Make is an extremely successful holdout from the crusades. Its borders protected by fortresses that have held out against one-hundred-to-one odds on multiple occasions. A system of trenches, walls and fortifications have grown to completely enclose its border over the centuries.
Well, how about this to start with - the Maronite Christians decisively win Lebanese Civil War and the Gemayel clan, as leaders of the Lebanese Phalange and by extension the Lebanese Front which functioned as an umbrella for the Christian paramilitaries, manages to consolidate power after Bachir Gemayel, their most competent leader (and also one of their most brutal), avoids assassination in 1982. Gemayel turns Lebanon into a Christian military dictatorship with a paper-thin democratic veneer, pushes the Lebanese people to identify as latter-day Phoenicians rather than Arabs, and probably makes peace with Israel if given the opportunity to do so during or after the Oslo Accords (if they aren't butterflied away of course).'AHC: Lebanon as a Middle Eastern Christian homeland similar to Israel for the Jews'
Apparently the Middle East still had huge numbers of Christians (albeit generally as minorities) in the early 20th century:
How do we get these Christians to move to Lebanon en masse?
Re: Iraqi Christians, sure, I don't see why not.
Yes, the Druze were bitter foes of the Phalange/Lebanese Front. Furthermore they were generally aligned with the Soviets & Palestinians, further placing them in opposition to the generally strongly anti-Communist Christian factions, and proud of being Arabs - they would have wanted no part in the Phoenicianism the Phalange were pushing.
Maybe, but I consider it unlikely if the Assads are still leading the Alawites. The Gemayels won't be forgetting Syrian meddling in Lebanon and efforts to undermine them (so as to reduce Lebanon into a Syrian satellite, or absorb it altogether even) anytime soon.
Then they'll be more amenable to such a scheme, I'd imagine. The question is, who could replace the Assads?
en.wikipedia.org
foreignpolicy.com
There are votes for war with Japan and Hitler declared war on America as an ally of Japan. The UK government knows about the American nuclear program since they let theirs be folded into it. If the UK and US governments agree to wait on nukes before landing in continental Europe in the absence of Russia only Japan surrendering before the nukes are ready or Germany coming out with a peace proposal better than they think they can get after using nuclear weapons can prevent that. The former is ASB territory. The latter might be possible, but as untrustworthy as Hitler has been in his dealings with everyone outside the Axis I can't imagine it not involving a coup before the peace offer is made.
Seems extremely unsustainable and difficult to impossible for the Greeks to keep afloat unless their victory over Turkey basically permanently destroys the latter as a nation altogether (like, 'Cappadocian Greek puppet state exists/Cappadocia is now part of Greece' levels of 'devastating victory'). The Pontine Greeks are probably safest with a surviving, Entente-backed Wilsonian Armenia or Democratic Republic of Georgia (who also have interests in the Trabzon area due to the significant Laz minority there).
Crimea and Constantinople seem reasonable enough, although if Russia has been weakened to the point of losing Ukraine & Georgia, I think it's far likelier that they'll have to share control of the international administration over a 'free city of Constantinople' with Britain, who'd have the power to say 'lol nope' to a Russian Constantinople. I can't see a Ukraine strong enough to break free from Russian rule not also being strong enough to hold on to Odessa though, and Pontus would still be safest and likeliest with the independent Georgia I think, unless this hypothetical Russia (a surviving Russian Republic or State?) also somehow finds Wilsonian Armenia in their possession.Fun fact: Northeastern Turkey still had sizable Laz minorities even in the mid-20th century. Here's 1965 data for this:
But Yeah, either Armenia, or Georgia, or, if Russia avoids permanently going Red, Russia would be necessary protectors for Pontus to permanently avoid Turkish rule. Interestingly enough, I was actually thinking about the idea of a non-Communist Russia losing Ukraine and Georgia but still keeping Crimea, Odessa, Pontus, and Constantinople as Russian exclaves. Would that actually be realistic?
