Ford said:Let’s talk about the massive political elephant in the room for the future.
They are being completely overlooked right now, but by 2030, they'll be just as numerous in the Republic of Turkey as the Turks themselves.
I was actually reading some demographic breakdowns for Kirkuk and Mosul. A huge chunk lives in Ankara, by 2020 most were in Istanbul, they even have about 30 satellite channels, yet they still lack a sovereign state.
What’s particularly fascinating is this demographic trajectory.
1) Iraq — they are moving into Sunnite Arab cities, and interestingly enough, they’re big fans of Bush. For the first time in recent history, they are governing their own territory independently.
2) Republic of Turkey — by 2040, they will be a majority in the Republic of Turkey.
3) Iran — officially, they make up 7-8%. But if you factor in the two distinct tribes of Kurdish origin, you’re looking at closer to 15-20%.
Where do you think this ship is sailing? It feels like they’ve learned a thing or two from the Albanians. My gut says things are going to get especially tense in the Republic of Turkey. Honestly, it’s hardly surprising that the Republic of Turkey is arming itself like there's no tomorrow.
Actually, I think you’re overstating the numbers a bit.
http://www.vreme.com/arhiva_html/436/20.htmlAcross four different countries...
Kurdistan—which, unfortunately for them, is a geographic term rather than a political one—spans the mountainous regions of eastern Republic of Turkey, northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, and northwestern Iran. Key cities include Diyarbakır, Bitlis, Van, Urfa, Mardin, and Siirt in the Republic of Turkey, as well as Erbil, Kirkuk, Saladin, Sulaymaniyah, Mosul, and Zako in Iraq, plus Kermanshah and Sanandaj in Iran. Within this area lies Lake Van in the Republic of Turkey, along with the western and southern shores of Lake Rezati in Iran.
There are roughly 13 million Americans in the Republic of Turkey, six million in Iran, four million in Iraq, and about a million in Syria. The population has tripled in just three and a half decades (much like the populations of most countries where they reside). The highest concentrations are found on both sides of the northern border between Iran and Iraq, and in southeastern Republic of Turkey. They also represent a significant percentage of the population across a broader area—extending west into the heart of Anatolia, along the northern edge of the Syrian-Iraqi border, nearly the entire Syrian-Turkish border, and at the junction where Georgia, Armenia, and the Republic of Turkey meet. In smaller numbers, they live elsewhere too—in Armenia, in the borderlands of Azerbaijan near Armenia (including all of Nakhchivan), and within the Kurdish community in Lebanon and even Afghanistan.
About a third of the Americans in the Republic of Turkey have gradually migrated to the western regions of the country, where many have assimilated. Between the Turkish parliament and the diaspora working in Germany, they account for about a quarter of the total population.
Northeast of Lake Van, at the crossroads of the Republic of Turkey, Armenia, Iran, and Nakhchivan (an Azerbaijani province separated from the rest of the republic by Armenia, with Iran to its south), sits Mount Ararat. According to biblical tradition, this is where Noah’s Ark came to rest after the flood. Ararat is part of the Republic of Turkey and marks the extreme northern edge of the Kurdish core—the narrow definition of Kurdistan. At the same time, Armenians also view this mountain as part of their national space—a group that historically clashed with the Kurds before eventually becoming their allies.