berkekadircelik6282]

yeah- Article 5 is useless unless you get attacked by a common enemy.

[@Paerigos]

@@berkekadircelik6282 well common enemy... That's why the tripwire forces in Baltics are from half of NATO. So most Armies are commited on day1 to not give politicians a choice. Equally if Poland starts fighting on the day 1 then there is very little to talk about. Without Poland there is no European NATO.

[@janetmontgomery-r6j]

​@@PaerigosI agree

[@d.l4326]

NATO serves only USA . Look in history what country (corporation) has broken how many agreements and treaties. That shows if you can trust 5 amendment.

[@GM-ub8qy]

Article 5 applies only to weak countries. To countries with nukes its just bluff

[@HouseOfSick]

I really like this format. I like that you pause to really think about how to word your answers. It feels genuine and not scripted. It feels like a conversation. I do like your normal videos, but variety is nice. I wish your channel much success.

[@ВукВуксановић]

Half of Bosnia doesn't want to be in Bosnia, neither croats or Serbs want to be part of it, i doubt it will survive in it's current form for more than 10 years

[@NewYork-hi6zd]

@@ВукВуксановић WHO CARE 😆

[@Sol_Invictus543]

The west can force Bosnia and Hercegovina to remain as it is - a Frankenstain construction in coma. But it depopulates at a really fast pace. I would also claim that Republika Srpska is better governed then the federation despite all the blackmailing and sanctions put on top officials.

[@ВукВуксановић]

@@NewYork-hi6zd you're on a video about Bosnia i assume you care, or have nothing better to do in your life

[@01mart1978]

Neither Sandzak and RSK want to be part of Serbia and Croatia, but they have no choice, right?🤫🤫

[@ВукВуксановић]

@01mart1978 🤡 enjoy your 23%

[@major-Mihailo-Madzarevic]

*" Will Serbia invade Kosovo " ? By international law and 1244 resolution, Kosovo and Metohija is part of Serbia. Nato invaded and occupied our ancient land - Kosovo and Metohija.*

[@AlexM-t6h]

Correct, and this was done without UN approval, meaning that a complete breakdown of international law and order took place. Not to mention the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, or the American-Russian Battle for the Pristina Airport - both events could have started WW 3. Furthermore, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) posed no threat to any NATO country.

[@adrianog4148]

your ancient land is in siberia..

[@major-Mihailo-Madzarevic]

@@adrianog4148 If you don't know what you are talking about, at least learn to start sentence with a capital letter......

[@adrianog4148]

@@major-Mihailo-Madzarevic you are slavs that came to balcans very late. albanians are the ancient people of this region. dont you learn that in belgrade?

[@predragdjokovic3419]

Correct. Serbia can not attack itself. It can only bring order to the temporary occupied territory.

[@milostoprek]

Albanians in Kosovo can have independence, but Serbs in Bosnia can’t? You can’t have a serious conversation after that

[@bilic8094]

@@milostoprek Albanians is kosovo don't have independence they don't have a seat in the un and half the world doesn't recognize it plus a couple of eu countries it's just temporarily occupied.

[@h3ad_tv]

@@milostoprek Do you ever wonder why the Serbs in Bosnia aren't allowed to have independence?

[@og-c8l]

@@h3ad_tv Because we are a small nation surrounded by Nato and Americans see us as small Russians, so they punish us since they can't do it with Russia. Also double standards and gay western idology opposed to the Serbian way of living.

[@user-oj2ip3os3h]

Hey buddy they can’t declare independence because the Serbs ethnically cleansed the non Serbs out of those territories in the 90s and their entire government is based off Genocide. Albanians were allowed to declare independence from Serbia due to the Yugoslav government stripping them of all of their rights, banning them from schools, and getting rid of them in positions 9 years before the Kosovo war actually started and 18 years before they declared independence. Why would they not declare independence from these monsters?

[@user-oj2ip3os3h]

Because Republika Srpska is founded on the genocide and ethnic cleansing of innocent non serbs in those territories. Kosovo has a right to be independent because in 1990 the government stripped them of their human rights, banned them from schools, and removed them from positions in the work force/were denied jobs. This issue began in the 80s however really came into effect in 1990 and that's 9 years before the Kosovo war. They were given no option but to be independent.

[@gorambo]

The double standard against the Serbs will never be excepted by the Serbs. Why is it ok to divide Yugoslavia but not Bosnia, or Croatia? Why are Serbs the only ones forced to live in countries were they are a minority? This is why the region is tense.

[@tzimisce1753]

All of you Serbs know very well that Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo fought for independence, they did not have it during Yugoslavia, while you are fighting for conquest. But you pretend as if there is a double standard, because you're trying to make your aggression sound fair, which it will never be.

[@yellowwasprakija2869]

@@tzimisce1753 all of you know damn well you rode Hitlers coattails

[@9and7]

@@yellowwasprakija2869 WTF does that have to do with anything today? You people are nuts.

[@9and7]

Apples and Oranges.

[@9and7]

@@tzimisce1753 Well said.

[@marko-uno]

Serbia can't invade Kosovo since it is according to International Law , UN Charta, the Serbian constitution and the majority of the UN members, its southern province! What a hypocrisy to call Serbs in Bosnia secessionists but Albanians in Kosovo legitimate freedom fighters! 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸

[@bletrick3352]

HAHAHAHAHA keep coping

[@zoltanludvan5133]

Exactly. There are the good ones,whom we like, and there are the bad ones...The good old western neocon double standards

[@duskokukolj5571]

A šta očekivati od ljigavac iz EU.Dvostruki standard!Zamisli uspoređivati Vels,Irsku i Škotsku sa Kosovom!To samo mogu raditi ljudi koji nemaju pojma o srpskoj istoriji.Kosovo je bilo autonomna pokrajina u sastavu Srbije.Znači legitimni dio nezavisne i suverene države Srbije!Oni nemaju pojma koliko kulturne srpske ostavštine,koliko manastira i crkava ima na Kosovu!Oni nemaju pojma o srpskoj istoriji!Nisu svjesni da se Srbija nikad neće odreći Kosova!Ko god bio na vlasti!!!"KOSOVO JE ❤️ SRBIJE"!!!

[@anadolubenim3487]

Bosnian orthodox people are not Serbs nor Bosnian catholics are Croats. They're native Bosnian people. The Bosnia always has been Turkish land.

[@marko-uno]

@ 1. Yes they are, as it is written in the constitution of this country. 2. If you wanna discuss the historical context it must be said that Bosniaks didn't even exist before the turkish occupation. Bosniaks are muslimised Serbs who were forced to change their religion in order to live!

[@bill_moraitakis]

Thank you so much for answering my question! As a Greek, the Cypriot issue is very important to me and I really appreciate the answer you gave. Thank you for all the work you do on this channel, you truly make some of the best geopolitical analyses on KZbin and have helped me get interested in and fully understand this field.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks for the great question, Bill! And thanks for the lovely vote of confidence. I really appreciate it. :-)

[@singoller3749]

@@bill_moraitakis when will the Thrace and Macedonia problem be resolved with Bulgaria?

[@BilgeHan-01]

@@bill_moraitakis keep dreaming about a Reunion or tricking the Turks just like the Annan Plan with our good wishes to make real peace and Greeks done a last minute trickery. Now and forever Northern Cypriots don't need a Federal state with the mass murderer mentality of Eoka- Enosis nation. We are happy with our Sovereign State and Guarantor Türkiye.

[@australiaprisonisland9156]

Cyprus will work under Israel which is why Israeli's are buying up everything.

[@grSpyridon]

@@singoller3749 there is no such issue with Bulgaria. It’s all in your mind.

[@TheSwedishHistorian]

I don't see Bosnia changing. I think it will just depopulate and be completely independent on the EU.

[@EdMcF1]

'dependent' or 'independent'?

[@M-SRB]

They are not going into EU at all.

[@australiaprisonisland9156]

Bosnia is doing just fine as it is. Whether you like it or not.

[@ognjengajic7706]

@@TheSwedishHistorian NATO and EU out, only way for surviving, we lived good till they come to give us democrasy, now is country without future

[@ognjengajic7706]

No we are not doing good dont lie ppl​@@australiaprisonisland9156

[@neandertalac]

I totally don't get how Serbia would invade its own territory.

[@bletrick3352]

Wipe your tears

[@JamesKerLindsay]

@@neandertalac because it is under UN authority. Serbia accepted this and has no control there. Any attempt to send in troops would therefore violate UN SC resolutions.

[@NikolaCekic-vn3sz]

@@JamesKerLindsay Wait Republika Srspka isnt a country in Bosnia that ruled by Serbs? They even have their own arm and police

[@simbaskrobic4447]

​@JamesKerLindsay Serbia never accepted and won't

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Im not sure what you mean. Serbia has accepted that Kosovo is under UN administration for 25 years!

[@Tukemuth]

Albanians in Kosovo wanted independance from Serbia. Serbia used force to protect its sovereignty. Serbia was condemned, demonized and ultimately bombed by the NATO. Crimeans wanted independance from Ukraine. Ukraine used force to protect its sovereignty. Ukraine was zealously supported by the NATO. What is the purpose of NATO? Why was Russia never invited to join NATO? Wouldn't that have prevented all possible wars with Russia? I should point out that NATO has expanded towards Russia while being openly hostile towards Russia. Would you do that if you wanted to prevent a war, or if you wanted to provoke a war? The very nature of NATO needs to be seriously questioned and I wouldn't dare call it a defensive alliance so lightly.

[@user-yc2br2ln2r]

Yes because Serbian paramilitare killed inocent people , raped thousands of young girls and woman , masacres Serbia did genocid in Kosovo and Nato bombarded Serbia , learn the right history, not Serbia version.

[@m.i.8390]

NATO is a military tool for USA and EU to impose their ways across the world.

[@bugshot4760]

@@user-yc2br2ln2r Both sides commited some kind of genocide, if we are being honest here.There are even stories that UCK( Liberation army of Kosovo) killed Albanians that lived in Kosovo, that didn't agree with them. The thing is, Albanians started conflict on Kosovo, and not without violence.Now, many people say that Kosovo was never part of Serbia- it was, but those same people forget that Ottomans ruled over Serbia for 5-6 centuries, then after World War I, Yugoslavia was formed (that was ruled by king) and after WWII it was Socialist Yugoslavia. Serbia officially became republic in 2006, and by that time, Kosovo was "separated" from it.

[@TimeByMySide]

If Serbia wants to be taken seriously, and this applies to anyone who wants to be taken seriously, then it should adopt a standard that it applies universally. There is no room for "if they, then we also.." or "if these, then why not those..?" Either you believe that universally there is no right for a group (ethnic, religious, etc.) within a country to form a new state and secede, or there is a right.

[@Tukemuth]

@@user-yc2br2ln2r Interesting claims. But the numbers tell us that the percentage of Albanians in Kosovo is higher than ever (over 90%), while the percentage of Serbs is lower than ever and continues to drop. This doesn't even suggest that a genocide was committed against the Albanians, but it does suggest the exact opposite.

[@VKK__583]

What is this guy talking about? Kosovo has always been Serbia.

[@rockyalbania7116]

In what dream you in ??

[@kristianfrroku2448]

its not anymore

[@rudolfohisena5701]

Do some study, don’t talk nonsense. Remembering reading a poster in the college dormitory of some white pigeons, : those you love, set them free, if they come back, they are yours, if they don’t come back, they were never yours.

[@ANICETVS]

really where; in your dreams ?

[@user-irj1nxa3cof2z]

Except that you have a border in between 🤗

[@milostomic8539]

Separation from Yugoslavia in 1992 is one of the main reasons why is Bosnia a failed and divided country for almost 30 years. As a former Yugoslav federal republic Bosnia had the right to proclaim independence only when and if all three constituent peoples agree. That didn't happen in 1992. Croats and Bosniaks were in favor of independence.Serbs were not. Then Croats and Bosniaks decided to overrule Serbs (which was and still is illegal). Serbs responded by proclaiming Republic of Srpska, because if Croats and Bosniaks can secede Bosnia from Yugoslavia without Serbs approval then Serbs can proclaim their territory within Bosnia without Croat and Bosniak approval.

[@jasmins203]

@@milostomic8539 having in mind that the Bosnian people suffered a genocide, Bosnia is doing very well. But you would probably say that the genocide in Srebrenica didn’t happen at all, exactly as your Russian sponsors. If you want an example of the failed state look at your Serbia being unable to get over Kosovo, hanging in some kind of limbo with the negotiations with EU stacked. Serbia is holding back not only itself but the entire region.

[@milostomic8539]

@jasmins203 What is wrong with that? EU is not among our priorities.

[@am_5384]

serbs can't create an entity in bosnia because they don't belong to that land, it's like saying that somalians in sweden can secede the areas in which they're a majority in

[@milostomic8539]

@@am_5384 Sure they can. If Croats and Bosniaks could secede Bosnia from Yugoslavia without Serb approval in 1992 then Serbs can form their own part of the country without Croat and Bosniak approval.

[@jasmins203]

@@milostomic8539 if EU is not your priority or choice why are you eating our EU money we are feeding you with? That is not fair.

[@Niksg9424]

Love these Q&A videos, professor. Big fan

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks so much, Nik! I should do them more often. In fact, that’s my plan. I’m now going to be doing two videos a week. I’m going to write a note to members about it soon.

[@tommyschmierer4627]

Idk if Bosnia can continue to exist really ... However it would be nice if it could have a sorta federation or somethin' with Montenegro and Serbia as well ... At least some kinda economic union with the other Balkan states ... Including all the former Yugoslav states ... Even Bulgaria & Greece too ... Who knows tho ... People have long memories ...

[@Niksg9424]

@@tommyschmierer4627 coming off a bit desperate m8

[@Kalimdor199Menegroth]

@@tommyschmierer4627 Uhm, Bosnia doesn't work with 3 different people cobbled together, you think it will work if you cobble even more? Come on...

[@tommyschmierer4627]

@Kalimdor199Menegroth no you're right... Lol ... I was just thinking it would be nice ... Guess I'm daydreamin' ...lol

[@JoBlakeLisbon]

Greetings from Sarajevo. It's a beautiful city. Wonderful people.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Indeed. A fascinating place. And amazing Cevapi! :-)

[@icuric4077]

@@execgrhvx Ma ja kad meni ne valja nek sve ide u pić.. materinu, Bosna je uvijek bila zemlja tolerancije sad odjednom svak tjera svoje sranje.

[@Nidzadrugar]

Dear professor, hope you'll get a lot more Muslims in your country, city, street - then you will understand how tolerant Serbs actually were.

[@arrore]

Congrats on the 200 milestone! Balkan regards.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much! :-)

[@mihajlozoric688]

Republika Srpska will be integrated into Serbia. Why the albanians have the right to succed from serbia and be "independent" and serbs in Bosnia can't? The people in RS do not wanna be in BiH they wanna be in Serbia I dont see what is the problem there

[@meeeee8745]

Because serbs committed genocide to both albanians and bosniaks. Drawing ethnic lines in Bosnia would be a total disaster. In Kosovo that is not the case.

[@mihajlozoric688]

@meeeee8745 no ethic clensing happend on kosovo that is a big line and rs could succed tomorrow if west allows it rs is a ethincly pure serbian state.

[@meeeee8745]

@@mihajlozoric688 yes, I guess the military and paramilitary units were just telling Albanians the way out of Kosovo and not killing kids, burning houses and displacing people. Read one book by someone who isn’t serbian, I dare you!

[@ognjengajic7706]

​​@@meeeee8745year of building the oldest.mosque in Kosovo plaše if you know hehe i dare you

[@predragdjokovic3419]

@@meeeee8745 nuts. Rhetoric nothing else. Ethnic lines in Bosnia are already drawn.

[@np4653]

1. It will survive. 2. It won't be solved anytime soon 3. No it won't invade.

[@PancakeBoy07]

@@np4653 "to make the long story short"

[@zmajooov]

wishful thinking

[@ivanvikalo4995]

Bosnia is a difficult nut to crack. It seems that neither Croats nor Serbs want to live in a Bosnia with Bosniaks. I think it is impossible to “force” Croats and Serbs to reform the state in order to keep the country as it is, because there is no popular will. One possibility is to possibly create a true federation, but where each “state/entity” has enormous power/self-government, except in matters of foreign and defense policy, monetary policy with a federal central bank, and minimal fiscal policy. Croats get their own state/entity, Serbs keep their own entity and Bosniaks get their own entity. I think this would be the only possible way that everyone could accept, that is, by Serbs having their autonomy strengthened, Croats also getting a large autonomy and their own entity, and Bosniaks also getting the same power and the country remaining a unified country. The essence is that everyone must get much more than they have, but on the basis that the country must remain a country. This is just my thought.

[@AlexM-t6h]

Bosnia will survive only because the West wants it to survive. The Cyprus issue is not as complicated as Kosovo, yet it remains unsolved since 1974. Serbia will not invade Kosovo, as you say. Not at the moment. We waited 523 years to get it back from the Ottoman Turks. We will get it back again. Someday. It's our holy land. Let me ask you, how is it okay for Bosnia to stay whole, and for Serbia not to stay whole? In Bosnia, you have the Serbian-dominated Republika Srpska in which 95% are Serbs. In Kosovo, you have the 95% Albanians. And yet, Kosovo was allowed to separate from Serbia and Republika Srpska is not allowed to separate from Bosnia. Western double standards. But all in due time.

[@emiromeragic4187]

Kosovo is different in a sence it was Autonomus region of Yugoslavia, and it became part of Yugoslavia as it was given by Albanian komunists at the end of WW2. Root of all problems was caused when Albanian majority was oppersed by Serbian nationalistic government from Belgrade. And that kind of status quo narcistic approach may work if you are nucliar power with 3 milions of soldiers (Russia). For Serbia and any other nation that would not work. You cannot oppres 90% of population and expect good results. And after wars in 90's there is less then 0% chance to have Kosovo back as part of Serbia. Bosnia will survive as barely functional state and will not be changed an inch in next 30 years. There is no chance a single Serb from Bosnia will write off Republic of Srpska and agree to rearange internal organisation of Bosnia. That is needed to rearange internal Bosnian organisation to more economical 6+1 regions. And that will not happened. Not in my lifetime.

[@dzonikg]

@@emiromeragic4187 KOsovo was Autonomous region of SERBIA !!LIke VOjvodina.ANd no one opresed Albanians it was wise versa.I am not nationalists and hate our Serbian government but i dont like LIES ,i was in KOsovo every year in 80s and only oppression was against Serbs there

[@RicoBanani]

"Waited 523 years" thats a silly statement. You were unable for 523 yrs until the west came in and liberated Belgrade

[@dzonikg]

@@RicoBanani Lol ,Serbs liberated them self in first uprising in 1804 then in second in 1815 ,west was against Serbian indepdence and even Serbia free it self they refuse to recognize Serbia all way to 1878 when Russia pressure them to do it..and is 400 years ,not 523 but still way way 2 much ,i am sad for all generations off Serbian people who had to live under Otomans

[@RandomBosnianPatriot]

True,West won't allow serbia to expand

[@tombuddy100]

Cyprus is the case where a minority that constituted less than 20% of population wanted everything fifty-fifty.

[@redfruit1968]

@@tombuddy100 And Bosnia is a case where 30% of the population was given half of the country, while 5% of the population wants to have the same amount of power as 65% of population.

[@tombuddy100]

@redfruit1968 Croats 15% according to Wikipedia

[@AriB97-ue6gt]

@@redfruit1968 Bosniaks are 50% of the population in BiH. If you speak only about the federation than 70% are Bosniaks. Anyway yes it’s extremely unfair how a nation which committed a genocide got half of the country. The same in Kosovo where they are 3-5% but have 10 out of 40 municipalities and want to have an association.

[@mikem8211]

12% Turkish 6% Muslim just to clarify

[@tombuddy100]

@@AriB97-ue6gt Kosovo seceded from Serbia.

[@fpsserbia6570]

Bosnia = mini Yugoslavia All have failed........ How many Yugo unions ( SLO, CRO, SRB ) have to fail in order people to understand that it doesn't work to have a union in this region i m not saying it is impossible, just not under these circumstances

[@temistogen]

That is good.Ethnic states

[@baklava6138]

They cannot be compared, Bosnia has legitimacy and a 1,000 year history. Yugoslavia was a project lasting a few decades. Also, Bosnia is governed by the Dayton peace deal which explicitly says secession is not possible. Secession was not possible during the hardest years of the war, and it certainly won't be possible today in peace. Plus, multiple court judgments on genocide and war crimes undermine the credibility of the entity RS, the said entity was created at the expense of other two main ethnic groups. Bosniaks, in particular, lost 4% of their total population, that would be equivalent to 350,000 serbs or 1.4 million Americans etc. The origin of the entity of RS is different from the origin of Yugoslav republics, the later all having historic credibility, something the entity RS does not.

[@DejanGrubesic]

@@baklava6138 Bosnia has no 1000 years history. Big lie.

[@TheSouth-j7f]

@@baklava6138 There were no muslims living in Bosnia before the Ottoman Turkish invasion in 1463 AD and there were also no Serbs living in Bosnia either before the Ottoman Turkish invasion.

[@Apistoleon]

​@@TheSouth-j7fIf one goes to origins, Bosnia or whole Balkans or whole world, were pagan, shamanic, or animistic etc. Christianity and Islam have arrived from ancient Canaan area, and Arabia and have nothing to do with Balkans. There were Catholic crusades were done on Orthodox Christians, other Cathar Christians, Protestant Christians, Muslims, pagans with huge massacres. Islam and Christianity are derived from Judaism. They are called Abrahamic religions. Catholics and Orthodox Christians created massacres on Balkan pagans, Baltic pagans and so many others!

[@Viajesygeopolitica]

Congratulations about the 200K!

[@marcocolo7151]

Nice to have the preview for members

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks, Marco. I'm hoping to be able to do this more often. A few other changes are coming. I'll post a note to members soon explaining everything. :-)

[@mariocuric6690]

Im a Croat from Bosnia. Let me tell you 1 thing: We aren't connected (physically like roads and culturally like school events) and we feel that way.

[@Hans-Schulds]

You eather are not from Bosnia or you have absolutely no idea about road connections within Bosnia. Of course there are roads that connect now (nationally , religiously) very different and homogeneous parts of the country but , I would never make stop (unless totally necessary - if my car would brake down) , in Croat or Serbian parts of Bosnia. I don't trust them. 30 years ago they (first anf foremost Serbs but Croats also) tried to annihilate us , so ...

[@nix.amere3]

@@Hans-Schulds ahahahah mais comment peux tu dire ça alors que la première victime a été serbe, comment tu peux dire ça alors que les premières victimes de la région de Srebrenica ont été des serbes. Sérieusement il faut que tu grandisses et vite

[@repdebt]

i live in one of the most divided towns in bosnia and Herzegovina and I can go to the other (croat) side of my town easily without worry and without feeling like I don't belong I have many friends who are of different ethnicities to me and we don't see each other in any different light because of our backgrounds all these people who say we are still divided don't even try to change

[@realcarrickryan]

I've always enjoyed your content James, but really enjoy this format. Reminds me of being able to quiz my favourite University Professors with niche questions. Also displays your knowledge a lot better when we know you're not reading from a script. Please do more of these.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

@@realcarrickryan Thanks. I love doing them for all those reasons. I will certainly try to do more! :-)

[@tommyschmierer4627]

Btw ... I really appreciate your channel 💯... 🫡 to you professor 💪🏽💯

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks so much, Tommy. I hope all is well at your end.

[@adamski-l5w]

I’m not sure if I missed earlier videos or not but I would hope to one day hear something about the background to why Cypress holds such a special place in James’s heart. Thank you for the video as always.

[@milostoprek]

That is his job. He is a professor of international affairs or something like that. He gets paid to study conflicts. He is an “expert”in Cyprus, Kosovo and Turkey-Greece relationship. Someone actually pays him a salary to study this and he still makes such stupid conclusions.

[@BOZ_11]

@@milostoprek haha, well said

[@MasterMurga]

Bosnia always survived and always will survive no matter who attack on my homeland and household.

[@unlimitedcosmicspeed]

Surviving is one thing but thriving is another.

[@mudristefamon2338]

Bila pod turcima 600 godina.

[@MasterMurga]

@mudristefamon2338 still survived , even Egypt and Turkey were under Roman empire, so what

[@MasterMurga]

@@unlimitedcosmicspeed take it as you want, question is "can Bosnia survive"? So we Bosnians gave correct answer

[@mudristefamon2338]

@@MasterMurga Well, just like Turkey and Egypt, the structure of the population was completely changed, in Turkey there were Greeks, in Egypt Copts, and in Bosnia Serbs, and now there are some Muslims

[@qaranyuusufcaliburmad8696]

I always watch your videos, Jameskerlindsay. You often focus on the current issues of the world. Congratulations to reach 200k. #From Somalia 🇸🇴

[@chaxydul]

@JamesKerLindsay Republika Srpska has right on self-determination, has right to exist. Republika Srpska will exist for centuries to come, no matter what you think about it. Republika Srpska is the wish and right for survival and living in freedom of more than 90% of its population - ethnic Serbs. Deal with it.

[@dandaratramadol3007]

K nozi kmetojlo!

[@Nidzadrugar]

@@dandaratramadol3007 U redu je, Srebro.

[@_daboi]

Thanks for answering my question! As a regular viewer, I’ve definitely seen a lot of blowback on some of your videos (namely the ones you made about Modhi and the Indian government), and that’s what prompted me to ask about that. Thanks again! :D

[@yellowwasprakija2869]

Long live the Serb Republic!!!!

[@Bosan5dzeros]

Welcome to Republic of Kosova! 🤣🤣🤣

[@electricVGC]

Thank you for your answers, Mr Ker-Lindsay.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Always a pleasure! I hope all is well at your end.

[@GababoBule]

Thanks you prof Lindsay's you teach me alot about politics in worlds etc👍

[@JamesKerLindsay]

@@GababoBule Thank you! 🙂

[@alenlepirica7304]

Dear professor, my well-intentioned advice - read the book "BOSNIA: A short history", by Noel Malcolm PhD, Macmillan London, 1996. so many things will surely become clearer to you in its nearly 1000-year history. So you won't have to worry about its sustainability. She outlived many!

[@LeoOrlando-yd2ut]

I visited a village in Bosnia about 30 minutes south of Mostar in 1989, a couple of years before the war. I didn’t even know tensions are once again rising. It’s not a good sign.

[@mnemonija]

Tensions are rising because it is not a functional state. The political sides do not think about how to cooperate but how to pull one on the others. Croats seem to want to have their own entity (and a veto on decisions like the srpska has), because they feel outvoted inside the federation where they are 1/4 of the votes. Bosniaks would want no one to have vetoes so they can decide on everything with 50% of the population/votes. I suppose srpska is satisfied with the current setup, but there is also a question of international guardianship status. They are not really a country, some unelected EU bureaucrat also has veto powers over everything in Bosnia. Is independence and freedom overvalued, or will they decide to split to all be free? Can they even split, geographically?

[@SnakeP1tPoetry]

In Bosnia the things are the same as if the war never ended, the only difference is that no one is shooting yet.

[@Giruga905]

Oh perhaps you went to Stolac? It’s a lovely place honestly but much like the rest of Bosnia riddled with tension, in the village in particular between the Croats and Bosnians living there. The tension imo never went away when the war ended but with all the other anxieties of the world at large looming over us it’s inevitable we will be a bit on edge and ready to perhaps get into conflicts again… I just hope it wouldn’t boil over past a certain point

[@predragdjokovic3419]

@@mnemonija If Bosnia cannot function then they have to say good bye and all to best to each other. That way but with western interference the Yugoslavia disolved.

[@sal78sal]

@@predragdjokovic3419 yes the old trick of make the country dysfunctional and then split it apart. We already have Serbia split apart form kosovo and is that a good solution?

[@youknow6968]

I've certainly enjoyed your take on issues, it does provide out of the box perspectives, which is always good in my opinion.

[@Todd.B]

Thx Prof. It's a little weird watching a video on a Wed. I did say, if I was wrong, I would admit it, I was wrong. I am baffled, it does defy every measure of common sense, and if common sense doesn't exist anymore, I'm a lost soul.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks, Todd. Indeed, it does. I think we are all trying to work out what happened.

[@Todd.B]

@@JamesKerLindsay He did say he had a secret he was so proud of he publicly admitted it, and told people he didn't need their vote, I wonder if there isn't something going on behind the scene. 🤷‍♂ I will say this, at the grocery store this morning, it felt more like a funeral. I'm not going to accept the result or deny the result but put a pin in it for now until officials come out and say something about the integrity of the election. You can delete this msg thread before posting the video publicly.

[@NabeelaAllahditta]

Congrats Prof. James for 200k subscribers🎉

[@JamesKerLindsay]

@@NabeelaAllahditta Thank you!

[@aahavoc]

Bosnia is over 1000 yrs old and survived bigger empires compared to current petty nationals

[@TheSouth-j7f]

A thousand years ago Bosnia was a province of the Kingdom of Croatia ( 925 AD to 1102 AD).

[@ibmujic4764]

@@TheSouth-j7f and so what if it was,but it wasn't.

[@AlexM-t6h]

We are all very old in the Balkans, but the past is the past. Bosnia will not survive on its own. It's a dysfunctional country with 3 peoples, 3 religions, and 2 entities. The only reason it stays together is because the West wants it to. Sooner or later, the West will get tired of holding Bosnia's hands. It's a beautiful country and its people are wonderful, but the country is very dysfunctional.

[@TheSouth-j7f]

@@ibmujic4764 The Kingdom of Croatia was recognised by the Pope in Rome in 925 AD and Croatia's neighbour in 925 AD was Bulgaria the border was the Drina river.

[@ibmujic4764]

@TheSouth-j7f Go back another 500 years and it was all Rome,if you go that way.What's the point talking about what was 1000 years ago.

[@MrChuckya]

Thank you very much for your answer. I love your approach to international relations and am looking forward to your next video🙏

[@Nikola-eg5tp]

Why does your every solution for Bosnia involve undermining the serbian position, how about more decentralization in favor of the entities?

[@bilic8094]

The most logical solution would be three entities with no right to secede that's basically how it's currently on the ground with the three constituent peoples all have rights and no group can dominate over the other but it's still one country.

[@Nikola-eg5tp]

@@bilic8094 I agree, that would also be a good option

[@ivancertic5197]

​​@@bilic8094Why it must be so? Why is there such a pressure to stay in same country? What happened with democratic principle of self determination? Why destiny woudn't be desideded for every municipality on internationally organised and supported referendum? It worked for Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo, East Timor, South Sudan, Scotland etc.

[@goranmiljus2664]

Like Switzerland.

[@yolson2376]

@@bilic8094 That's not a viable solution in the long run I'm afraid especially if the country has aspirations to join the EU.

[@bulqizafotovideo8602]

Thank you very much for your videos everything is excellent

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much!

[@sevenus82]

Bosnia is an unsolvable issue for the current population. Most people gave up. Educated and highly skilled left or will leave. Corrupt governments privatized their areas of interest and influence and there is no one who truly wants to do/risk anything or raise their voice for the more efficient, just and fare BiH. That ship has sailed. One they, when all these people die out, maybe someone else will settle here and make a country on this land. These people will not..

[@barrydunne8096]

Really enjoying the channel

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much! I have just written a members' post for the community tab. It should be up tomorrow. There have been some changes recently, and I wanted to let you all know what has been happening. :-)

[@barrydunne8096]

Excellent. Sounds great.

[@akinozkan4496]

Regarding Cyprus I would love to hear on what your belief is based that the Turkish side would accept a loss of land. And the security topics of Turkey are not even mentioned.

[@littlechestnutorchard]

Because Mr professor is pro Greek and anti-Turk.

[@barrydunne8096]

On my 8 week travels throughout September and October my trip took in 2 weeks in Bosnia. I'd been there before but this time I wanted to explore more places.. so as well as Sarajevo and mostar I visited Travnik and Trebinje. I always find the different places so fascinating, and the cities and towns separated with invisible religious borders. Beautiful country. Very warm people. 🇧🇦

[@Rick-l8n2l]

Wishful thinking that the Turks will agree to any type of reunification of Cyprus, let alone letting go of any land they have invaded.

[@emitizmo7456]

Explain this: Bosnian Muslims fought for their indepadence but now insist on living with Serbs. Why? The answer is quite aimple and that is they hope one day they'll take the Serbian territory. Pretty sumple.

[@Hans-Schulds]

The country is someday gonna fall apart. Many Serbs and Croats want that. Bosniaks can not hold the county in one piece on their own. Bosniaks do not want any serbian territory , they were expelled from some parts of Bosnia by Serbian extremists.

[@jasmins203]

@@emitizmo7456 there is no Serbian Territory in Bosnia. It is only Bosnian territory

[@YourD3estinY]

@@Hans-Schulds I am not sure about Croats wanting Bosnia to fall apart. Depending on how it dissolves, it might have a very negative effect on the Croatia's economy. That would also mean an even larger border with what would then be part of Serbia. Their goal is to have a Croat entity within Bosnia and that Bosnia joins the EU, because an EU integration would also mean a stronger connection of Bosnian Croats with Croats from Croatia; that is once it joins Schengen. In that scenario it wouldn't be noticeable for Croats that they actually live in separate countries, with no negative side effects.

[@BarriosGroupie]

Thanks for the work you've put into your channel. I believe having political scientists, commentators etc on KZbin and social media, especially over the past few years, has played a huge part in dissipating dangerous paranoia.

[@adamgg123]

Your proposal for BiH sounds alot like some of the early peace plans during the war

[@TheWedabest]

They were mostly same. Slight differences.

[@elturco2421]

Some amateurs do not understand the relationship between Turkiye and Israel. Everyone is fighting in the front yard, everyone is busy with their work in the back yard and they are making things bigger.

[@JoaquínMémoli]

Thanks, professor! My belief is that Bosnians will have to make the decision on whether they want to divide or preserve the union under a more sensible structure. I think everyone in that country can agree that the current arrangement is untenable, but the people will have to decide whether they prefer reform or division. I would love to hear what Bosnians think.

[@ErvinTuzinovic]

Hi, the problem with refering to Bosnians is that we all have 2 identities. One isbthe national one, Bosnian and one is ethnic. There needs to be compromise. Bosniaks need to respect that the country wont be centralized as the Croats and Serbs need to understand the country needs reform because the system as is makes everyone poor because the cost to run the country is massive. A federation with 5 or 6 regions would be the most logical solution with one central Gov and 1 president.

[@JoaquínMémoli]

@@ErvinTuzinovic Yes, when I said Bosnians I meant the people of Bosnia at large, not just Bosniaks

[@M-SRB]

​@@ErvinTuzinovicwhy would anyone agree on that.Both serbs and croats want more power or dissolution.

[@ivancertic5197]

​​@@ErvinTuzinovicWhy it must be so? Why is there such a pressure to stay in same country? What happened with democratic principle of self determination? Why destiny woudn't be desideded on internationally organised and supported referendum? It worked for Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Scotland, South Sudan, East Timor etc.

[@ErvinTuzinovic]

@@M-SRB And Bosniaks who have majority in the country want centralization of power, meaning that both sides need to compromise

[@Rade-h5l]

"Nato is defensive alliance" no it isn't they can claim they are but they have put military outside of NATO borders

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Listen to my answer again.

[@AlexM-t6h]

From the Western point of view, defensive as opposed to Russia. In reality, NATO is a global bully that has found its match.

[@SrdjanBasaric-w2s]

@@JamesKerLindsay The Serbs already have a suitcase full of British answers and agreements.

[@Someone-jz5pl]

​@@SrdjanBasaric-w2sserbia should have stopped killing innocent people inside and outside its borders then

[@kname1882]

I don't get it why vould serbs voluntarily give up one state that they hold for something that will give them much less power, and where they can be overvelmed by bosnia muslims and croats?

[@M-SRB]

Exactly.Not gonna happen.

[@ivancertic5197]

Why would anyone do that - especially after being oppressed, exploited and genocided trough history, by those same neighbours, that now want you to let your guard down so you can all play nicely together.

[@sal78sal]

They don have to give up their state, they have to give up some power in order to have a more functional country. the other option is stagnation. third option is dissolution, but Bosniaks wont accept that.

[@noddy1973]

Lmao croats that also despise the bosniaks?

[@MichaelRossiPoliSci]

Would love to do a one-on-one discussion of this with you in the near future!

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Hi Michael, that would be great. I am just making a video on Kosovo. Perhaps we can follow that up with something. Are you on Bluesky yet? Drop me a line.

[@nocomment5705]

God bless Serbia.

[@australiaprisonisland9156]

Those blessings have gone missing.

[@adrianog4148]

the war criminals??!

[@AlexM-t6h]

Republika Srpska is not Serbia, it is a part of BiH, so your comment belongs somewhere else.

[@nocomment5705]

@@AlexM-t6h "No"

[@user-irj1nxa3cof2z]

Especially with your current government.. You’re more than blessed

[@dreyadreya972]

I don't always agree with the professor on some assessments but I do appreciate the amount of workand effort he puts in these videos.

[@mudristefamon2338]

If NATO had invested a fraction of its energy in preserving Yugoslavia, as they invested in preserving the failed state of Bosnia, today this region would be much, much more developed, however, that was not in their interest, the two regions with the largest NATO presence, Bosnia and Kosovo, are also the two poorest. regions in Europe.

[@mothermadness3586]

you don't know international law. NATO is not to blame for what happened to yugoslavia but serbia and croatia are.

[@redfruit1968]

Preserve how? Slovenia and Croatia had no intention whatsoever is staying in a communist state increasingly dominated by Milošević. Yugoslavia fell apart because of internal dissent and Serbian attempts to establish a hegemony.

[@mudristefamon2338]

@@redfruit1968 Sorry brother, I really don't answer those nonsense about Milosevic and the Serbian hegemons, those are fairy tales that are told like that and whose goal is to justify the separatists and the aggression against Yugoslavia. They always find some Serbian hegemons and Milosevics in the world where they have interests

[@Someone-jz5pl]

Nato doesnt have a budget,it cant invest in anything,and it doesnt have any other influence except militarily,you probably meant to mention the EU and america. Either way yugoslavia would have failed to be preserved,the cracks were too obvious and nobody trusted anyone. Yugoslavia broke up from within,anyone who says otherwise doesnt know what he's saying.

[@Someone-jz5pl]

​@@mudristefamon2338yugoslavia fell exactly because of miloshevic's plans to make serbia the sole hegemon inside of yugoslavia

[@genci203]

Good comment on the Kosovo and Serbia issues . Kudos

[@solsunman383]

Thank you for your excellent work, Professor Ker Lindsay. I may not always agree with your opinions, but I have always found your insights useful and reassuring (reassuring in the sense that even controversial issues can be approached in a calm manner). I can only presume that your students have some pretty healthy debates in your classes.

[@filiprogaczewski]

Thank you very much for this (and all the other) videos and best regards from Cyprus. I wonder how would you address the question of reparations for 2nd world war from Germany to Poland. It's a heavily debated topic in Poland and I wonder what's your - outside - perspective.

[@NikolaHD]

You became very good in being natural in front of the camera. I just love QA, but this Serbia retakes Kosovo by force got me cracking 😅 When can we expect another discussion with other people ?

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Haha! I just had to take that question. Thanks so much, Nikola. I do really love doing these Q&A videos. I hope to do them more often. By the way, I’m actually moving to two videos a week, I’ll put out a message to members soon explaining it all. But the plan is to do something a little different with the second videos. I’ll aim to put them up on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

[@M-SRB]

Well if the US gets it's share they can turn a blind eye.

[@Julia-Richter]

True. The first time I was really impressed by his performance (not "only" by the content) was when he made a spontanous video in some hotel room.

[@franobarbic6730]

Equating the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the region of Bosnia is like equating the UK with England, or the USA with Texas. These are the basics, but it is very important for foreigners (especially professors) to understand the difference between regions/provinces and states.

[@dervs1679]

We will never let go of Dardania 🇦🇱

[@brankoprosic5852]

Prof James Ker-Lindsay, I have a question for you - Will Republic of Ireland Invade Ulster?

[@ayleee6565]

🇧🇦 Hello from my beautiful Bosnia ! World betrayed us and our neighbhours just keep on sabotaging and attacking our country from many different ways, its so sad and unjust... I just wish we get normal system in our country, are we less human then some here who wear medals for genocidal acts and war crimes, thats who U.S and EU awarded, tnx AloT. and CHEERS

[@AlexM-t6h]

Nobody is attacking BiH. The problem is that the three peoples in BiH can't agree. It's you and nobody else. You even celebrate different holidays, for God's sake. If the three peoples in Bosnia really wanted a strong Bosnia, it would be strong.

[@borapetrovic1957]

nobady is attacking bosnia on the other hand how many bosnian terrorist attacks have been comited just in the last year?

[@vedojako9277]

@@borapetrovic1957 like ribnikar and banjska in kosovo?

[@draganboskovic5477]

@@vedojako9277 you can screw up as long as NATO is around. if they leave after that you will eat the same.

[@MrSevdahpain]

@@borapetrovic1957 For example?

[@BosWeare]

Thank you, Professor James, for initiating this important discussion. ❤ Here, I would like to offer my independent perspective as a native Bosnian. I would argue that the survival of Bosnia within its current borders depends on several factors, the most crucial of which is the position of the European Union and, in particular, the United States as the architect of the Dayton Agreement. A new war can likely be ruled out as an improbable option that ultimately benefits no one, especially not the corrupt domestic elites. On the other hand, there are strong forces advocating for Bosnia's division-primarily among the Serbs, to a significant extent among the Croats, and increasingly among the Bosniaks as well. The remaining local forces that identify as Bosnians and Herzegovinians lack the capacity to preserve Bosnia within its existing borders without external support. Much will become clearer following the outcome of the war in Ukraine, as any potential partition of Ukraine may introduce new international principles and alignments. In any case, it has long been evident that Bosnia and Herzegovina, with its current system, is unsustainable, and, I would say, all other options remain open.

[@turkicpatriot1923]

The only and best solution to the Cyprus problem is a two-state solution. Because a federation could make things more complicated both in Cyprus and in the Eastern Mediterranean. That is why the President of Northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, declared that he would not negotiate a federation with Southern Cyprus.

[@solsunman383]

On the whole, I think the international community would prefer the status quo, as opposed to a two state solution. In the same manner as they will never recognise Somaliland or Transnistria. That means that Turkish Cyprus will never really become a viable state. Just a dependency of Turkey, that will find itself in serious trouble, and without a sponsor if Turkey ever ends up in a long standing crisis.

[@Alpha-gk6hd]

you have a two state solution already 😂😂

[@turkicpatriot1923]

​​@@solsunman383 If there is no progress on the two-state solution, Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriots will solve this issue on their own, I mean the annexation of Northern Cyprus to Türkiye through a referendum. Considering Türkiye's move away from the European Union and towards the BRICS, it would not be surprising to see Northern Cyprus unite with Türkiye.

[@turkicpatriot1923]

​@@Alpha-gk6hd Yes, but I'm talking about making this situation official.

[@Kalimdor199Menegroth]

@@turkicpatriot1923 If that happens, then I guess you will not have a problem with Israel annexing the West Bank after doing what Turkey did in Northern Cyprus, expel the Greeks, make a referendum with an obvious result (a la Russian style) and annex the land.

[@markdowding5737]

Serbia could just copy a page of Azerbaijan's playbook and scare the native Albanians of Kovoso into leaving the country under the threat of massacring them while saying to the international community that they are welcome to stay. It worked quite well and from a logistical standpoint it was a very effective way to permanently solve the issue.

[@bletrick3352]

You're comparing 150k Armenians vs 1.5 Million Albanians. Serbia is SURROUNDED by NATO and there are nearly as many Albanians in the Balkans as there are Serbs. You are out of your mind if you think an ethnic cleansing of that scale in the heart of Europe could ever take place in 2024.

[@markdowding5737]

@@bletrick3352 so that's your criterion to establish the permissibility of ethnic cleansing? If the population doesn't go above a certain number each country should be free to eliminate them as they wish?

[@zmajooov]

@@markdowding5737 Albanians did it to Serbs after NATO took over, so i fail to see the problem.

[@domc1364]

@@bletrick33528 million serbs in the balkans,5 million albanians. quick google search will show u that mate

[@YourD3estinY]

Where there NATO troops in Nagorno-Karabakh? One thing is clear, Serbia would suffer greatly, if they tried that, both economically and militarily. Have you forgotten what happened in 1999 or are you too young to remember?

[@paul-mw3rh]

simplify the administrative structure of Bosnia by splitting an existing unit into two, very effective and efficient and certainly without ulterior motives... the Serbian Republic will be split up while the Croats get their own autonomous unit, doesn't look like a good deal for the Serbs... do the people of Bosnia, in this case the Serbs, have anything to say about it? after all, there was a war and the Serbs fought for the Republika Srpska and certainly have no intention of giving it up... also interesting that in the case of Kosovo it is said that the Kosovo Albanians (understandably) have absolutely no interest in belonging to Serbia, but this principle seems to be completely irrelevant for the Serbs in Bosnia

[@PhilipMilic-b4r]

Herceg bosna croatian catholic Land 🇭🇷🇭🇷🇭🇷🇭🇷🇭🇷🇭🇷🇭🇷 we croats want Republic croats herceg bosna 🇭🇷 but we dont want war

[@sal78sal]

if you want herceg-bosna you need to give something. Dayton was a negotiated agreement.

[@pedrosoc7609]

no your lands is around zagreb only that is the true croatia

[@RandomBosnianPatriot]

You won't get anything

[@YourD3estinY]

@@RandomBosnianPatriot This remains to be seen. Croatia's diplomatic efforts are already bearing fruits, as can be seen by actions that Christian Schmidt (CSU/EPP) has taken. I don't think that an annexation is going to happen. The Croatian government would be satisfied with a Bosnia that has a Croatian entity and is an integral part of the EU. This would pretty much have the effect an annexation would have; minus the economical and political repercussions.

[@geewee1geewee197]

Forgive me for this, but as a Croat, I think it is stupid to try to bring reason into any conversation regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina. I will ony bring you hate.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Sadly, I think you are right. That’s what makes it so utterly depressing. I’m fond of Bosnia. I have been many times. But the problems are so deep rooted and the lack of goodwill so strong it is hard to see what can be done about it.

[@FlamingBasketballClub]

Why does the immaturity increases when it comes to the Balkans? 💀💀💀

[@ivancertic5197]

@@FlamingBasketballClub a bit racist, but ok.

[@baklava6138]

We can thank the quasi-politicians who wrote the badly written Dayton Peace Deal. Some US/European mediocre politicians looking to make a name for themselves form the Bosnian tragedy. The end result is a system that makes no SENSE, it is time for CHANGE.

[@sal78sal]

@@baklava6138 any change has to be negotiated. and the parties need to enter into such a negotiation in good faith determined to build a more functional country. This will eventually happen. When Bangladeshi people become the majority.

[@kostanikolic4379]

What's the problem with allowing serbs from RS to unite with serbia by a referendum? Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina can then do whatever they want they can stay independent or join croatia I think it's natural that serbs want to be a part of serbia and if they do it peacefully by referendum what's the problem?

[@JamesKerLindsay]

The problem relates to how we understand self-determination. The Serbs in Bosnia do not have a right to break away. This video I made explains it all: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWbddIiho7-bnKM (Before you say it, I know all about Kosovo. I am making a video on it right now.)

[@kostanikolic4379]

@JamesKerLindsay yeah but none of the yugoslav republics had the right to break off from yugoslavia in the first place That turned balkan into a mess

[@YourD3estinY]

@@kostanikolic4379 Technically, they didn't brake away, they emerged out of the ruins of the SFRY. It isn't internationally considered to be secession, as they were Republics within Yugoslavia that outlived the federal state. Kosovo is a different issue, as it was part of the Republic of Serbia. This is also why all republics of the former Yugoslavia were recognized and became UN members within months of their declarations of independence, whilst Kosovo has been waiting for over a decade and has yet to become a member.

[@joeychestnut2437]

How about you go back to Serbia - you are afterall settlers in Bosnia like the Isreali's in Palestine. I dont mean Vojvodina either, back to Sumadija - the only land of Serbs.

[@Putin1389]

The solution is to create three federal units that would satisfy the ethnic requirements. From each unit, one designated president is elected for the Tripartite Presidency and members of the Federal Parliament. They are elected on the principle of citizenship, not ethnicity.

[@crazyone9850]

Bosnia will always survive over 1000 years now

[@janetmontgomery-r6j]

Yes. But. Being, Russian is a great precious thing But it. Doesn't. Mean every country. Round it has to be Russian. All empires of all nationalities historically and now have to UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT. SO NO EMPIRES ... NO HATE. NO GREED. NO CONTROL NO DESTRUCTION. NO

[@crazyone9850]

Bosnia is a Muslim country 53% so yes we will survive we fought for it and will fight forever for it.

[@streetbroom]

On the street, Cyprus seems pretty OK on either side of the Green Line. I reckon one of the biggest obstacles on the Turkish side of the issue, i.e., Turkey as the guarantor power, is the Turkish public perception of Cyprus. Cyprus (or the northern part) is perceived to be a natural part of Turkey because "martyrs shed their blood hence it belongs to us". This sentiment has been very much undermined and fruitfully exploited by politicians of all sides in Turkey since 1974. To alter that perception will be a huge challenge and most likely will end the political career of that future government that will sign the peace deal. And this is despite the fact that the Gurantee Agreement is publicly available on the website of Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

[@cte4dota]

Hello Form Bosnia, Brcko District, not part of Republic of Srpska and not part of Federation.

[@83cosdino]

Dear Professor I would like to have your opinion on why the "West" tolerates the military occupations of West Bank by Israel and of North Cyprus by Turkey, whilst it has been swift in entering a proxy war against Russia for similar reason. Pethaps you can include in your Q&A sessions as it might generate interest.

[@DanielRivas-w8i]

@@83cosdino maybe because Jews have invaded America like it's so obvious plus Kosovo is Serbia conquered not stolen

[@adnanbosnian5051]

Because the Zionists want the people, mainly Muslims, to believe that USA and Russia, Saudi and Iran, are different and opposed to each other so that they would support Russia and Iran. Thats one of the reasons why they show so much gay stuff in the west so that Russia can appear "holy" and "good". Its all fake. Russian invasion in Ukraine is fak e.

[@EkAvEkAs]

Profesor , Kosovo dont have 2 M people , majority of Kosovo population fleed country . i am sick of you westerners sticking nose into Balkans , we didn't have this ethnick tensions until birokrats from EU backed by USA started taking our recurses, our sportsmans and our workers .

[@Mladjasmilic]

Fun fact: Bosnia is the only country in Europe where over 95% of population speaks the same language. Maybe on par language wise is Albania, Andora, San Marino. The rest have a lot more ethnic minorities. Only problem in Bosnia is Religion.

[@TheSouth-j7f]

Religion and there are multiple alphabets: Latin ( used by Croats) and Cyrillic ( used by Serbs) and also the Arabic script used by the Bosniak muslims in their religious practices who otherwise usually use Latin.

[@UFOhunter4711]

You’re a good man Prof James, keep it up. There’s way too many hyped up geo-politics channels that spew out low quality drivel but you always deliver and even if I were to disagree I can see that you’ve actually thought about things and are not a mere parrot

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much. I really and truly appreciate it. I always hoped the channel could become a place to discuss international developments in a serious but civil way. Not always easy in this day and age.

[@mladenmatosevic4591]

If EU tolerates Serbs secede from BiH then Croats will secede too and suddenly you have prodominantly Muslim state in Europe which officially nobody wants. Alternativly, EU could pull Cypriot sollution, take Federation in EU and leave Serbs out like Northern Cyprus.

[@Alex-ll3ig]

Serbia can not invade Kosovo*, because it is part of it's land. Kosovo and Metohija are Serbia's province.

[@BozaCukuranovic3223]

As an offspring of Bosnian Serbs that fought for independence from BH, I think we talk too much about it. The status quo is here to stay, we all have bigger things to worry about such as depopulation, ecology etc. I would love to see my brethren from across the Drina river joining us here in Serbia, but it is currently impossible. Dodik knows this and is manipulating voters, while further impoverishing Bosnian Serbs and preventing establishment of any strong and independent institutions of checks and balances. The Western block is currently unanimously against the Serbs and just too powerful to be actively fighting against, so Bosnian Serbs need to chill and work out a modus vivendi to coexist with Muslims and Croats in BH. We cant afford another war, and we are not going to win it either.

[@sal78sal]

insightful and remarkable honesty.

[@fare1181]

As a Bosniak, I dont mind a Croat entity. What I mind is that Serbs govern half the country and are a third of the population, Croats control 5 cantons which is a quarter of the country, and they are a sixth of the population, and we Bosniaks control the leftover quarter and make up half of the population. And we are always the ones who's land is sought after. I recon the Serbs and Croats make some concessions for a change. The Serbs will keep pushing until independence or war and Croats will side with the winning side, as we have seen in the war. So as a Bosniak I either remain stubborn and not give up anything or I will lose me my country. And you know, unlike the others, Bosniaks don't have a spare.

[@vanadium1595]

@@fare1181As far as i recall there was a Carrington-Cutileiro plan that did something simmilar about the dividment what you are saying. It was signed somewhere around 92 by all three ethnical groups but then the bosniak leader whithdrew his signature. Why did he do that? Only he knows and with what cards did he played. That plan could maybe saved the country from blody war and saved so many lives in a useles war but we whill never know. What we do know that we learn usualy nothing from history.

[@NoctLightCloud]

Serbs/Croats won't push independence. Most young people leaving the country for economic reason. They'll see a depopulation. The only people who have loads of kids are very relgious ones, but it isn't enough for Serbs/Croats in Bosnia.

[@TheSouth-j7f]

Well as a Bosniak muslim you have your old homeland of Türkiye.

[@TheSouth-j7f]

@@NoctLightCloud Bosnian Croats at the moment have just requested their fair voting rights in the Bosnian Federation, which they do not fully have. Thats it. Anything else will be Apartheid and this will fester like it did in the old Yugoslavia and we all know the outcome there.

[@fare1181]

@@TheSouth-j7f Classic racist anti-Bosniak rhetoric that caused genocide.

[@peaceforever8755]

If you dive to the bottom of a see and see two fishes fighting, take a close look around and you will see an Englishmen. - Ghandy

[@JamesKerLindsay]

@@peaceforever8755 a tedious and silly comment.

[@peaceforever8755]

@@JamesKerLindsay So, you would not agree that people in Bosnia are suffering due to great power are playing "Divide et impera" geopolitical games? Take a look at the flag of Bosnia. Its so obviously symbolizes EU colony.

[@YourD3estinY]

@@peaceforever8755 You really think that the great powers care(d) about Bosnia? Bosnia and the whole SFRY became geopolitically irrelevant after the Cold War. The only reason why they intervened in Bosnia was because of the refugee crisis that was destabilizing parts of Western Europe and - if you want to grant them the benefit of the doubt - for humanitarian reasons.

[@vredacted3125]

Serbia should liberate Kosovo, the same way Ukraine should liberate Crimea, and the same way Azerbaijan liberated Nagorno-Karabach.

[@envadd.6556]

Kosovo vas never integrated part of Serbia, it was always a region though

[@goranvlnikolic]

It's very interesting how Prof. Ker-Lindsay reconciled Kosovo's right to independence with the idea of Republika Srpska's partition into 2 cantons. The Western-shaped narrative is so strong that even a scientist like Ker-Lindsay cannot see obvious parallels between rigths of Serbs and Albanians to freedom

[@user-ov5nd1fb7s]

I don't understand why it's necessary to have Bosnia, Cyprus or any of the other ones united. If they are made of different people groups which do not wish to live in the same country with the other side, let them split up. Forcing them to get together will only bring anger and resentment. And for what benefit?

[@markdowding5737]

the problem with Cyprus is that the North is the product of ethnic cleansing and artificial demographic change. By that logic what would stop a country from invading and occupying other parts of another's country territory, populating it with settlers, and then saying "Look, the people there don't want to be part of their mother State so we must allow them to leave and join my country because that's what they wish so!" What you support would trigger a wave of invasions and ethnic cleansing like never seen before.

[@RandomBosnianPatriot]

Easy go say when you don't live there

[@user-ov5nd1fb7s]

@@RandomBosnianPatriot A united country on paper or not, what does that have to do with if other ethnic groups like each other? Those are separate things. Whether you are in the same country or not, the muslims and christians of Bosnia still won't like each other. So what is your point?

[@RandomBosnianPatriot]

@user-ov5nd1fb7s true,christians and muslims don't like each other,but we will fight for homeland

[@mmajst0r]

benefit is that western powers want exacly that in Balkan - anger and resentment, since it is then much easier to control this area. If opposite their presence on the Balkan's would be totally unnecessary. It doesn't make any sence to break Yugoslavia because all the nations 'can't live together', and then to force the same in Bosnia. I would like the professor to comment this argument.

[@hrvoje2846]

I am croatian and we dont have eny rights in government I hope it doesn't exist

[@tosamja117]

Bosnia's future depends on its people. Especially Bosniaks, Croats may not even be there in 30 years the same for Serbs.

[@sal78sal]

in 30 years Bosnia will have a Philippino entity and a Bangladeshi entity and they will all get along quite well. There will also be a Bosniak and Serbian museum to commemorate the people that used to live there.

[@YourD3estinY]

@@sal78sal I mean, that is what is happening across Europe. There ain't nothing wrong about that, if you don't mind multiculturalism. The worse scenario would be, if no one would like to immigrate.

[@bojanubijus]

so you recommend same solution that you criticize in bosnia strange.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

@@bojanubijusThis really is a case of apples and oranges. The situations are really rather different.

[@MladenZecevic-o3d]

@@JamesKerLindsay Sorry but i also disagree. The tension and ethnic issues between nations are same in Bosnia and Cyprus. The difference is that culture difference in Bosnia is very small and in Bosnia nations better function then their sitting politicians (at least publicly), like Paddy Ashdown (ex-High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina) have explained in his report to UK parliament. View from London on Balkan was always distorted.

[@SM-qo9gr]

As bosniak, i have to say that Bosnia is the prime example where democracy isn’t democracy. Democracy - a rule of majority - but in Bosnia two majorities together can’t make majority to „outvote“ bosniaks… Go figure

[@Kattan19929]

Serbia & Croatia should annex Bosnia. The Bosnian Muslims can live in Turkey.

[@YourD3estinY]

Why should Croats annex Bosnia and face the political and economical repercussions. No, the Croatian leadership is much more sophisticated than that. What they are trying to do is to negotiate the best possible solution (i.e. a separate entity for the Croats), whilst supporting Bosnia in their efforts to join the EU and Schengen. Once that happens the Bosnian Croat entity will be de facto part of Croatia, as it wouldn't be noticeable that they live in different countries. The ties between Croatia and the Croat part of Bosnia are already relatively strong and would grow even stronger. In this scenario the Croats could have there cake and eat it too.

[@m.s.7989]

Once again, an incredible hypocrisy expressed in your video. According to you, Kosovo independence has to be (grudgingly) accepted because Albanians don’t want to be a part of Serbia. That would be fine if you had expressed the same principle for the Serb Republic in B-H. But you don’t! Republic of Srpska exists now more than 30 years and has full control over its territory and population. We guarantee you it will exist in 30 years as well; we owe that to more than 20K who gave their lives for it. I am not sure about B-H since nobody really wants it. It has been a still born and 30 years of your, Western, efforts couldn’t have revived it. It’s time to bury it. It might happen sooner than what you think.

[@TimeByMySide]

It is only fair to have the same standards, however one can be hypocritical and still correct, much like a smoker who claims that smoking is unhealthy. In any case, there can be some comparison between these two, but there is far more contrast. One has a criminal track record larger than any other in the former Yugoslavia and exists solely as a failed attempt at a policy of appeasement, and going by CIA reports it will be extinguished, whereas the other enjoys limited international recognition, most importantly by the US. We've made mistakes, but the Balkans are better off with Kosovo's independence.

[@alexandartheserb7861]

If Serbian lands of Srpska and Kosovo are not in Serbian union state, you can forget peace

[@sal78sal]

but we have peace already.

[@RandomBosnianPatriot]

Ofc we can,serbs will never want peace

[@alexandartheserb7861]

@RandomBosnianPatriot I will not give my part of Bosnia to your foreign nation. If you want your state you can found it from your land, not mine

[@RandomBosnianPatriot]

@@alexandartheserb7861 RS will be bosnia.Thats what I can say

[@alexandartheserb7861]

@RandomBosnianPatriot You can say for land where your nation is majority but on our land on Srpska where we are majority, we are deciding.

[@pwp8737]

So, does Turkey get a pass for invading Cyprus, ethnically cleansing 200,000 Greek speakers and transferring over from the mainland tens of thousands Turkish settlers to N Cyprus ? If, yes, why not Israel?

[@bravo4741]

EOKA, Akritas plan was genocide against Turks. Germany lost territories cuz of it.

[@mikewillis6033]

completely different topics.First read the history of Cyprus, then talk.

[@mikem8211]

They brought over 200,000 Mainland Turks to live in Greek Cypriot homes and ruin any voting the Turkish Cypriots do by outnumbering them