I think this is useful more than just actual Europeans.
I'm an American, and my wife and I have been looking at "Made in…" labels on our products for decades. Not as a geopolitical protest; just as routine intellectual curiosity.
Over the last five years or so, we've noticed a significant shift in the locations listed on the things we buy. A lot of what we buy used to read "Made in China" (and before that shift, "Made in Mexico") but these days more and more of it is from Europe.
Sometimes it's the vague "Made in the EU," which I assume means Turkey or Romania or some other less-fashionable quarter. But increasingly, it's France and Switzerland, and the U.K.
(My personal, completely unscientific guess is that the next shift in manufacturing will be to Africa. Lots of cheap labor close to raw materials and access to both hemispheres by sea.)
They started the process to join the EU, but political ideals have since shifted and I don't think they'll ever join the EU with the way things are going now. Even if Turkey changes their mind, I don't think most of Europe would still want them in in the state they're in right now.
"Return" to whom. Byzantium was never "European", it was shunned at its time by entire Europe - by both the Catholic Mediterranean parts and the Germanic parts. The Romaioi (as the Byzantines called themselves) turned into Ottoman Rums as the empire was a multi-cultural, multi-national empire united under the banner of Ottoman-ness. The uncle of the fallen emperor, who was next in line for being the Byzantine emperor after the fall of his nephew was made the "Grand Beg" (akin to viceroy) of the entire Ottoman Balkans after the fall of Constantinople. He governed lands far bigger than what his ancestors governed even ~200 years ago. A lot of Mehmed I's begs were ex-Byzantines who were still Christian, and, well Byzantine. Except they wore Ottoman turbans now - and most of them just didn't and kept wearing Byzantine attire.
So its like what some historians say: The fall of Constantinople was mostly a change of hats.
I'm an American, and my wife and I have been looking at "Made in…" labels on our products for decades. Not as a geopolitical protest; just as routine intellectual curiosity.
Over the last five years or so, we've noticed a significant shift in the locations listed on the things we buy. A lot of what we buy used to read "Made in China" (and before that shift, "Made in Mexico") but these days more and more of it is from Europe.
Sometimes it's the vague "Made in the EU," which I assume means Turkey or Romania or some other less-fashionable quarter. But increasingly, it's France and Switzerland, and the U.K.
(My personal, completely unscientific guess is that the next shift in manufacturing will be to Africa. Lots of cheap labor close to raw materials and access to both hemispheres by sea.)