IRAN-AZERBAIJAN | A Growing Regional RIVALRY?

In September and October 2021, tensions suddenly escalated between Iran and Azerbaijan. While never especially close, the growing confrontation between the neighbours has nevertheless come as a surprise for many observers - with some even voicing concerns that they could be heading towards conflict. Even if it doesn't go this far, there is certainly an emerging hostility between the two countries. But what exactly lies between this seemingly new rivalry between Baku and Tehran? As is shown, it is rooted in a range of bilateral, regional and geopolitical issues that have emerged since the end of 2020.
Hello and welcome! My name is James Ker-Lindsay. Here I take an informed look at International Relations with a focus on territorial conflicts, secession, independence movements and new countries. If you like what you see, please do subscribe. If you want more, including exclusive content and benefits, consider becoming a channel member. Many thanks!
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The Republic of Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran are just two of three states in the world where the majority of the populations follow the Shia form of Islam. However, despite this apparent affinity, the two countries have a far deeper, and more antagonistic, relationship than many realise. Having once been a part of Persia (now Iran), modern Azerbaijan was conquered by Russia in the early nineteenth century. Although it briefly gained independence in the early part of the twentieth century, it was subsumed into the Soviet Union in 1920. However, since becoming a fully independent state in 1991, Azerbaijan and Iran have had a rocky relationship. While Tehran sought to build relations with Baku, these were undermined by Azerbaijan's decision to pursue closer ties to Turkey as well as Iran's neutrality in the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. And it is this issue that again lies at the heart of the new tensions we are seeing. Azerbaijan's victory over Armenia, in November 2020, seems to have given Baku a new sense of confidence. But all this has also worried Tehran in other ways - not least of all in terms of the growing influence of neighbouring Turkey and Pakistan, but also regarding Israel's growing role in Azerbaijan.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction and Titles
0:28 Iran, Azerbaijan and the Shia Link
2:01 Geography and Demographics of Iran and Azerbaijan
3:25 A History of Iranian-Azerbaijani Relations
5:13 Iran-Azerbaijan Relations after the Cold War
6:41 The Source of Current Iranian-Azerbaijani Tensions
10:40 Iran-Azerbaijan: Growing Regional Rivalry
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FURTHER READING & USEFUL SOURCES
Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs www.mfa.gov.az/en
Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs en.mfa.ir
Iran's Foreign Policy in the South Caucasus amzn.to/3nAOkor
Iran: A Modern History amzn.to/3b33M6Q
Azerbaijan: A Political History amzn.to/3ppKv7Z
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Secession and State Creation: What Everyone Needs to Know amzn.to/2MPY3W2 [PRE-ORDER]
The Cyprus Problem: What Everyone Needs to Know amzn.to/2FaaBU2
Kosovo: The Path to Contested Statehood in the Balkans amzn.to/35jiBN2
The Foreign Policy of Counter-Secession amzn.to/2Qinm5t
My other books amzn.to/2MlP13u
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KEYWORDS
#Azerbaijan #Iran #Conflict
#InternationalPolitics #CurrentAffairs #InternationalRelations
#Secession #Statehood #Independence
#InternationalLaw #InternationalHistory
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[@JamesKerLindsay]

So, is this merely a temporary downturn in relations? Or is it something far more serious and deeply rooted? And where does responsibility lie for this tension? Is this Azerbaijan responding to long-standing Iranian ties with Armenia? Or is Baku deliberately stoking up tensions with Tehran following its victory over Armenia in 2020? As ever, all thoughts and comments below.

[@robwilley5330]

Are you lobbying for Iran?

[@saalahyare369]

Can you make video of ogaden region in ethiopia plz.

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

I don't think tensions will become very high but there will be always tension

[@paxcaucasus3874]

When you say about the religion orientation, it is true that majority of Azerbaijani muslims are shia, but proportion is 65 to 35 percent with numbers of converts to Sunni steadily growing and shia declining, where as Iran is 90% shia... In addition you forget to mention that just like Turkey, Azerbaijan is the secular country, with large Christian and Jewish minorities, where as Iran is Islamic state... Hence there is no similarity on religion matter either. Similarity exist only in historical aspect, however even here we are talking about turkic dynasties such as Akkoyunlu, Safavids, Afsharids and Qajars, the Islamic Republic of Iran is about 40 years old, and Republic of Azerbaijan has never been part of that entity.

[@samiralakbarov2838]

He is lobbying as usual against Azerbaijan.

[@mikeadams03]

Thank you James for this perfect review of the situation between Iran and Azerbaijan. It’s always good to hear a factual/unbiased video regarding Middle East.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks so much. It is a fascinating situation, and one that seems to have arisen rather suddenly. But, as do often the case, there’s some interesting history behind this.

[@sinabagherisarvestani8924]

Iraq is also a Shia majority country I think you missed that one , in fact most religious leaders in Iran , they are Iraqi's who came to Iran around 100 years ago , in fact even during Saddam Hussein , Shia Muslims had top posts in government , Saddams own personal doctor was a Shia and his top generals including general Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf was a Shia , Iraq is a Shia majority country , Iraq is 70 % Shia and there is just no way of denying it , Iraq is also a diverse and multicultural nation , they have Assyrian Christians and Eastern Arminian Christians and Catholics . I've heard some people say that well Iraq is complicated and its not Shia , that is non-sense , it is absolutely 100% Shia Majority nation , its undeniable .

[@sinabagherisarvestani8924]

@@JamesKerLindsay Iran and Azerbaijan don't have any major issues , they have good relations and they have always had good relations , there are no major issues between Iran and Azerbaijan , there is no dispute or anything other than the fact that Iran is religious and Azerbaijan is irreligious , that has created issues but its a minor issue , its not a major issue

[@Sunshine-uu9po]

@@sinabagherisarvestani8924 how do you define irreligious? 🤔

[@alir.6441]

Thank you very much for shedding light on conflicts that are not in the mainstream media's attention. I really appreciate that.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much! It is amazing how many of these important issues just don’t seem to get much wider international attention.

[@mouniash]

Iran would be a much more influential country if it weren't a theocracy. The fact of the matter is that its not an attractive model for most people. An Iran that promoted traditional Persian culture together with a mild firm of Islam would gain a lot of cultural influence in the region

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you. That is a really interesting perspective.

[@bullymaguire8380]

Theocracy or democracy, influence needs hard money and strategic mindset. BTW Iran actually is very influential in mid East, even more than US.

[@mouniash]

@@bullymaguire8380 its not as influential as it could be. Turkey exerts great influence through its film and music industries; fashion as well. Turkey is seen as a modern nonwestern country. All things considered Turkey is seen as, a attractive country across North Africa, the ME, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Iran is not. Neither is Saudi Arabia for that matter Of course the Saudis don't have the same cultural heritage as Iran they could exploit.

[@Phraates90]

I entirely agree with your comment, Mounia. Turkey's influence comes only from movies which are being watched all over the middle east. Diliris Ertugrul etc. have gave they so much influence. I'm quite positive that Iran could achieve the same if it will be able to establish a healthy relationship between royal and religious Iranians. I would love to see a state inside our city Qom where shia clerics have their own vatican city while the rest would be a "Normal" republic with a representative monarch (even less influence than British royals) and they just agree on everything together.

[@kachahaan1660]

IRAN is a hegemony right now. No British no U.S. no Zionist can do like they want. Iran stopped them everywhere.

[@mowlidgedi8886]

Wooow didn't now much of that, I was surprised with recent tensions between them. Masterfully summarised & delivered in few minutes, got unflinchingly hooked. Thanks

[@sinabagherisarvestani8924]

Azerbaijan is 98% Shia Muslim , in the last 12 years or so there has been attempts to change the demographics by binging in Sunni Muslims from Syria while promoting atheism in the country by imposing soviet era laws that discourage religion and promote soviet propaganda but these efforts have failed , the nation is still a Shia majority nation , in fact Iraq , Iran and Azerbaijan are the only Shia nations in the world where the Shia population greatly outnumbers the Sunni population , even in Lebanon and Bahrain, Shia are a minority for obvious political reasons , Iran has been discouraged from gaining influence or spreading Islam in Azerbaijan , there are many reasons for it and its mostly political and I won't get into that but nevertheless Azerbaijan has a population where around 98% are Shia Muslims and although they don't show it for political reasons , in private they are proud of it and they are deeply religious and respect the faith over all Iran and Azerbaijan have good relations , in fact Iran and Azerbaijan do not have any major disagreements

[@glenipolus9731]

Omg yes yes finally! I was waiting for such a video a long time

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks so much. :-) I hope it was interesting!

[@shaigrustamov5115]

I would like to hear more about the Turkmenchay and Gulistan Peace Treaty between Russia and Persia and its implications for Azerbaijan. After that, a lot will be clarified. Thanks

[@zabuzababuza9088]

He also mentioned incorrectly that in "Iran was forced to cede its lands to Moscow's control". However, in reality, the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813 and the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828 forced Qajar dynasty to cede its territories to Moscow as there was no Iran at the time. Also important to note that the Qajar dynasty was a dynasty of Turkic origin where the Azerbaijani-Turkic language was spoken. Current, Azerbaijan and Iran have very significant historical ties, the difference is that the former is highly secular(which should have been mentioned) the latter is an extreme theocracy. Another, important thing to mention was that the drug trafficking allegations were not just allegations but was happening for a very long time. In fact, many illegal things were happening in Nagorno-Karabak and surrounding regions as it was an illegal state and many countries friendly with Armenia were carrying out illegal activities in the region. Including illegal gold mining operations by France, Russia and possibly more and heroin trafficking from Iran.

[@LoveAndPeace2004]

@@zabuzababuza9088 During Qajar dynasty, both Farsi and Azeri were official languages of Iran

[@keesopponento915]

@@zabuzababuza9088 the Qajar dynasty was an Iranian dynasty the official name of the country was Iran Ali Mirza Qajar the head of the Qajar family from 1988 until 2011 and grandson of Muhammad Ali Shah Qajar said: that the Qajars knew themselves as Iranians

[@keesopponento915]

@Johan Liebert who said they were Persian we know that tey were of Turkic background but the thing is it doesnt matter if they were of Azer Persian or Kurdish background they were Iranian and is important

[@keesopponento915]

@Johan Liebert however they knew Persian since it was the official language of the Empire

[@rigrag7876]

Great that you're back and with such an interesting topic!

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks so much! Sorry about the absence. But really glad you were pleased with the return! :-)

[@shabibhassan3820]

Well thought out and clearly explained.

[@marcocolo7151]

I'm very happy to see you back, and fantastic video as always

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks so much! Glad to be back. :-) Just trying to sort out which topics to cover next. I have a bit of a backlog. Stories to follow up on and some important new issues to take a look at!

[@atgimm2090]

This video was amazing 👏 I learned so much

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much. I’m glad it was useful.

[@hujjatullahsahib380]

Quite a balanced and objective presentation of the nature of their relations. Good, keep it up !

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you very much indeed. I try my best.

[@mubarizaliyev2120]

Thank you James for the video. Here are some thoughts from an Azerbaijani on the issue: 1. Even though theoretically both states share religious ties, religion does not play a big role for most of the Azerbaijanis. 2. In fact, there was always an invisible tension with Iran. First, due to their hidden support to Armenia in both Karabakh wars and during the time between the two wars. Second, Iran's attitude towards ethnic Azerbaijanis (turks) in Iran which compose almost 20% of Iran but have no school in their mother language which is Azerbaijani (a turkic language, not farsi/persian). Having religious supreme leaders from ethnic Azerbaijanis is just a policy by which Iran tries to make Iranian Azerbaijanis feel affinity with Iran through religion (Iran is somewhat successful in this to be honest). 3. Iran's current fear is to be left out of trade routes (Zengezur corridor) between Central Asia and Europe which is to be established through Armenia which Armenia accepted as a result of its defeat in war. And secondly, Azerbaijan's victory in the war and rising influence of Turkey in the region sparked Iran's fear about Iranian Azerbaijanis (as they may seek independance and the recent events may increase their hopes, even though I do not think this could be the case). 4. I do not think the tensions will give rise to a new war in the region. Azerbaijan would not wish a new war will try all possible to avoid a new war. While Iran, despite boasting of its military power would not take this risk as 1) there is a new pact between Turkey and Azerbaijan to defend each other if there a military attack on either of them, 2) Israel could play an active role in case of a war against Iran, 3) Iranian Azerbaijanis (though not all of them) might not support Iran in a war against Azerbaijan. This is a real possibility as Iranian Azerbaijanis burned trucks carrying military equipment to Armenia through Iran during the war.

[@mahdi_faraji1]

چند اطلاعات احماقانه. باید تصحیح شود : 1.مردم آذرباجان ایران (آذربایجان واقعی) باد معده خود را تقدیم مردم باکو می کنند. زیاد امید به حمایت انها نداشته باشید . هیچ قرابتی بین این دو منطقه ( آذربایجان ایران و جمهوری باکو) وجود ندارد. شما ترکیبی از اقوام ارمنی تالش لزگی و تاتی هستید. اما اذربایجان ایران اذری واقعی هستند. اذری واقعی در ایران زندگی میکند. شما تحت تاثیر پروپاگاندای دروغین حاکمان باکو هستید. نام ان منطقه اران و شروان است. تاریخ را در واقعیت بخوان. 2. ما هرگز به ارمنستان کمک نکردیم. چون جنگ احمقانه دو کشور کوچک چندان اهمیت سیاسی برای ما ندارد. شما تحت تاثیر اخبار دروغین و پروپاگاندای دستگاه علی اف هستید. 4.کشور و رژیم فاسدی که به قاچاق سازمان یافته مواد مخدر به اروپا شهرت دارد نباید به ایران و ارمنستان تهمت قاچاق مواد مخدر بزند. 5.در هنگام جنگ بین ما حاکمان واقعی باکو (اسراییل و ترکیه) به کمک شما نمی ایند. انها ریسک جنگ با ایران را نمی پذیرند. 5. کشور 30 ساله جمهوری باکو نباید خود را با کشور 2500 ساله ایران برابر بداند. ایران ارمنستان نیست. هرچند شما جنگ را به سختی توسط کمک های مستقیم مستشاران اسرائیل و ترکیه و تروریست های سوریه ای پیروز شدید. حاکمان احمق شما نباید فریب ترکیه و اسرائیل را بخورند. ما را بیش از این تحریک نکنند و دشمنی را کنار بگذارند.

[@saddamzeynalov3812]

Heinrich Himmler Augen auf machen 😄

[@saddamzeynalov3812]

Heinrich Himmler Iran could not dare to directly support Armenia.Mullah aren’t that stupid.They we’re watching closely over the border.They helped Armenians by passing weapons and trucks through their borders.A few trucks were even set on fire.

[@saddamzeynalov3812]

Heinrich Himmler Well , it tiny brain isn’t getting the reality I see.Azerbaijan ist alone in the region.If Iran would attack,after a year there would be no country named Iran.Israel ,Turkey ,Pakistan and others.Independence of Azerbaijan is crucial for the region and the world.

[@mahdi_faraji1]

@@saddamzeynalov3812 جرات؟ احمق کشور جعلی و سی ساله شما به اندازه کوچکترین استان ایران است. دچار توهم نشو. ما شما را حریف خود حساب نمیکنیم. کشور کوچولو و جعلی. نیروهای یک تیپ از استانهای ما باکو را در 24 ساعت فتح می کند.

[@bernd_das_brot6911]

Thanks for this new insight in the middle eastern region! You always give us something to think about.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks so much. I had wanted to take a look at the Iranian Azerbaijan issue for a while, but this came up and just didn’t seem to be getting a lot of international attention.

[@muslumbaghirli2954]

Since when Caucasus became middle east?

[@mdnadsy]

I really loved this analysis you don't seem to be taking sides but only stating facts. That's how analysis should be

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

[@uhsejackson3827]

Perfect explanation! Your analysis are amazing.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much!

[@armana1]

Concise but insightful analysis. Found it quite enlightening indeed thanks

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you. I’m really glad you found it useful. The dispute didn’t receive a lot of wider attention.

[@jackwiegmann]

Happy to see you're feeling better, James.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much Jack. Yes, much better now. Just hit a bit harder than I was expecting; but never anything to worry about. I was really looking forward to getting back into things. I hope that all is well with you.

[@JinQb]

Can you make a video on the geopolitical situation Georgia with its potential 3 breakaway regions and declined relations with Russia?

[@likemike6107]

Where have you been all my life. Been looking for a level headed Political commentator on KZbin for a very long time. Thank you. A new subscriber.

[@Asamations]

Another excellent video James. I hope tensions can be cooled down ASAP. I never actually knew that relations between the two weren't good. I, like others, just assumed that because most of them share the same faith. They would get along. So thanks for this. Keep up the great work! And I am glad to hear you are feeling much better.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks so much, on both counts. It is such an interesting situation, but one that received remarkably little wider attention. I had wanted to take a look at Iranian Azerbaijan for a while, but this came up. I hope to return to the issue at another point. There’s a lot more to this story. Anyway, I hope all is well with you and that you’re feeling better now as well.

[@Asamations]

@@JamesKerLindsay 🙂 Looking forward to your next video!

[@sinabagherisarvestani8924]

Iran and Azerbaijan don't have any major issues , they have good relations and they have always had good relations The only issue is that Iran is a Shia nation under democratic religious law and Azerbaijan is a former soviet republic under a secular government and a strictly enforced non-religious government , so basically Iran is religious and Azerbaijan is irreligious and so that difference in ideology has created minor issues but these nations don't have any major issues

[@user-pe2pm8un7y]

Comment aged like milk!

[@thomasjohnson2862]

Interesting James, I’ve found you recently and am enjoying your work! It’s interesting to read the discussion that common religions between nations do not necessarily make them allies. My question is, what factors need to exist in order for two nations to become allies?

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks so much Thomas. And a very warm welcome! Great question. As you might expect, it's rather complex. In modern terms, the overriding factor seems to be broadly shared values - defined in economic and political terms (think of Liberal Democracies versus Communist states). Shared language and ethno-national identity is obvious a key factor, but as we see in this case a shared religious identity is not enough to overcome other factors. Strategic factors also play a part. Sometimes it is better to team up with countries one is very different from because they are better than another challenger - or because one aspire to be part of that club. Turkey and NATO is a good example. And geography also plays its part. But not always in obvious ways, especially in the modern era. I know this probably isn't the best answer you could get, but I hope it helps a bit! :-)

[@emreavsar3665]

I found it helpfull thank you .we are learning New things everyday watching these videos like that .

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.

[@Arwar555]

Thanks James...very informative I have just subscribed

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you very much indeed. I’m really glad you found it useful. And a warm welcome to the channel!

[@papapeethehunks]

So glad you're back again. 👏 Your fans missed you professor. 😁 Hope you're fully recovered. 🙌

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much. Feeling much better now. And glad to be back! :-)

[@rogerdarthwell5393]

Thank you for this new video, I hope that you have recovered from your illness

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much Roger. Much better now. I hope you are keeping well.

[@rogerdarthwell5393]

@@JamesKerLindsay I am keeping well thank you very much. Glad to hear that you are all right now

[@abdulbassitmohammed1915]

Well come back James! Hope you are doing well now.

[@mpymelondy]

Thank you.

[@joelzimco5778]

Thanks so much

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you. It is such an interesting situation and one that hasn’t received a lot of wider attention. It just seemed an ideal topic to cover.

[@joelzimco5778]

@@JamesKerLindsay I never knew the two countries has some common identity and interests.

[@MrD3vitamin]

United we stand! Long live all Iranians

[@morehumanity]

Great video, engaging stuff

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much!

[@LegendNinja41]

good video thx.

[@aflacseacatafeoxsokoya2529]

First of all, Azerbaijani people are not AZERI. It's wrong. They all are Turks. Secondly, There are atleast 35 million Turks live in today's fake iran. ''Qasghai, Azerbaijani, Turkmens, Pamir ,Qacar etc.'' Iranian is just lie of orientalism. Iran was governed by Turks more than 1000 years. Pehlevis took the regime from qacar Turks in 1921. Turks are have more population than fake ''iranian'' nation.

[@kugul1683]

Thanks for the interesting video! What's your opinion of the situation of Dagestan: It has a fascinating history and even used to be part of Iran.

[@jamesjameson4329]

Not entirely true. For most of its recent history, Dagestan was not part of Iran. Whenever Iranian polities established their rule over Dagestan, they only did so over parts of it, primarily the coastal areas (for example Derbent, which in the Middle Ages was actually part of Shirvan, not Dagestan), and mostly stayed out of the mountainous areas. Dagestan was ruled by its local rulers before the Russians came.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks so much Joshua. Great question, I didn’t specifically mention Dagestan, but you’re right that this too was part of the territory ceded by Persia - although a part that remained within Russia. I actually want to take a look at Chechnya and Dagestan in future videos.

[@kugul1683]

@@JamesKerLindsay Awesome, I'm looking forward!

[@JamesKerLindsay]

@@jamesjameson4329 Thanks for the interesting clarification. I really should take a look at it.

[@unknownsilence7834]

@@jamesjameson4329 Well Dagestan was actually built by Persians during the Sassanid empire. and the name "Dagestan" is also of Persian origin.

[@thomassenbart]

Well done, another good analysis

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you very much indeed.

[@georgemelton1061]

I have worked as an agricultural consultant in every country that connects with Iran. This includes nearly four years in Azerbaijan. I worked with many Oligarchs, rural agricultural businessmen, government officials and more. I developed a deep appreciation and affection for the Azerbaijan people.

[@TheLocalLt]

Great to have you back! Another great video! I will say though that in recounting the history of Iranian Azerbaijan and Tabriz, while not the focus of the video, you may have wanted to give a cursory mention to the Iran Crisis of 1946 where the Soviet Union had in late 1945 fostered an Azeri Communist breakaway state, the Azerbaijan People’s Government, in Tabriz. However the British/American-backed imperial Persian government then tricked Stalin into leaving by offering oil concessions, however after he pulled out Iran refused to grant the concessions. The Shah’s forces reconquered Tabriz in 1946 in somewhat brutal fashion (this is a big part of why in my opinion these events are important in the background of the situation today), completing the British/American victory over the Soviets in the oft-forgotten first crisis of the Cold War. Now I’ll fully admit I’m clearly biased towards that crisis getting more attention, as I am very familiar with the events you’re referring to here as part of research for a documentary over on the Wayback history KZbin channel that chronicles and maps the history of Tabriz and South Caucasus regions from 1828 through the aforementioned crisis in 1946. As far as the current situation is concerned, I think Azerbaijan’s assertiveness definitely makes Iran nervous, primarily due to the unpredictability of Turkey and Azerbaijan’s growing relationship and Azerbaijan’s already existing relationships with Russia and Israel, especially as there was munitions and equipment spillover from the recent war, which also saw numerous border posts with Iran change hands from the Artsakh breakaway state to Azerbaijan. I think Pakistan is a state that Turkey and Azerbaijan would like to loop into the fold of the growing Turkish bloc, and whose population is supportive of such, but which is too ensnared in the long running pet projects of Pakistan’s Army-Intelligence sector, including its rivalry with India, its meddling in Afghanistan, and its role in Beijing’s power games.

[@TheLocalLt]

@@chohani47 yea Pakistan is definitely no friend of Iran, nor is the Taliban. Although recently Iran has befriended al Qaeda who they used to also oppose

[@sevinjhidayat2977]

Thank you for your comments.Growing in Soviet Azerbaijan I have met and heard many stories of separated family members between North Azerbaijan in Soviets and South Azerbaijan in Iran. One example is the family of famous mathematician Lutfi Zade. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aITGhap8eMiLfdE I have never heard Soviets took over the South Azerbaijan in Iran in 1945. Will definitely research this..

[@TheLocalLt]

@@sevinjhidayat2977 very interesting, thanks for the reply. Here’s the link to the video I mentioned about the Soviet takeover kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpDKmXSfl52dfNU

[@parvinguliyev2946]

Thanks a lot for the video, dear James! TBH Azerbaijan and Iran are the countries that have so much respect and mutual things to each other till politics comes in. Iran cannot swallow the fact that its brother country Armenia surrendered in the recent war for obvious reasons and always try to threaten Azerbaijan claiming that North Azerbaijan was a part of Iran. And Azerbaijan can't accept the fact that the country has been divided by Russia and Iran in 19th century with 2 contracts and sees Southern Azerbaijan as its lands always. Only thing that can be said is that the war between two countries would bring catastrophic consequences to both countries. Both nations know this very well in their deep hearts for sure. But in brief, I'm well sure that even tough there have been some tensions arise time to time, two countries will never go into war.

[@samalaimukhametova7290]

Не знала, что у вас настолько плохие отношения.

[@Light_spot_]

Actually the fake rep of azerbaijan was called Caucasian Albania ,and you don't show respect by claiming everything Persian/ Iranian from zoorkhaneh pahlevani sports to zoroastrian Chelleh and Noruz and even our soil

[@TGuunn1]

Fake islam country now called iran ruled by turks for centuries @@Light_spot_

[@NiMz849]

Accurate and fair analysis... congrats!

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you very much indeed!

[@rogerterry5013]

Excellent, thanks.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you.

[@Ganja-Bass]

A quick remark: Azerbaijan did not levy charges on "Iranian drivers crossing into Armenia" but on those, who crossing the Azerbaijani territory drove to Karabakh, which is internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan. Despite several requests and warnings, the Iranian drivers kept supplying the separatist regime within the territory of Azerbaijan. Therefore, arresting two of those drivers was actually the last resort.

[@nabilalhami1681]

Welcome back, Mr James. And back to the Caucasus, I see. (At least Azerbaijan is a country in the Caucasus region)

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks so much. Yes, it seemed that this wasn’t getting as much international attention as it really deserved. It’s a fascinating situation from all sorts of angles.

[@madman5042]

Great video.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you very much!

[@TheOne-um7rp]

Great video. Just subscribed.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much. That’s really kind. And I have to admire anyone who has Nikola Tesla as their avatar! :-)

[@TheOne-um7rp]

@@JamesKerLindsay Thank you! Yes, I love Nikola. I can talk about him all day. He'll always be my favourite scientist/inventor - a true genius who lit the world!

[@saeedeyvazinejadfirouzsala6319]

As an Iranian Azerbaijani, I could see that there were a few key points that your explanation misses.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks. Point taken. There were a lot of points that I had to miss. As with all my videos, I aim to present a brief overview of a situation - not the final word. There was a lot of Iranian Azerbaijan that I had to leave out. I hope to come back to it in another video.

[@kachahaan1660]

@البتّار الازدي if someone has ethics at all it is IRAN.

[@kachahaan1660]

@البتّار الازدي Are you blind? It was Iran who eradicated Daesh. Before Iran entered the theater Daesh grew by the day.

[@enjoymfs9715]

Don't worry brother, we Turks will come for south Azerbaijan. Tabriz Azerbaycan toprağıdır

[@kachahaan1660]

@@enjoymfs9715 There is only one Azerbaijan in Iran. Baku sooner or later comes back to it's motherland.

[@mesudkhan1]

Those who have visited Azerbaijan say that Sunnis constitute somewhere around 35 to 40 percent of the population of Azerbaijan. Similarly Iraq was made to look more Shia after the US invasion.

[@jacobjonm0511]

Azeris are Shias.

[@avestah2781]

You explained everything it is useful 👍

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it.

[@todorlakic3649]

It is (finally) good to see you after a while with new video. Off-topic: do you believe that it would be possible to conduct large-scale research based on application of neorealism on frozen conflicts in post-communist European countries? It would mean that ethnicity, religion, language and other characteristis of ethnic groups - wouldn't have been taken into account. Only structural level of analysis. Thank You in advance.

[@ariefferdaus31]

Glad to see you still healthy and making videos, James! Hope you're doing well. I have been noticing some "pan-Turkic" sentiment that caused some anger in Iran (like when President Erdoğan recited a poem that implied some parts of Iran belongs to the Turkic people). But I wasn't expecting some growing sense of hostility between Azerbaijan and Iran. The Nagorno-Karabakh War did leave a huge impact. Azerbaijan itself is too unique to be grouped into simple groups given its Turkic identity (which makes Baku close to Ankara and Islamabad), Shia majority (like Iran) and pro-West (secular and pro-Israel) which makes it a very interesting actor in this entire situation. Keep up making the great videos! And do take care.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much! I missed making the videos, but it was also good to take a couple of weeks off and recharge. This issue rather slipped under the international radar. It didn’t get a lot of attention. And, yes, there is definitely a sense of growing nationalism in Turkey and Azerbaijan. I think this is part of it (although obviously Azerbaijan does feel aggrieved at Iran’s behaviour). It will be interesting to see how this evolves. In the meantime, I hope all is well at your end.

[@williamdavis9562]

@@chohani47 Obviously Pakistan shares absolutely nothing with the Turkic world. But if Azerbaijan gets closer ties with Turkey, it will be default be getting closer ties with Pakistan due to Turkey's close relationship with the latter.

[@sinabagherisarvestani8924]

@@williamdavis9562 Pakistan is Turkish in a sense , Iran , Pakistan , India and Iraq were invaded by the Huns , an army similar to the Mongols , they were also invaded by the Mongols and the Greeks , that part of the world , people are very similar

[@williamdavis9562]

@@sinabagherisarvestani8924 Pakistani is actually India in a sense. They're the same exact people only difference being which religion they choose to follow. Not sure how Pakistan is Turkey in a sense. Aside from central Asian tribes invading Pakistan and India hundreds of years ago, not sure how that applies. Yea some people they might be related to slapped around some Indians and Pakistanis a thousand year is ago, is that your point? Genetically speaking Greeks, Turks and Mongols have literally nothing in common with Indians and Pakistani people. First off those groups aren't highly genetically damaged from thousands of years of inbreeding.

[@sinabagherisarvestani8924]

@@williamdavis9562 well ya Indian and Pakistan are the same people but most in Pakistan have lighter skin color , especially near the north but ya they are the same people because they were one country but India , Iran and Iraq these nation were all under the control of the Mongols and Greeks at one point , so they are similar in a way , Iran and Iraq were under Mongol control for more than 100 years

[@farhanhyder6378]

Hi James, excellent video. But I've one question, isn't Iraq a predominantly Shia Muslim country too? But you only mentioned Iran, Azerbaijan and Bahrain

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks a lot Farhan. Much appreciated. I’ve discussed this point a bit in the comments already. You’re right. It is now felt that that Iraq is majority Shia, but we don’t have exact figures. Some suggest that it is only slightly more Shia than Sunni and others. The other point to bear in mind is that Sunnis have tended to hold political power. This hasn’t given the religious affiliation link that I was trying to emphasise. For these reasons it isn’t as clearly Shia in orientation as the other three. It sort of falls into a slightly different category. Also, it’s worth noting that Lebanon is now believed to have a Shia plurality.

[@historyking9984]

Wow hadn’t heard about this situation

[@joeydefarco7707]

You got this one righy👏

[@anirudhparthasarathy3387]

Good evening James, welcome back. The video was worth the wait! Thanks for this detailed analysis starting with the history. I wondered how the tensions in Nagorno Karabakh could spill over to other regions and it is unfortunate that we are starting to see its effects now. My sample size is very low; limited to the Iranians who are ethnic Azeris whom I have interacted with, while some identify their first language as Azeri, others as Turkish (I understand that the two are mutually intelligible). I wondered about the Azeri nationalist sentiment; and on that note, what is Iran's position on the Azeri identity for the people in the country and is there an active movement that worries Tehran? Looking forward to more videos, keep up the good work :)

[@NJ-eo2oc]

There is No movement of any kind here. Azaris are ethnically and genetically Iranian (iranic) people who were only Turkified. they're Not turkic. waaay before the arrival of turkic people from Central Asia to the west asia, the Azaris of Persia were speaking the TAT language (a branch of Iranic languages) the Vast Majority of Iranian Azaris know this fact and consider themselves pure iranians

[@KnowDude]

From my observations on social media, I can say that the majority of Iranian Azerbaijanis put their Iranian and religious identity over their ethnic Turkish identity. I mean of course they would tend do that, since Sunni & Shiite Turks have been at war for over half a century. But the nationalistic and pan-Turkic sentiments have been growing in the last years among the younger people in Southern Azerbaijan, especially in Tabriz, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, because of Teherans policy of using Shia Islam to promote Persian nationalism.

[@jlik6724]

I am an Azerbaijani from Tabriz. Azerbaijani turks are the biggest ethnic group in Iran, yet we are deprived of our political, civil and cultural/linguistic rights. Azerbaijani Turk activists ask for the recognition of their ethnic rights and respect to them by the Iranian Government who, in turn, rejects these demands, arrest and condemns us to heavy sentences in prison and put us under constant psychological torture. so it is no wonder, that there is a movement of Azerbaijani turks in Iran, who despite the oppression, death penalties and executions hope to unite with Northern Azerbaijan one day. Write "Traxtur Azerbaycan" (biggest Azerbaijani football club in Iran)on KZbin. You can see thousands and thousands chanting "Azerbaijan is my homeland. Long live Azerbaijan".

[@eagleboy8417]

@@jlik6724 Greetings from Northern Azerbaijan, stay strong. InsAllah the day we will unite is not far away.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Hello Anirudh! Thank so much for the kind message. Pleased to be back! :-) I'm glad you liked the video. It is such an interesting subject, and one that didn't seem to be getting much wider attention. It seemed like a good topic to cover. Great question about Iranian Azerbaijan. Interestingly, this was a topic that I had wanted to cover for a while. I find it fascinating. I would imagine that, like most of these types of situations, there is a wide variation in how people feel about the subject. It seems that many Azeris are very integrated into Iran and so would be opposed to the idea. But I suspect that there is also separatist sentiment - although gauging the size of it is probably rather difficult. I really do hope to come back to this at some point. In the meantime, I hope that all is well with you.

[@mahinkhan4782]

Iran has problems with most countries around like Iraq afganistan Pakistan it went on to pushing proxies around Yemen to Saudi borders to cause a distress in corrupt Saudi royals who will do anything to defend their crown and royalty the people dying in Yemen iran can’t get a pass it’s got a part in Yemenis sufferings ,in Syria it’s brought upon some serious massacre on the basis of sectarianism and this bloodshed is still on as we speak it’s just not getting reported as actively as before,Iranian regime is probably one of the most extreme and fascist when it comes to causing rifts by the help of its proxies around Middle East but they never get pointed out enough by west on these things only cause west never wants a Middle East that has peace cause peace will mean stability

[@claireindigo1200]

Love your videos

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much! :-)

[@mirwanbaloch]

Nice video 👍

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you very much indeed.

[@aminmalik4086]

More like a Turkic vs Persian conflict....Tribalism trumps religion.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Yes. That would indeed be one reading of the situation. But it is fascinating to look at the deeper complexities of the issue.

[@sinabagherisarvestani8924]

Well in Azerbaijan they speaks Turkish but they are Iranians , this is a fact , Azerbaijan was the historic capital of Iran , Azerbaijan is an Iranian word which translates into fire wall and Azerbaijan was part of Iran before it was colonized by the Ottoman empire and later by Peter the great . Anyways who cares about race or religion , everyone is equal , you guys need to stop arguing , this is irrelevant , everyone is equal regardless of color or ethnic race , I'm really amazed reading some of the comments , its just inappropriate . Iran and Turkey are allies , both Iran and Turkey helped thousands of refugees from Bosnia the 1990's and that is what they should be doing What are you guys trying to argue about ? People are free to think what they want , I can say that China is part of Germany or that the Persian gulf belongs to Norway , it doesn't make it true and its a waste of time to argue with people , people are ignorant and people are misinformed and arguing is a waste of time , don't try to change people , try to change yourself for once So relations between Iran and Azerbaijan are great , there is no issue between the two governments , only minor disagreements

[@sinabagherisarvestani8924]

many Persians are Turks , there is no Turkic Persian conflict , the year is 2021 not 1600 , Turkey and Iran are allies , they helped thousands of Bosnian refugees in the 1990's after the war by providing food and medicine and cars and free visas

[@tengrici431]

azerbaijan is mostely non-religious. it is like saying, holland is one of the few protestant countries in the world. the population does not believe in religions.

[@AD-zg7fw]

@Mosaab نعم هو aliyev is notoriously brutal.

[@mirumir212]

Aliyev himself is a prostitute, and he also turned the country into a bardel. Arabs buy Azerbaijani women for money. Aliyev pumps out oil and distributes it to everyone. The people live in poverty, 70% of the population.Mehriban is the mistress of the President of Belarus Lukashenko, and Aliyev is Putin's puppet, Aliyev Ilham is an enemy of the Azerbaijani people.

[@YALQUZAQ_AZ]

90% of Azerbaijani people are Muslims, but they don't practice

[@mariajason3547]

@@mirumir212 Lol you seem very Angry 😂😂😂😂😂

[@mirumir212]

@@mariajason3547 What's so funny ?!

[@TheTurcojudo]

Thanks professor. Regards from Brazil 🇧🇷

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much! Warmest greetings from London! :-)

[@adrianomilovan3645]

Nice video! But, do you consider the recent tensions between Azerbaijan and Iran as a proxy conflict?

[@lissettelopez8331]

I think Armenia and Azerbaijan tensions are 100% proxy.

[@ligayamatira2293]

Do the Video about the Philippines under Marial Law from 1972 to 1981

[@MrKamran2108]

I don't understand why you decided to reduce the relationships between Iran and Azerbaijan to the religion. Azerbaijan is a secular state and its friendships or problems with other countries are not based on religions at all. Literally all political parties and entities in Azerbaijan are secular. Obviously, anybody is free to worship anything they want in Azerbaijan but that doesn't determine alliances or enmities of the country. Such as there is much more to the relations between the UK and say the Netherlands than the religions that they share. I would say there is little to no role of the religion in those relations, as well as there is little mention of it, but you tell me. Other than this, thanks for the video, looking forward to seeing more!

[@JamesKerLindsay]

But that’s precisely my point! I didn’t reduce it this. (I suspect you may have just read the title.) if you watch the video, you will see I was making the very point that sometimes things people think will bind countries together don’t in fact do so. This was a good example. Many might imagine that because the people of Azerbaijan and Iran are Shia they will have good and close ties. But they don’t. This channel is about challenging views. This was exactly what I did. Also, many seem to think that falling a country Muslim suggests that it is necessarily religious and not secular. Not at all. I think it is important to draw a distinction between religiosity and culturally religious. Many people in the West would define themselves as Christian, if asked. But few ho to Church. And yet many elsewhere in the World, especially in Muslim countries, are quite happy to characterise them as Christian countries, even though they certainly don’t have theocratic regimes and are very secular. Again, this rather reflects my point.

[@MrKamran2108]

@@JamesKerLindsay I most certainly did watch the video. See, and I hope this doesn't come across as rude, I don't care what people in the world categorize Western countries as when it comes to religions. What a lot of people say or do doesn't necessarily mean it's correct. What I wanted to say is that I for one have never come across with someone talking about European countries' foreign policies regarding each other or other countries and bringing up religions. Nobody does that even in Azerbaijan when it comes to Iran or other countries and it's bizarre that you decided to include that. There is literally no correlation between religion and foreign policies. If you say that that's what a lot of people think, and you, in turn, are challenging that view- I ask who are those people you're talking about? Anybody who has read any history in their lives or watched some current news I think understand that alliances or just relationships are not built upon common religions. I know you are not thinking your viewers are total idiots :) So , I stand by my original comment and that bringing up religion into the review of relations between Azerbaijan and Iran is completely pointless, unnecessary and it's border line insulting my intelligence. Lastly, one can call the UK a Christian country, because it has a state religion and it is Christianity. However you can't call Azerbaijan a Muslim country because it's a secular country and has got no state religion. It can be called a country with a predominantly Muslim population, if to express oneself properly.

[@shafajafarova9598]

@@JamesKerLindsay I love your videos. Being from Azerbaijan, having travelled to Iran and Bahrain it is not fair to throw them all in one basket. They're very different, with Azerbaijan being the most. Liberal. Out of. The three, very close. To Turkey in that sense. Which by the way proves. Your point of why Azerbaijan. Is much closer to Turkey rather than Iran .

[@timor64]

This is such a great video. In depth analysis not sensationalist clickbait.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks so much. It’s one of those rather niche subjects that don’t get a lot of attention. I especially enjoy doing those types of videos. :-)

[@chitrachannelvlog4822]

an academic factual channel... jus sub u Cheers from Singapore

[@tiredox3788]

I hope you can do a video on the Russia, China, and Iran alliance one day.

[@benjamindavidovichwaals2899]

Does it even exist?

[@tiredox3788]

@@benjamindavidovichwaals2899 Yeah it does

[@benjamindavidovichwaals2899]

@@tiredox3788 no it's not, go learn about real geopolitik, not some shitty CNN like analysis

[@tiredox3788]

@@benjamindavidovichwaals2899 Yes it is. And I don't watch CNN.

[@ligayamatira2164]

We Wish to feature about the The Philippines under Martial Law from 1972 to 1981

[@papapeethehunks]

This channel is about international relations. What has that to do with the world at large. That is a domestic issue. Makasawsaw lang kahit saan tong mga Dilawan na ito. 🙄

[@mth469]

Thank you Professor James. This is so much more insightful than news channels - which are total junk.

[@RangaNayanajithSilva]

Please do concern about South Asian Region and Growing tention over Indo Pacific Ocean Teritory . I always appreciate your views and unbiased comments with I.R. Thanks .

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you. Excellent suggestion! I really should go more on South Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific region.

[@azerashirov1897]

Azerbaijan mostly secular country. It is not correct to name Azerbaijan as a Shia country.

[@ViralClipz1246]

96% of the country is Muslim?

[@azerashirov1897]

@@ViralClipz1246 Maximum 30%. Even 10% of Population obey religion rules. Even less than 10%.

[@ViralClipz1246]

@@azerashirov1897 But they still identify as Muslims

[@z..a9562]

Funny. Cuz this is true about iran too. Iranians have no religions .its obligated by the gove to stay Muslims on their certificates .

[@azerashirov1897]

@@ViralClipz1246 World would be better place when everyone stop this categorising ) We are part of this planet and nature.

[@gudimetlahemanthkiranreddy9114]

please cover the soft rivalry between UAE AND SAUDI ARABIA , it has been brewing for a long time and conflict between them is inevitable

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks. Great suggestion. Let me look into it.

[@boonedockjourneyman7979]

You are are the only accessible source of this level of understanding for those of us in the US. We live in an information vacuum created by a joke media. Thank you.

[@sepanta8762]

A surprisingly unbiased analysis of the situation . However a military conflict is unlikely due to a huge mismatch between the armed forces of 2 courtiers.

[@sinabagherisarvestani8924]

Azerbaijan is 98% Shia Muslim , in the last 12 years or so there has been attempts to change the demographics by binging in Sunni Muslims from Syria while promoting atheism in the country by imposing soviet era laws that discourage religion and promote soviet propaganda but these efforts have failed , the nation is still a Shia majority nation , in fact Iraq , Iran and Azerbaijan are the only Shia nations in the world where the Shia population greatly outnumbers the Sunni population , even in Lebanon and Bahrain, Shia are a minority for obvious political reasons , Iran has been discouraged from gaining influence or spreading Islam in Azerbaijan , there are many reasons for it and its mostly political and I won't get into that but nevertheless Azerbaijan has a population where around 98% are Shia Muslims and although they don't show it for political reasons , in private they are proud of it and they are deeply religious and respect the faith over all Iran and Azerbaijan have good relations , in fact Iran and Azerbaijan do not have any major disagreements

[@aykhanimran1362]

As an Azerbaijani I watch all your videos about here till the end

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much. I’d be really keen to hear what the view is in Azerbaijan about these developments. How do people feel about it?

[@aykhanimran1362]

@@JamesKerLindsay well most average people don't seem to care and we don't really expect anything serious Most people me included see the development as Iran's attempt to sabotage the Syunik/Zangezour corridor that would link Turkey with rest of the Turkic world. Btw I had to add the timeline of Iran Azerbaijan tension is given in a such way that it shows as Azerbaijan is solely responsible for that.

[@user-fl1vv8pw5o]

@@JamesKerLindsay As an Azerbaijani, I want to say that the people of Azerbaijan have finally understood the two-faced policy of Iran, which supports the Armenian occupiers in Karabakh. , and at the same time talks about the Muslim "brotherhood".Iran also does not want the strengthening of Azerbaijan and the strengthening of Turkey in the region, because about 30 million Azerbaijanis live in Iran itself. I want to say that the situation has already improved with Iran, but the people of Azerbaijan will not forget Iran's actions and will remember it.After the war, many realized who is a true friend of Azerbaijan and who is not

[@akperbayramov1881]

@@JamesKerLindsay as an Azerbaijani national i would say that we have no fears of waging a war with Iran, but you may know that Iranian government have already stated that Iraninan trucks illegally entering the territory of Azerbaijan under occupation will be fined and the drivers will be administratively punished. So, no war between our countries is expected , but as other fellow compatriots from my country emphasized above, we have already witnessed duplicitous approach of Iran towards Azerbaijan. Moreover, I wouldn’t say that Azerbaijan is a muslim country, it is more secular and according to statistics conducted by foreign research institutions, Azerbaijan is 5th in the list of irreligious countries, so i think this was a conflict between Shia Iran against Azerbaijan

[@sinabagherisarvestani8924]

@@akperbayramov1881 Azerbaijan is 98% Shia an Iran is considered their second homeland by almost everyone in azerbabain , your statement that azerbabain is not a religious nation or that people in that country don't trust Iran , that is not true , you are trying to promote ethic divisions . The people of Iran and azerbabain don't hate each other and the governments of these nations don't have any major issues , only minor disagreements .

[@whatsupduckk]

Prof James, thank you for this amazing informative video. I am an Iranian-American viewer of yours and wanted to give another hint on the conflict. I am pretty sure this is widely known among all Iranians but growing up in Iran as a child I heard a lot of covert and overt anti-Azeri sentiment among the people. For example one of the things that I know in fact bothers Azeris is that Persians referred to azeris as "Turks" and regarded them as "Stupid or خر". In fact there are thousands of anti-Azeri jokes among Persians that may sound like a joke to a Persian but I am sure are as denigrating as anti-sematic sentiment used by a white-supremacist.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate the kind support! And thanks for the extra perspective. That’s very interesting to hear. It would be fascinating to explore this all in more detail. I might try to come back to it in another video.

[@pplanetEarth]

@@JamesKerLindsay I was looking through the comments to see if anyone from Iran has commented and came across with this, first, thank you James for spending time and replying to the comments. The above point by @Warriorwithin is in fact a very deep story (I am originally also from South Azerbaijan so I know it too well), the scorn, cultural belittling, contempt and mockery of Azeris (or Turks, because locally we are referred to as Turks or Azeri-Turks) is across all aspects of daily life in Iran: in TV soap operas, even those that aren't necessarily comedy, in kids school books (always Azeri/Turk character is slow or dumb), in sports (where the narrator puts down the teams from Tabriz, capital of South Az.), in the university class by the Professor, in newspapers.... I also think you glanced over a few other key points in your summary (even though again I must reiterate, it is great work you are doing, one of very few analysis on the topic I have seen). You mentioned the supreme leader being half Azeri: this is an argument that Persian nationalists use when they try to justify the oppression of the ethnic minorities in Iran by saying that they (i.e., minorities) have their share in power; but in fact, people like the supreme leader (and lots of individuals like him, in all levels of the structure of the system) are only those who have shown unquestionable loyalty to the system through extreme vetting process that everyone with a position goes through (even teachers go through so called "gozinesh", a religious+security vetting system). Once in their role they deny their roots often being worse enemy of the ethnic group they come from. You may have heard and read about the Iranian opposition groups outside the country, they mostly reject the current regime on its religious terms but they all think similarly when it comes to the lack of rights of the ethnic groups (in fact some of those opposition groups are worse than the regime in that matter). At the same time, even though the regime in Iran is known to be a religious system, but it is very much nationalistic when it comes to Persian identity, they only accept ARabic because it is so called the language of Islam, but you may know how horrible is the living conditions of the ethnic Arabs in SW Iran (the area from where all of Iran's oil/gas comes from). They even don't have drinking water, we Azeri-Turks in fact fare better than them, also better than Balochis or Kurds, because of our sheer numbers maybe, and that's another point that I thought to mention: you may have used the stats like CIA Factbook, which are estimates based on the government census data of provinces, but the real numbers of Azeri-Turks in Iran is higher (because province boundaries do not follow ethnic demographics, that might be another subject if you are interested to research). There is lots to say in this subject, I have read about Eastern European communist states before 1990, the system in Iran is something like that, and in fact way worse in certain aspects as it is also based on a dogmatic religious ideology, mixed with nationalism. I would be happy to contribute, by supplying resources/references, if you would be interested to do more work on Azeris/Iran in general. Iran is a country waiting to slit into pieces, in fact may not take too long.

[@kevinelruler]

To those of you guys on this thread, Do Iranian Azeris seek unification with Azerbaijanis in Shirvan? Would you guys say that the situation of Azeris and other ethnic minorities was better under the Shah? Is Iran actively suppressing or trying to assimilate non Persian people? How much do Azeris and other ethnic minorities see themselves as Iranian?

[@veyselturan6916]

@@kevinelruler For Azeris the territory called Azerbaijan has been split into Southern Azerbaijan (currently the northern part of Iran) and North Azerbaijan (currently independent the Republic of Azerbaijan). The possible unification of these two is what Iran afraid of the most..

[@veyselturan6916]

@@pplanetEarth The Ussr was considered very powerfull country with Kgb,police, army and strong ideology. Nevertheless it couldn't do much once people woke up and quickly collapsed. Iran is a no match for Ussr, so its time will come too..

[@historyking9984]

I always find it so interesting how much changed in the years right after world war 1. I used to think the war ended borders were drawn and these new countries were established. But there were so many conflicts even after the war between emerging states such as turkey and its former ottoman rulers and war between the soviets and white army. As well as the creation of shorter lives states like the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic and the Hungarian republic which became the Kingdom of Hungary 1920. So much changed so fast and while some of Western Europe went back to the status quo so much was still changing

[@duygudemirci99]

The Iranian foreign minister says that about 40% of the Iranian population is Turkish, and you say 15-20%. Do you have more information than Mr. Salehi or where did you get this information?

[@FOLIPE]

The CIA world factbook says 16% of Iranians speak Arzebaijani. By this numbers it would not get to 40 even if Arzebaijan were annexed by Iran.

[@duygudemirci99]

@F. OPE ... and Brenda Shaffer says 25-30, and recently in an interview with the BBC said: "Azerbaijanis are 1/3 of Iran's population"...

[@whiteholeeducationcenter]

That's why Azeri majority areas in lran must be given back to Azerbaijan

[@duygudemirci99]

@@whiteholeeducationcenter If you scratch all the Iranian faces, the Turks are under different masks.

[@ismantc1653]

Thank you James for this video, very interesting. One aspect of this rivalry that has also crossed my mind is the contrast between Azerbaijan’s and Iran’s brand of Shia Islam. the former being one of the most secular and the latter one of the most theocratic, it could be said that Azerbaijan’s healthy diplomatic network and prosperous economy is somehow damaging to the narrative and style of government Iran is so desperately trying to export. Hope you feel better now.

[@markm5758]

I think you don’t understand the definition of secular. It means devoid of, as well as separate from religion. There is no “secular” form of Shia Islam or “theocratic” form of Shia Islam. The most established, traditional and mainstream form of Shia Islam is the one that espouses sharia (Islamic law) and an Islamic state. In that sense Iran’s form of Shia Islam is the most mainstream and authentic (what you term “theocratic”). Azerbaijan never had, nor does it currently have any established institutions for what you term as “secular” brand of Shia Islam. The religion was suppressed under the communist soviets and is still the case under the aliyevs (who themselves are byproduct of the soviet institutions). There’s a reason why most clerics in azerbaijan are educated in cities of Iran like qom and Mashhad, they don’t have a homegrown brand of what you term as “secular” Shia Islam.

[@markm5758]

Also Azerbaijan’s “healthy” diplomatic relationship largely rests on aliyev and his corrupt cronies who have siphoned off large amounts of money meant for the Azerbaijani people (money earned from exporting oil). They only got lucky because they finally defeated Armenia in the nagorno-karabakh war, which cemented ilham aliyev’s legacy as the great leader of Azerbaijani people. However that’s all he’s appreciated for so far and it’s dubious how long that legacy will last if the country continues in its current state.

[@ismantc1653]

@@markm5758 first of all I would appreciate if you tone down the patronising attitude. you might have mistaken my remarks for praise for the Aliyev regime when In reality I just find it impressive how much support they have found despite their blatant aggression against the people of Artsakh. They have been very effective in exploiting the conflict’s relative obscurity (as well as that of Azerbaijan as a whole) to their advantage by dictating their narrative to unsuspecting people - even taking European diplomats on tours of Shushi. Regarding the secular comment you could very well replace the word brand for society and the point remains the same : on a structural level Azerbaijan is much more secular than Iran. Im not sure what’s your point by bringing up theology on what real Islam is or isn’t.

[@markm5758]

@@ismantc1653 it’s only patronizing because I have to teach you about something you’re wholly misinformed about. Brand doesn’t imply society, it implies the form of Islam, so you’re implying that there’s a “brand” of Islam that’s secular, when you would know that’s not the case upon a simple google search about the relation between Islam and secularism. Islam is considered a whole way of life, not just a simple religion with beliefs like Christianity or Hinduism, so in that sense the religion of Islam is wholly incompatible with secularism, it doesn’t matter if some Muslim societies are secular, there are muslims who worship other gods and literally worship graves, are you going to brand that as another form of Islam? No, and you shouldn’t. In Azerbaijan’s case the country and people there have been suppressed by Soviet repression and anti-religion propaganda so of course they’d be secular, just look at a simple map of religion in Germany today, you’ll still see a fault line between east and west based on where the atheists/agnostics/irreligious predominate, this is what communism does to all countries. Azerbaijan currently is the result of the Communist rule, if it weren’t for that it would have been a similar society as Iran. And aliyev got lucky to have backing of turkey and still in good standing with Russia. If it weren’t for those things the aliyev regime wouldn’t survive for this long and would go the way of his predecessors like elcibey.

[@Bakvwien]

@@ismantc1653 What aggression you are talking about? Azerbaijan cannot be an aggressor on its own territory. Azerbaijan simply enforced 4 UN Security Council resolutions that demanded from Armenia to immediately withdraw its troops from 7 occupied and ethnically cleansed districts of Azerbaijan. Armenia refused to comply, and Azerbaijan had to use force to liberate its own territory. That is not an aggression by any definition.

[@mahdi_faraji1]

اطلاعات شما مفید ، دقیق، واقعی و به دور از سیاست زدگی است. به شما تبریک می گویم. کاملا درست. من از ایران

[@calicilmi5161]

Some of the information is incorrect.

[@orkhanaskarli450]

Iran was not neutral during the first Nagorny Karabakh. They were economically supporting Armenia

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks. Yes, I think that there is a very good case to argue that Iran did indeed push the notion of ‘neutrality’ to its furthest bounds.

[@mohammads5086]

There is not much evidence for that. If Iran supported Armenia, Azerbaijan would fail. Meanwhile, the relationship between the Azeris of Iran and the Azeris of Baku is not very close. The Azeris of Iran consider themselves Iranians before being Azeris. Iraq, look, you will find that Saddam thought that the Iranian Arabs were helping him in this war. But the Iranian Arabs became Iran's first line of defense against Iraq.

[@fatihyavuz2246]

Indeed Iran was pro-armenian in the 1. Karabakh war and also in 2. Karabakh war, because the persian brain of Iranian regime see an independent strong Azerbaijan always a threat for its own social unity.

[@SEIMYUNGVACTRONCOLTD]

I would like to hear about Azerbaijan Israel relations in depth view. Thanks.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks. This is indeed a fascinating subject. I might try to cone back to it in a future video.

[@SEIMYUNGVACTRONCOLTD]

@@JamesKerLindsay Great, Looking forward to it.

[@sevinjhidayat2977]

@@JamesKerLindsay do you have a team helping you in your research and video preparation? You could see how many people including myself objected that Azerbaijanis don't share ethnicity, language, and religion with Iran. It comes down to respecting the Azerbaijani nation. I am asking you to be careful in such assessments. The thing is this is the Iranian regime's agenda to brainwash that we are of same root which is simply not true. But Persians and Armenians liked this statement because this undermines our identity. We are turkic people and share more with Turkey, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tatarstan. But Iran is pushing this agenda because they want to assimilate 37 million of Azerbaijanis in South Azerbaijan in Iran and they think the best way is to say that North Azerbaijan itself is also a Persian country.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

@@sevinjhidayat2977 Did you actually watch the video? I make it very clear that Azerbaijanis are Turkic-speaking and Iranians are predominantly Farsi speaking. I think you seem to have misunderstood what I said. Most others seem to have thought it is fine.

[@gmailchange]

Very realistic view of the region

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thank you very much indeed!

[@CordobaGeneral1234]

Great video! If I complete my law degree can I get a career in this kind of field?

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks! Certainly. But you need to focus on Public International Law. It is a great field.

[@CordobaGeneral1234]

@@JamesKerLindsay Thank you so much for that recommendation!

[@georgios_5342]

I have a question. How is it possible that Azerbaijan has good relations with Israel and Turkey at the same time, while the latter two passionately hate each other (in the geopolitical sense)? Or at least it seems to me that way?

[@JamesKerLindsay]

And that is a brilliant question! I have been thinking a lot about this as well over the past year. I wonder if Baku might see itself as a bridge builder in this regard. It’s worth remembering that in the 1990s, when Azerbaijan was building ties with Israel, Turkey and Israel also had excellent relations. I suspect Israel made sure that it retained close links with Baku even as relations with Ankara suffered, not least of all to have eyes on Iran. This is a fascinating topic for someone to explore.it would actually make a great PhD.

[@Patriot0010]

Interests.

[@ArashRezaee]

Who says Turkey hate Zionists?

[@georgios_5342]

@@JamesKerLindsay Oh that's cool, I didn't know that the way to get a PhD in political science is to make a case study on modern events, I thought it should be something in history or whatever. But still, I think that Israel and Turkey have certain problems in the Eastern Mediterranean, as Turkey is claiming a large area as its Exclusive Economic Zone, a claim that has lead it to a long dispute with Cyprus, Greece, Egypt and Israel over the past few years. Especially with the East Med gas pipeline deal signed between the three countries (excluding Egypt), in hopes of bypassing Turkey, has been a thorn in bilateral relations. I don't see how any of the two would back down, but Israel's strategic partnership with Azerbaijan (and any other anti-Iranian power for that matter) seem more important to me, as Iran is allegedly supporting the Gaza government of Palestine. Again I'm not certain, but I think that Gaza and Iran are more imminent issues to the Israelis than oil and future pipeline connections in the East Med.

[@georgios_5342]

@@ArashRezaee I didn't say Turkey hates Zionists, but for the reasons I stated, Turkey and Israel have been lead to being strategic enemies during the last half dozen years

[@JS-dh3ce]

A Turk told me once that Rambo was from he’s village and that he knew him

[@Sunshine-uu9po]

Do you understand humor at all?

[@JS-dh3ce]

@@Sunshine-uu9po I understand stupidity and ignorance

[@Sunshine-uu9po]

@@JS-dh3ce you definitely do not understand one turk does not define whole Turkish people.. moreover you do not understand that generalization is always wrong.

[@maa1441]

Sunshine He’s not talking about Turks from Turkey. I think he’s talking about “turks” from the “republic of azerbaijan” who deny their Iranic ancestry and chose to adopt a pan-turk identity in an extremely illogic manner where they try to claim everything and anything to be turkic. For instance, they already claimed that prophet Mohammed is Turkic :) lol ..

[@JS-dh3ce]

@@maa1441 exactly one turk told me Rambo was turk from he’s village when I told him no he told me he would kill me lol

[@recordedgraal2028]

maybe title of this video is incorrect

[@h12gvj567]

Great content, but you need a new video on this matter professor. Tension between Iran and Azerbaijan is very dangerous right now.

[@spencer871]

The Azeri president seems like very he's on a very aggressive path and Iran being aggressive is SOP. I hope it chills out, Shia oppression is so bad right now that the last thing they should be doing is fighting.

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks. Beautifully put! I think it is a fascinating situation. Iran obviously takes a very hardline stance in general, but one just gets the sense that this situation is being deliberately stirred up by Baku - for whatever reasons.

[@Bakvwien]

@@JamesKerLindsay That is not accurate. As I wrote elsewhere, this was all the result of Iran's insistence on maintaining an illegal trade with Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, bypassing official Azerbaijani control. It remains unclear why Iran was so insistent on doing so, despite diplomatic notes that Azerbaijan handed to Iran demanding to stop it.

[@AD-zg7fw]

@@JamesKerLindsay Azerbaijan and Turkey plan to build an east west highway, fortified, to bisect Armenia's connection to Armenia and thus Russia. Armenia was supplied in the 90s and recently with military gear from Russia shipped via Caspian and Iran. Also Armenia and Iran are trying to build a highway in that remaining sliver of land, the one turkey wants to defacto invade (even though it's not disputed). Aliyev hired Azov Battalion and ISIS when fighting Armenia recently. It was given a green light by Trump and Pompeo. That is why Schiff turned around and finally recognized the Armenian genocide with the passing of a law in the us Congress. With no disrespect to the people of Turkey or Azerbaijan, they are not actually countries. They have an identity crisis and claim they are horseman descended from the east. And surely some are. But they're also comfortable with war crimes and Turkey is more disjointed and artificial than Iran in terms of it's cohesion. Without NATO, Russia might conquer turkey in one day.

[@spencer871]

@@Bakvwien Well, if iran is trading with artsakh, it’s likely as a result of the regional rivalry between it, turkey, and Saudi relating especially to the Syrian civil war. I don’t see an ideal option for either party since they all have exclusive goals to achieve. Azerbaijan is widely seen as a Turkish allied state and I think Iran and it’s proxies are probably using every excuse to pressure Turkey’s local goals.

[@spencer871]

@@JamesKerLindsay thanks, besides the typo. I hate smartphones, lol. Useful for torch and alarms :p

[@Melia_67]

Hi james, I see you responding to a lot of comments regarding how Iraq is the fourth majority Shia country. It is indeed complicated so I will try to explain it the best I could. Arab Iraqis who mostly live in Southern Iraq are like 70-75% Shia, and southern Iraq is where most Shia holy sites are located, we sunnis don't consider them holy that's why Southern Iraq is Shia majority, basically no one wants to live in southern Iraq expect Shias for obvious religions reasons, it gets very hot there in the summer, and it is poor & not safe to live there. Baghdad, which is right in the center of the country is like 60% Shia, and is mostly inhabited by Arabs. But the northern cities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq are all Sunni, but they are not Arab, and the people there mostly suuport separatism and want an independent state. You could never get accurate statistics about Iraq because of how unstable it is. If we included the Kurdish cities, it is like 50-50. However; the major consensus is that Iraq is indeed a majority Shia, because 60-65% of Arab speaking Iraqis are Shia. Shias never ruled Iraq in its history before the American invasion, it was always ruled by Sunnis. That's why some people assume Iraq for being a majority Sunni.

[@edwinkwan4343]

Ottoman vs Persian : Perhaps the history is coming back

[@nihadsuleymanov7]

Mr. James thank you for such a clear and unbiased video! What do you think about the possibilty of unification of Rep. of Azerbaijan and Iranian Azerbaijan ?

[@gocool_2.0]

As an Indian I will support our Iranian brothers. 🇮🇳♥️🇮🇷. Hope our countries will form better diplomatic ties in the future.

[@binbasesatoktayyldran5236]

I support my Azerbaijan brothers🇹🇷🇳🇿❤️🇦🇿, but I can respect your opinion Indian. I hope relations can be better for all.

[@binbasesatoktayyldran5236]

@@memyviewofworld9364 I also really don't know. Azerbaijan is much more modern and secular then Iran and even some European countries. I guess because the media always shows Armenia as the victim of everything even tho Azerbaijan is in the right here. It's their land and they just took it back. And no! Having a minority in a country doesn't mean you can break away from it. There is also 6 million Turks living in Germany, should they also try to break away and join Turkey? Absolutely no! You are a minority in a country and you gotta deal with it. But anyway I guess it's because Azerbaijan is an ally and close friend of Turkey witch also directly means some people will hate soully because of that. Also probably because majority of İndian's are on KZbin since they litterly have a population of 1.2 billion. İt's not surprising. But yea anyway that probably why. I wish people could just look into stuff more tho.

[@byron-ih2ge]

@@memyviewofworld9364 well for india the reason is simple, because azerbijan is turky's pet and also pretty close to pakistan both these nations r extremely hated by india

[@byron-ih2ge]

@@binbasesatoktayyldran5236 ya indians dont hate azerbijan but they hate azerbijan's master( turkey) and also azerbjian is pretty close to pakistan which makes any indian chose iran over azerbijan as iranians and indians r ancient brothers and have a decent relationship till date .... India is pretty close to armenia too

[@binbasesatoktayyldran5236]

@@byron-ih2ge Turkey does not control Azerbaijan 🤦‍♂️. That's like saying Russia controls Serbia but no! They are just allies. Like Turkey and Azerbaijan. And Iran also has close relations with Pakistan. Again you only support Armenia because enemies enemy is my friend situation. But Azerbaijan is not your enemy. Armenia occupies Azerbaijani lands and it is recognised as part of Azerbaijan. And Azerbaijan wants it back. Witch it has every right to do so. Armenia litterly ethnically cleansed Azeri's in Karabakh. And no! Don't get me started on your genocide claims because it has nothing to do with Azerbaijan. That's like blaming Britian for the Holocaust. Again Armenia was never and is not the victim here. Armenia needs to drop it's greater Armenia dreams and try to make peace with its neighbours, that's it.

[@AbdulHannanAbdulMatheen]

👏🙂 Hopefully both countries avoid direct conflict. I worry where Imran Khan is leading Pakistan and the news coming out of Afghanistan where Taliban released convicts hunting female judges is horrific

[@CaspianKhazar]

The case of Azerbaijan - Iran relations, a repudiation of Samuel Huntington "Clash of Civilizations" thesis? Are states only driven by their interests and nothing else?

[@sinabagherisarvestani8924]

Azerbaijan is 98% Shia Muslim , in the last 12 years or so there has been attempts to change the demographics by binging in Sunni Muslims from Syria while promoting atheism in the country by imposing soviet era laws that discourage religion and promote soviet propaganda but these efforts have failed , the nation is still a Shia majority nation , in fact Iraq , Iran and Azerbaijan are the only Shia nations in the world where the Shia population greatly outnumbers the Sunni population , even in Lebanon and Bahrain, Shia are a minority for obvious political reasons , Iran has been discouraged from gaining influence or spreading Islam in Azerbaijan , there are many reasons for it and its mostly political and I won't get into that but nevertheless Azerbaijan has a population where around 98% are Shia Muslims and although they don't show it for political reasons , in private they are proud of it and they are deeply religious and respect the faith over all Iran and Azerbaijan have good relations , in fact Iran and Azerbaijan do not have any major disagreements

[@JasonFilippou]

Does Tajikistan also have several Shia people?

[@pouyabahrami7669]

The last major war Azaris fought before the Russian invasion was a total massacre of Azaris by the Ottomans. It was a major defeat for Iran. Ethnically, Azaris (my ethnicity and it is an Iranian word) are Iranians by origin. Most Azari/Turkish words are Parsi of origin.

[@pouyabahrami7669]

@John Rock John, first try to save the DOLLAR, then open your mouth.

[@pouyabahrami7669]

@Johan Liebert My father was Azari. My grandfather from Baku. We all are Iranians. You can be whatever you like to be. Certainly. 25 million Azaris living in Iran is very telling. And the 3 million that live in Northern Azari province of ours should remember that 1/3 consist of our beloved Talesh people who are bravely fighting the Ali thuggish rulers. Unification is inevitable and is coming. Also, if you are going to pretend to be Azari, at least change your name.

[@salehmehdizade]

The modern state of Iran was established in 16th century by Turkic (Azerbaijani) Safavid dynasty and their nomadic Qizilbash warriors. And these Qizilbash ruled Iran until 1925. Iran truly became a Persian state only after 1925 when Persian Pahlavi dynasty usurped the power from Turkic Qajar dynasty This was the moment when 10 century rule of Turks(Azerbaijani) in Iran was over.

[@jamesjameson4329]

Before any nationalists jump in, here's a more balanced take on your statements. Yours is not a very accurate summary. Calling these dynasties "Azerbaijani" can be very misleading (though admittedly not entirely baseless, at least because several of these dynasties had Tabriz, the center of modern-day Iranian Azerbaijan, as their capital). It's better to call them "Turkic" instead. Also, it wasn't exactly 10 centuries, there were some interruptions (e.g. Mongols, the 18th-century Zand dynasty), and not all of those Turkic dynasties ruled over all of what was Iran, that mostly happened after the Safavids (16th century).

[@xshandy5812]

@@Anticolonialist Good! 🤣👍

[@MrSuliko20]

@@Anticolonialist your wife Lois cheating on you

[@salehmehdizade]

@@Anticolonialist You can't get away with historical facts by simply calling everything Panturk. Aren't you Panfars yourself. What the hell Turkic speaking means? if all Iranians are the same why you can't accept the simple fact that Safavids, Avshars and Qajars are Turks. What turkic speaking Iranian means? Stop falsifying history. Qajars were turkic and speaking turkic(Azerbaijani) language. And ethnicity isn't determined by genetics. It's determined by the language and culture. What you just said wasn't just ignorant but also racist. These are Turkic dynasties that ruled Iran. Ghaznavids, Seljuqs, Ildegizids, Qara Qoyunlu, Aq Qoyunlu, Safavids, Avshars, Qajars and their descendents are modern Azerbaijani people from the North and the South. Persian-Mullah regime and your racist Arian brothers in the west can't change this fact. I don't say Iran was created 80 years ago. I say Iran is ruled by Persians only since 1925

[@salehmehdizade]

@@jamesjameson4329 If they aren't Azerbaijanis who are they then? Turkic people were mostly nomadic. They don't have to reside in Azerbaijan to be ancestors of Azerbaijani people. Obviously, it makes more sense that modern Azerbaijani people are true descendents of nomadic Turks and even Mongols rather than Persians. During the Mongol invasion actually Turkification of Azerbaijan took a new phase. Because, majority of the Mongolian horde were actually nomadic Turks. That's why Ilkhanate later were completely turkified. Their origin was Mongolian for sure but they simply mixed up and integrated with fellow nomadic turks who joined their horde.

[@richardque4952]

Did azerbijan support the succession movenment in iran?

[@qarapapaq1]

A very small correction: tension did not begin because Azerbaijan began to check Iranian cars traveling to Armenia, namely those cars that were heading to the separatist region of Karabakh (at that time there was no Lachin checkpoint and Azerbaijan did not control its borders). It was after this and after the visit of the populist presidential candidate in France, Mrs. Valerie Pecresse, to the occupied territories that Azerbaijan decided to set up the Lachin checkpoint and establish full control over its state border. P.S. I very much approve of your balanced position in the analysis of conflicts and the situation on the ground; these days we really lack a professional approach that is far from the propaganda cliche and line of the mainstream.

[@azeatrak21]

Thanks for Russian subtitles

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Thanks. We’re they OK? I try to add subtitles in various languages, but Google Translate can be hit and miss. French tends to be very good. So does Greek. (Two languages I know and so can get a rough idea of how accurate they are.) But someone said the Japanese subtitles on another video were really bad.

[@azeatrak21]

@@JamesKerLindsay everything is ok 👍🏽 subtitles in Russian were at a good level. I did not see grammatical errors) but my Russian is much better than English) don’t worry everything is ok 👌🏾 thank you very much

[@JamesKerLindsay]

Great. Thanks so much for letting me know. I really appreciate the feedback!