rojava syria relations

"A flower protects itself with thorns; a chameleon changes color according its environment; a turtle can retract inside its shell. Moreover, the province had no textile sector to speak of, while its agro-food industry was limited to a few artisanal dairies and flour mills for local needs. As of 2018, the SDF controlled about 25 percent of Syria, including territory along the border with Turkey east of the Euphrates River, as well as Syrias richest oil and gas fields. The US, the UK, France, Russia and other alleged superpowers are actively betraying both international law and the Geneva convention by allowing and facilitating the ethnic cleansing and occupation of Rojava. In practice, this means the implementation of a decentralized, grassroots approach in the form of a council democracy that puts communes, the smallest unit in the system, at the center and allows them to act autonomously. In doing so, the cantons, consisting of their different district councils, also established their own transitional administrations. Turkey and its allies have also weaponized water against the Kurdish regions of northern Syria by cutting and restricting water supplies. The AANES, consisting of three regions (Afrin, Euphrates and Jazira), was formed in early 2014 in the context of the Syrian Civil War, a conflict that has caused the involvement of many different countries and international organizations in the area. We may request cookies to be set on your device. There are also Turkmen, Caucasian (predominantly Chechen), Syriac-Assyrian, Armenian and Dom minorities. Although DFNS administration has some foreign relations at some level, so far no state recognized DFNS as an autonomous region. The foreign relations of Rojava refers to the external relations of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). Open Democracy (February 2018) Why #DefendAfrin? Turkey then announced its intention to capture Manbij and Tel Rifaat next a threat Turkey is currently repeating. A basic principle of our contract is to be flexible and adaptable, not all areas in northern and eastern Syria were liberated at the same time. Negotiations with the Syrian government, as well as diplomatic relations with international powers, are generally conducted through the SDC. In turn, they educate the women in their respective communes. The group first came to prominence as Peoples Defence Units (YPG) struggling against great odds and attempts by ISIS to erode their territory, alongside a unique 25,000-strong army of women (YPJ). 9. These are supposed to spread from below and can also emerge within the framework of factories and civil society organizations. The organization dedicates a large section of the report to self-defense. At the moment, however, these ideas can only be implemented on a small scale in Rojava, so Kurdish authorities likely feel compelled to open up their territory in order export their raw materials and trade for manufactured products. Beheadings, rapes, lootings, forced conversions. Kurds rushed to create their ideal Ocalan-inspired society. Kurdish Afrin is currently occupied by Turkey and its proxies. . Legal institutions, such as peace committees, have been introduced. Moreover, KDP president Masoud Barzani and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan both oppose any strategic axis that opens Rojava up to the outside world and reinforces its geopolitical importance for Iran. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Wladimir Wilgenburg, Mario Fumerton (2022): From the PYD-YPG to the SDF: the Consolidation of Power in Kurdish-controlled Northeast Syria. London: Pluto; Michael Knapp, Joost Jongerden (2016): Communal Democracy: The Social Contract and Confederalism in Rojava. In addition, the administration had its own civil servants that provided rudimentary government-like services. Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria - Detailed Pedia 2018, the SDC adopted the current official name for the region, renaming it the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), sometimes translated as the Self-Government of North and East Syria. Northern Syria has a diverse population. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. Is This the End of Rojava? | The Nation In theory, every village should have at least one Womens House. Qamishlo and Hasakah has sizable Christian minorities. On the same day, members of the PYD raised the flag of Kurdistan (Alaya Rengn) alongside the flag of the PKK on all government buildings in the newly liberated cities. [], [] this occupation, Rojava has managed to persist with its democratic project into 2022. November 7, 2016", "US Gen. Townsend rebuffs Turkish reporter with 'political agenda' against SDF", "Syrian Kurds apply to set up mission in Washington", "Rojava university seeks to eliminate constraints on education in Syria's Kurdish region", "L'crivain Patrice Franceschi veut crer un centre culturel au Kurdistan syrien", "Kurds plan to set up French institute in Syria", "Russia to train Kurdish forces at north Syria base", "Russia strikes deal with Syrian Kurds to set up base", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Foreign_relations_of_Rojava&oldid=1155020300, Politics of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 16 May 2023, at 04:33. It is quite difficult to get good research done on the political theory and praxis of the peoples of Rojava. RIC offered a longer-form description of NES political model as it was in late 2019. The main instigator has been the underground political party the Democratic Union Party PYD, which withdrew from its coalition with the Kurdish National Council in 2013 to draw up the current Rojava constitution, adopted in 2014. Furthermore, it hosted a major SAA base. On top of this, Rojava cares for some 74,000 refugees who have fled the fighting in both Syria and Iraq at the huge al-Hawl camp. is how Berivan Khaled sums up the importance of the communes. With the help of US air support, the YPG/YPJ and its allies fought back for over five gruelling months, eventually driving ISIS out of a Kobane reduced to rubble. Critically examining the PKKs nationalist and Marxist-Leninist past and creatively appropriating, in particular, the writings of American social theorist Murray Bookchin, calan defines democratic confederalism as democracy without a state., It is the federation of different ethnic, cultural, religious, intellectual, and economic communities that can autonomously configure and express themselves as a political unit., calan describes his concept as being open towards other political groups and factions. Prior to the military operations in Manbij and in Raqqa, civil councils were established in these cities, in which non-Kurdish groups participated, to establish stronger connections with civil society. In Syria, war and political upheaval created a power vacuum in the north. Congrats! Syria's Kurds Experiment With Democracy Amid Civil War 16 These include war crimes such as looting and hostage-taking, appropriation of property and use of civilian homes for military purposes, interrogation of Kurds about their faith and ethnicity by Turkish officials, denial of food or water to Kurdish prisoners, and the forced displacement of civilians of primarily Kurdish origin from the areas of Afrin, Sere Kaniye, and Tal Abyad that are under effective Turkish control. [98], YPG spokesman Redur Xelil stated on 20 March 2017 that Russia will train Kurdish fighters under an agreement in which it will also set up a military base near Afrin. Interview with Amina Omar (April 22th 2022). Appreciate yur haring this one. Currently, in mid-2022, the contract is again being discussed and revised. ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov acknowledged Friday that Damascus does not seek talks with the Kurdish administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) because of the . This has led to a lack of interest (by media as well as on the political level) in the developments in NES. And it is not over. Currently, in mid-2022, the contract is again being discussed and revised. More and more, we saw that our people were the most in need of a change and a revolution. Before her current position, she was active in the womens organization Kongreya Star. For when part II? The Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, to give its contemporary name, regards itself as a model for a new devolved Syrian constitution after the war is over. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. Basndose en los principios de la lucha de liberacin kurda, los habitantes de la NES se [], [] & https://rojavainformationcenter.com/2022/07/10-years-of-the-rojava-revolution-much-achieved-still-mu%5B18%5DCornelius Castoriadis:Democracy and Relativism( , 2013), [], [] becoming deeply unpopular throughout Syria. From Haiti to Lebanon, from Chile to Iraq, from Cameroon to the US, from the UK to Hong Kong, social revolutions are confronting the rise of fascism, short-termism, greed, climate destruction and warfare that are required to prop up our existing economic paradigm. The sobering lesson realized by the Syrian Kurds in the aftermath of the violent crackdown on the Qamishlo uprising was that they needed to form their own armed defence units. 10. Euphrates Region is religiously most homogeneous part of DFNS. However, it did not deny the legitimacy of the Syrian state. Civil Defense committees were established and tasked with ensuring the security of the Kurdish-majority regions. During the turmoil of the civil war, on the night of July 18th 2012, armed Syrian Kurds took control of the roads leading into and out of the city of Kobane, in northern Syria. ", "The Rise of Jaysh al-Fateh in Northern Syria", "Senior Western official: Links between Turkey and ISIS are now 'undeniable', "Turkey accused of shelling Kurdish-held village in Syria", "Turkey strikes Kurdish city of Afrin northern Syria, civilian casualties reported", "Turkey's Syria Intervention: A Sign of Weakness Not Strength", "US backing ensures Arab-Kurd alliance in Syria will survive", "Statement by SASC Chairman John McCain on Turkish Government Attacks on Syrian Kurds", "The Tin-Foil Hats Are Out in Turkey. No doubt, the Rojava Revolution has major achievements under its belt, and its importance (especially for the region, but also beyond) cannot be overstated. Since then, a democratic, autonomous administration has attempted to create a grassroots, gender-equal and ecological society in these areas. In addition to Arabic speaking ones, some Kurds in North Aleppo near Turkish border speak Turkish rather than Kurdish. Since courts and punishment are seen to represent the coercive dominance of the state, such institutions had been replaced by a kind of community justice, where social peace, and not punishment, is the objective. The PYD-led administration also paid the salaries of all YPG fighters and thus provided a valuable source of income for a large part of the population during a time of economic hardship. As the imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah calan writes: The real power of capitalist modernity isnt its money and its weapons, [but] its ability to suffocate all utopias [] with its liberalism.. To solidify the anti-ISIS coalition and attract a broader alliance, in October 2015, at the behest of its US ally, the YPG/YPJ and its allies established the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a multi-ethnic coalition of militias. Before the revolution we lived like slaves. As a project, democratic confederalism functions through these units: the communes, the neighborhood, the (sub-)districts, and the regions. The citys downtown, the border crossing to Turkey, a major base to the north, and the citys airport remained firmly in the governments hands. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. However, it did not deny the legitimacy of the Syrian state. [16], By 2017, Turkish deterrence against international civil society engagement in the autonomous region has been breaking down. It also rejects the capitalist system and seeks to promote the philosophy of Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), who has long advocated more Marxist-leaning policies. As women have historically been the first group dominated in any society, we believe that women's liberation is a central pillar in tackling all structures of oppression. Qamishlo, in particular, proved to be a point of contention. However, Pervin Yusif also highlights that clandestine self-organization and political structures existed among the Kurdish population in Syria before the revolution. The SDFs territorial gains progressively helped the AANES to expand and consolidate its political-military power as a federal system throughout this multi-ethnical and multi-cultural region. The Guardian (2014) Why is the world ignoring the revolutionary Kurds in Syria. The only condition is that the communes decisions must not contradict the essence of the social contract (See below). Though the Rojava Revolution started as a Kurdish revolt against central state erasure, it has grown beyond this horizon, transforming its organizational structure as well as its names, which is why a holistic description of the system remains out of reach. At least one session of the drafting committee was also cancelled due to ISIS attack on Sinaa prison in January 2022. Western Syria needs the cotton, wheat, and oil produced in Rojava's easternmost Jazira canton, while the Kurds need to export their raw materials and import manufactured goods. Before Turkish invasion, Afrin used to export olive-products such as olive oil, soap etc. Decisions are made through the cooperation of citizens and the Administration, and opinions are sought in a democratic manner. Thousands of civilians have been forced to flee either to Iraqi Kurdistan or Turkey. The confident assertiveness of young people was striking.. This was the most important thing. In particular, this report will focus on the subjects of the legal system, healthcare and the political economy. also had to be maintained. For example, the Union of Kurdish Youth Coordination Committees took the lead in the protest movement across Kurdish cities, reaching out to youth groups in the cities of Damascus and Homs in order to unify their political demands. The Washington Institute seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them. These consensus-based bodies are responsible for resolving conflicts and have largely replaced the hierarchical court system common in Western societies. "Working throughout Rojava and Syria, Kongreya Star aims to be an example for the entire Middle East and to realize the women's liberation revolution across the entire region. I kept looking for a hierarchy, the singular leader, or signs of a government line, when, in fact, there was none; there were just groups. Many international organizations had given a helping hand as well as sending them special medical equipment, UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders in particular. Democratic Autonomy and Womens Liberation in Syrian Kurdistan. Syriac-Assyrian Christians are concentrated in Jazira Region. Pervin Yusif, currently the Co-Chair of Qamishlo, spoke to RIC about her experience. An estimated 4.6 million people live in Rojava and the economy has been successful enough for one Rojava leader to claim that they were earning about 55% of Syrian GDP. Tauris, pp. Report by the Free Burma Rangers. So, we organized ourselves in a struggle for freedom, for our identity and to be able to speak our own language. century, some of these Kurdish people in Greater Syria (also named Bilad al-Sham) kept their Kurdish culture and their relations with Kurds in other parts of Kurdistan. We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Of course, we cant say that such an agreement is 100 percent perfect, but in principle it is widely accepted.. You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. Country-data.com 6. It is flexible, multicultural, anti-monopolistic, and consensus-oriented. A basic principle of our contract is to be flexible and adaptable, says Amina Omar, co-chair of the SDC. A briefer description should suffice here. 12. Officially, Ankara described the operation as directed against terrorist forces on its borders, though Turkey had been coexisting with ISIS on its border for years. It might be possible to see the fraught and hurried creation of Rojava as a response to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism which their Kurdish army managed to hold at bay. From Kobane, the uprising spread to other Kurdish-majority cities across northern Syria in a matter of days. Here, he was particularly influenced by the American writer and political thinker Murray Bookchin, who believed passionately in freedom and a return to true democracy at the local level. A Syrian Kurdish woman waves the flag of the Democratic Union Party during a demonstration near the town of Tel Arqam near the Turkish border on 6 October 2019. most important ally to the west in the region, radically democratic and decentralised self-governance, a justice system based on reconciliation and inclusion of minorities, British weapon manufacturers are actively selling weapons to Turkey. Rojava and the Syrian government have been negotiating, but it would appear unlikely that the Syrian government would agree to self-government for a liberated zone and to recognise an independent armed force (the SDF) as legitimate. Democratic confederalism is therefore both a political line and a radical but also pragmatic alternative to nationalist solutions. The purpose of the SDC is to work towards a democratic confederal Syria through conversations, consensus building and diplomacy. The only caveats were the major cities of Qamishlo and Heseke, in the Jazeera region (then the Heseke Governorate). Unbeknownst to most attendees, they had been witnesses to the birth of the Rojava Revolution. This is also emphasized by Berivan Khaled. Daily Press Briefing. The battle was the first decisive defeat of ISIS and led to its withdrawal from the region. (YPG fighters during the Operation Wrath of Euphrates, near Raqqa), During this period, as the three autonomous regions established themselves and developed their institutions, a growing ISIS posed the greatest threat to Rojavas democratic project. https://i0.wp.com/rojavainformationcenter.com/storage/2022/07/DSCF5160-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1710&ssl=1, https://rojavainformationcenter.com/storage/2022/06/RIC-logo-300x300.png, The Rojava Revolution A Decade On (Part I). In 2003, the PYD was founded as the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, which had operated from Syria and Lebanon until 1998. These changes are indicative of the increasingly multi-ethnic composition of the population and a move away from Kurdish designations, such as Rojava an effect due in large part to the territorial changes that have taken place in recent years as a result of the ongoing war against ISIS. Syrian state control over the region vanished in July 2012. Today, the PYD advocates a self-sufficient economy to liberate itself from unequal relations with Damascus. In addition, two social contracts akin to a local constitution were adopted in 2014 and 2016, as the product of a collaborative social process during which collective discussions determined which topics would be included. Our system is not a centralized system, it is rather based on the principle of decentralization. However, as it is presented at peoples assemblies across NES, the new social contract could still be amended before it is finally ratified by the Executive Council. ROJAVA STILL BELONGS TO SYRIA'S ECONOMIC SPACE. Kurdish fears were confirmed on January 19. The PYD takeover of Hasaka province in 2012, as well as the breakdown of territorial continuity with the regime zone when rebels seized the Euphrates Valley, completely disorganized the local economy. Rojava is a garrison state, under siege on a daily basis, militarily, economically, and diplomatically. David Graeber (2018): Majority Report with David Graeber on Democratic Confederalism in Northern Syria. Women of Rojava, Kurdish Syria suffering in the shadow of war Turkeys occupation of Rojava, which is a violation of international law, has been well-documented. What is important for me to say is that our revolution was not just a change of the system. We built up all the other institutions where people could come together and have a shared common space, and ensure all other works, on that basis.9. Bombings and the burning of fields is common. Concurrently, civilians in the city besieged and captured all state institutions in the city. Theoretically, Rojava could then become an Iranian transit route between Iraq, western Syria, and even the Mediterranean coast, at least once U.S. forces leave eastern Syria. Kobane an Eco Challenge for Humanity. Public salaries and pensions from Damascus have also arrived by plane. Perspectives for Peacebuilding in Syria: the Democratic Process in Rojava In spite of the powerful opposition of the Turkish government, it took two years from the withdrawal of the Syrian army when YPG militia began to successfully protect enclaves of Kurdish inhabitants, to the adoption of a new democratic constitution in 2014. The situation was similar in rural areas. A first version of the constitution of the Autonomous Administration, the so-called social contract, was accepted by the cantons and enacted in 2014; on three separate days, each canton issued its own declaration of democratic autonomy. The constitution maintains a commitment to private property, but Syrian Kurds are seeking to develop a social economy, in which co-operatives form the basis of the economic system. We could not build our own houses and we could not send our children to schools to learn their own language. RIC is following the development of the draft and will release a more thorough explanation in time with its ratification. Despite being located deep within Rojava, Qamishli Airport is still under the Syrian army's control. Abdullah calan, leader of the banned Kudish independence party (PKK), is seen by Kurds in Syria, as well as those in Turkey, as the leader of Kurdish liberation. REVEALING ROJAVA'S RELATIONS WITH DAMASCUS. The AANES was guided by an ideology propagated by Abdullah calan and his supporters namely, that of the democratic nation defined by the construction of local community structures, the forging of multi-ethnic cooperation, the promotion and inclusion of women in organizational structures at all levels, the rejection of centralized and hierarchical societal structures, and ideological flexibility for such cross-ethnic cooperation. In 2011, in order to establish this democratic self-administration together with the constitution of the first communes and councils throughout Rojava the PYD established an organization that aimed to advance and cement the new ideas of autonomy and democracy in society: the Movement for a Democratic Society (Tevgera Civaka Demokratk; TEV-DEM). Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. Later the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) was founded and elected on December 10th 2015. In the frame of this kind of self-administration an alternative economy will become necessary.. Although the latest developments will facilitate the circulation of goods between Afrin and the rest of Rojava, any such movement is still subject to the regime's goodwill. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. The revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt were big inspirations for us. The regime created a situation where the different people were in a war-situation with each other even within the groups. Concurrently, communes and councils did not exist in all cities or districts. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. Kurds against themselves, Kurds against Arabs. These councils served as a model and basis for the commune and council movement in northern Syria. This makes them a means of democratizing all social life. Hassan Hassan (2017): The Battle for Raqqa and the Challenges after Liberation. Accordingly, if the United States and its allies hope to prevent Tehran from establishing such a corridor, they will need to reinforce their own influence in Syrian Kurdish areas. It also mandates, among other executive council bodies, a Body of Foreign Relations. Although this is not the shortest potential westward route for Iran, it would have the advantage of circumventing Islamic State strongholds along the Syria-Iraq border, where the terrorists are likely to take refuge after being expelled from Raqqa and Mosul. As a result of these policies, Hasaka came to resemble an internal colony forced to feed western Syria with raw materials. It borders Iraqi Kurdistan to the east, Iraq to the southeast, Northern Kurdistan (Bakur) to the north, Hatay to the west and the rest of Syria to the south. Making such communities work in more and more places, by regenerating ecosystems, healing our collective trauma and creating social structures of solidarity and trust, is the transformational work of our times. We were oppressed by the regime. The Kurdish Movement and the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria A reconstruction process is starting from the land itself. Experiences vary widely, from impeccably-functioning communes, with regular meetings and a working council structure, to less active communes with unclear responsibilities, opening hours and missing structures. The Rojava Revolution began ten years ago in Kobane. A popular delegation to the armed force demanded that they hand over their weapons but guaranteed safe passage. Armenians can be found in every part of Rojava although their number is small. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. See: UNHCR chart for the latest figures at https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/syria/location/5. Though the Rojava Revolution started as a Kurdish revolt against central state erasure, it has grown beyond this horizon, transforming its organizational structure as well as its names, which is why a holistic description of the system remains out of reach.

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