I believe that ancient artifacts belong to all humanity, so whoever is equipped best keep them safe to preserve them for us and posterity should have it.
On the same topic, I don't think that people of modern Turkey or Greece have more valid claim on the remains of Troy or Mycenae just because the people who have left these remains have one occupied the plot of land that now lies within their borders.
> Btw things like isis are a direct consequence of actions taken by the English colonialists when they created artificial boundaries
The Turks were the ones that conquered all those completely unrelated people in the first place. The British inherited their problem after World War I. But go on, I love this game of “brown people can’t have moral agency.”
Yes, the Turks also put their hands in the boiling pot, but only the British were arrogant enough to try to turn these regions into countries with neat, straight borders and also with western style governments. Which destroyed local alliances and created a massive power vacuum when the empire fell. Then, the us and Russia had a go of it, which certainly didn’t calm the situation.
Which is why china, vietnam, and korea never recovered. That good old colonialist narrative has its place, but given enough time and counter examples, it just lacks the explenation power it once had. Which is a dangerous gap the left left open, for the racist idiots to settle in.
Regarding the region.
The societal rot had already set in way before that. The whole ottoman empire was on a down trend, ever since the trade went around them. Which is a good indicator how low value was whatever they themselves had to produce and to offer.
To life in the shadow and ruins of the glorious past, it burns all men for what are they but lowcast creatures, fallen from up high..
> Which is why china, vietnam, and korea never recovered.
What does economic performance have to do with the British museums being filled with looted cultural artifacts? You could have thrown in Greece in there (EU member), but Greece also wants it's looted artifacts back.
China's case was very different as well, the majority of the population (Han Chinese) were ruled by a foreign race (Qing) that were racist towards them in 1800s. Many Han Chinese fought alongside foreign powers and they did loot a lot.
And it doesn't matter anyway, CCP rise to power and smashed everything in the name of Cultural Revolution.
Btw things like isis are a direct consequence of actions taken by the English colonialists when they created artificial boundaries.