It also aims to ensure the peaceful coexistence of different religions and ethnic groups. Dom people who adopted Kurdish language spread throughout Rojava. Another specific committee is the problem-solving committee or the committee for reconciliation. But the people involved in Kongreya Star hope not just for a better society in their own communities, but for a better society across the whole region. The creation of local industrial enterprises was long forbidden, and while the state opened two spinning mills there, most of the country's cotton was processed in Aleppo and the coastal region. A reconstruction process is starting from the land itself. Negotiations with the Syrian government, as well as diplomatic relations with international powers, are generally conducted through the SDC. 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. 6. The model is interesting for its commitment to a feminist, devolved and democratic but also a secular state, where decisions are taken weekly at general meetings in every community. The foreign relations of Rojava refers to the external relations of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). [4] Arab community is builded on tribal structure. Yet these only act as coordinators to implement the will of the communes, which remain a constant element of the bottom-up direct-democratic approach, giving everyone of all cultural identities the right to political participation in discussions, decision-making and the implementation of projects. Yezidi villages in this area were attacked by the FSA-ISIS coalition in 2013. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. There is real appetite for genuinely participative forms of government, especially from younger people. The autonomous region consists of 4 regions: Afrin, Shahba, Kobani and Jazira. Turkish-backed forces have also engaged in the looting and destruction of religious and archaeological sites of great significance. A popular delegation to the armed force demanded that they hand over their weapons but guaranteed safe passage. The agreement was meant to address Turkey's "security concerns." We stand in solidarity with Rojava, an example to the world However, the Kurds as hitherto a comparatively weak minority in the country, would not be able to induce significant changes in the absence of major transformations first taking place in the broader conditions of the Syrian security state.. All Rights Reserved. The military forces and the autonomous administration, therefore, needed to broaden their appeal to the non-Kurdish population in the heavily mixed areas. The Institute is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax-deductible. In addition, this part will cover the institutions that form the basis of this new Syrian reality. As a result of this revolution, a democratic autonomy project was proclaimed. Explainer: NGOs in North and East Syria - Rojava Information Center The confident assertiveness of young people was striking.. Parallel to the commune and council system, women have their own organizations and institutions. Each commune has an executive committee, composed of the two co-chairs and additional members from the committees working under the commune. What opportunities and risks do the people who live in NES see? The regime tried to divide the different people from each other: Syrians, Arabs, Kurds. "While we fight for the liberation of women, we also address all other forms of oppression, albeit based on grounds of gender, ethnicity, class or religion.". 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. Likewise, kidnappings, murders, and resettlements are part of everyday life for the people, as is the destruction of olive trees, which in many cases are the livelihood of many people, especially in Afrin. HRW,October 1996, Vol. Similarly, local agricultural administrations supplied fertilizers from the huge chemical plant in Homs at low cost. 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. No doubt, the Rojava Revolution has major achievements under its belt, and its importance (especially for the region, but also beyond) cannot be overstated. For this reason, only neighborhoods in which predominantly or exclusively Kurds lived were taken over by the PYD. Washington Examiner Ecology and feminism are central pillars. The two daily flights to Damascus are full of essential cargo, as are the two weekly flights to Beirut and the weekly flight to Kuwait. Kongreya Star states that so far, nine central committees of education have been established in nine different towns. Some have been planted on land that was once virtually destroyed by the war. The war has exacted a high cost on Rojava, with an estimated 11,000 fighters killed and more than 21,000 wounded from a population of an estimated 4.6 million. Women of Rojava, Kurdish Syria suffering in the shadow of war During the game, violent riots broke out between Kurds and visiting Arab spectators, with Syrian government forces coming to the aid of the latter. During the game, violent riots broke out between Kurds and visiting Arab spectators, with Syrian government forces coming to the aid of the latter. The 'Rojava Revolution' in Syrian Kurdistan: A Model of Development for the Middle East? Farmers had to take part in very strict regime-mandated production plans that excluded other crops. These difficulties have not disappeared even after ten years and will likely continue plaguing the region for the foreseeable future. Beyond Anarchy and Capital? The Geopolitics of the Rojava Revolution in The foreign relations of Rojava refers to the external relations of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). Emptied Kurdish towns and villages are being colonized by the Arabs from various parts of Syria and Turkmen from Homs and Tal Afar(Iraq).[8][9]. 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). In doing so, the cantons, consisting of their different district councils, also established their own transitional administrations. In reality, the occupation served to physically prevent the territorial connection of the Kobane and Afrin cantons. Later, some of the soldiers returned to their families across the country, while another group stayed on to prevent the city from falling into the hands of the FSA. A similar agreement was reached in the city of Heseke, which is split between Kurds and Arabs, and which also hosts a major SAA base on its outskirts. Here, again, the SDC was the highest legislative assembly and ensured the right of the people to establish democratic autonomous administrations and aimed at unifying all groups under the democratic federalism of North and East Syria. We are committed to providing journalists, researchers and the general public with accurate, well-sourced, transparent information from on the ground in the North East Syria. Foreign relations of Rojava - Wblog Wiki Khaled adds: how rich the society in North and East Syria is in terms of different groups and beliefs! Our system is not a centralized system, it is rather based on the principle of decentralization. The status of some DFNS-controlled areas such as Raqqa, Tabqa and eastern Deir ez-Zor is unclear. Democratic confederalism is an effort to build a democratic society beyond the state. Turkey, which has NATOs second-largest army, has stated unequivocally that it will not tolerate the emergence of an autonomous Kurdish region in northeastern Syria (similar to the Kurdistan region in Iraq). We encourage readers to review the Rojavan Charter of the Social Contract for inspiration. In December 2016, as Manbij was liberated and the battle for Raqqa stood before, the name was changed once again to the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria Rojava was officially dropped. For when part II? In the preambles to the social contract, the nation-state is presented as the cause of the conflicts in NES. Domination versus cooperation, colonisation versus autonomy, oppression versus freedom, patriarchy versus partnership these values are the warp and weft of the defining struggle for the future of humanity. By promoting radically democratic and decentralised self-governance, equity between genders, regenerative agriculture, a justice system based on reconciliation and inclusion of minorities, the Rojava experiment has presented a living example of possibility under the most impossible of circumstances. Another specific committee is the problem-solving committee or the committee for reconciliation the purpose of which is to solve the societal problems in the commune. Western leaders are feigning empathy while American, German and British weapon manufacturers are actively selling weapons to Turkey. US withdrawal from Syria might provide exactly the anarchic conditions in which Isis has always flourished.. It is a dynamic process of dissolving the state through the self-organization of diverse ethnocultural communities that self-organize in popular councils and communes, systematically replacing the hierarchical and patriarchal authority relations of existing states with horizontal, gender-egalitarian relations of participatory self-government. Kirkuk is dominated by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), a KRG faction that is close to Iran and Baghdad, unlike the KDP. Turkey and its allies have also weaponized water against the Kurdish regions of northern Syria by cutting and restricting water supplies. The Rojava Revolution began ten years ago in Kobane. For example, a gender balance was introduced to all structures of the administration in the area: The practice that at least 40% of all members of all institutions should be women, and the practice of co-leadership positions shared between a man and a woman in all administrative bodies, including the PYD-leadership. What the World Loses if Turkey Destroys the Syrian Kurds - The New York Some are families of fighters from Western countries that do not want them repatriated. The commune meets monthly or fortnightly and all residents are entitled to participate. This makes them a means of democratizing all social life. The right to self-determination and the prohibition of the death penalty and torture are also firmly enshrined in law. It can comprise between a few dozen to over a hundred households, depending on the degree of organization and size whether in the neighborhoods or villages. ISIS fighters were notorious for raping and enslaving thousands of Yezidi women and girls during their rapid advance through northern Iraq. For Omar, the fact that the social contract is now being amended has much to do with the fact that, not all areas in northern and eastern Syria were liberated at the same time. From Kobane, the uprising spread to other Kurdish-majority cities across northern Syria in a matter of days. The group is focused on protecting each other, resisting the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) and building an egalitarian community in the middle of a warzone. You can check these in your browser security settings. ", Working not only to "include women in the existing framework of knowledge, but rather to question and reshape this framework all together," Kongreya Star explains its strategy under five umbrellas: the organization of the communes; establishing a communal economic system; providing education; the organization of self-defense; and the development of women's sciencealso referred to as "Jineology.". The regime created a situation where the different people were in a war-situation with each other even within the groups. Decision-making is devolved to the most local level possible often the village with women and men co-chairing meetings. Nazan stnda (2016): Self-Defense as a Revolutionary Practice in Rojava, or How to Unmake the State. The organizational and territorial changes are reflected not only in the various names of the Autonomous Administration, but also in its basic legal documents. For example, trucks transporting Jazira's grain harvest to government areas had to pay a commission to Islamic State forces when passing through their territory. 19. The Afrin canton, on the other hand, remained under occupation by Turkish forces, though AANES institutions also exist in Shehba, southeast of Afrin, and in the majority-Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiye in Aleppo. Open Democracy (February 2018) Why #DefendAfrin? This is also emphasized by Berivan Khaled. Subsequent SDF-military operations successfully liberated all ISIS-held areas in eastern Syria, including cities such as Manbij in August 2016 and Raqqa in October 2017 followed by the battle for the outskirts of Deir ez-Zor as part of SDFs Al Jazeera Storm campaign. While the commune and council structure even if it is handled very differently at the local level shows relative stability, there are clear (organizational) differences and developments at the level of self-government in NES. In particular, there are still difficulties with water and energy supplies. 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. 10. They have the right to independent activities, as Berivan Khaled adds: The commune does not have to turn to higher institutions to make its decisions. 20 The only condition is that the communes decisions must not contradict the essence of the social contract (See below). 3. Both SDF and SDC are committed to the goal of a secular, democratic, and federally-structured Syria. One year later, in 2004, a city-wide uprising was sparked at a soccer match in Qamishlo. In this respect, the Autonomous Administration does not aim to proclaim a state. Through this experiment, Syrian Kurds developed a new constitution, supported by diverse interests in the region and opposed only by the Kurdish nationalists. All this means that the people in Afrin, Sere Kaniye, Tel Halaf, Tal Abyad and elsewhere cannot exercise their right to self-determination under Turkish occupation. Rojavathe Kurdish word for "west"consists of three leftist enclaves making up an area slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut, in territory dominated by ISIS. 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. (A House bombed by Turkey near Derik, February 22. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. From Kobane, the uprising spread to other Kurdish-majority cities across northern Syria in a matter of days. The 2014 Charter of the Social Contract of Rojava was reformed in 2016. 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. The regime created a situation where the different people were in a war-situation with each other even within the groups. A lack of democratic thinking is still noticeable, she said, and the authoritarian nature of Assads rule lingers in political discourse. Soon, they established the Peoples Defense Units (Yekneyn Parastina Gel; YPG), on July 20. The AANES was created to unify the various councils and cantonal administrations. The revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt were big inspirations for us. 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. [d] [2] History Ottoman Syria (1516-1920) and prior However, shortfalls also abound. [url=http://slkjfdf.net/]Inarafi[/url] Ugaaguman azn.otwq.rojavainformationcenter.com.xzt.kt http://slkjfdf.net/. On October 9th 2019, Turkey re-launched its invasion of NES under the name of Peace Spring with the help of the Syrian National Army (SNA) and other Islamist groups. Likewise, there is no uniform implementation of the community structures or day-to-day participation of the population. 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. The 2012 revolution was thus able to build on existing structures. As a result, an autonomous administration was established to manage society based on the values of (direct) democracy, gender liberation and ecology. [] All groups form a mosaic piece in our society.. After numerous ISIS military victories, the 2014/2015 battle for Kobane represented a turning point in the war. 9. 7. Several hundred Kurdish civilians were killed in the operation. Together with the secular Muslim majority, there were Alevis, Yezidis, Christians, Zoroastrians and Druze IDPs from Idlib. Mevlt avuolu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the Meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers of the 13th Islamic Summit of the OIC, 12 April 2016, stanbul", "Turkish President Erdoan slams US over YPG support", "How Can Turkey Overcome Its Foreign Policy Mess? 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. Police buildings were quickly cleansed of the emblems of the old state, and important files were confiscated. KurdishPeople.Org is a website that provides information about Kurds, Kurdish language, Kurdish culture, History and Kurdistan. The existing infrastructure (water, waste collection etc.) The federation was declared in 2012 as the Syrian war reached a crescendo and ISIS was beginning to threaten the territory. In particular, this report will focus on the subjects of the legal system, healthcare and the political economy. On average, a neighborhood council will comprise seven to thirty communes, depending on the size of the population in that area. Daily Press Briefing. The SAA and Syrian government institutions withdrew from these areas (with the exception of Qamishlo and Heseke) without firing so much as a shot. Syria's Kurds Experiment With Democracy Amid Civil War Our system is not a centralized system, it is rather based on the principle of decentralization, 20. is how Berivan Khaled sums up the importance of the communes. Finally, the second part of this report seeks to look into the future. Kurdish fears were confirmed on January 19th 2018, when Turkey launched the operation Olive Branch, as the bulk of the SDF was busy fighting ISIS in Deir ez-Zor. However, it did not deny the legitimacy of the Syrian state. All of these actions strengthened the position of the PYD-led and SDF-defended Autonomous Administration as the hegemonic political-military power in northeastern Syria. In Jazira region, there are significant minorities of Armenian and Syriac-Assyrian Christians. On March 17, an SDC assembly of Kurdish, Assyrian, Arab and Turkmen delegates proclaimed, the establishment of a federal system of government as the Democratic Federation of Rojava Northern Syria. Turkey subsequently occupied Afrin with little to no international objections. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. These social contracts have formalized the already-decentralized decision-making processes in the region and consolidated much of the legislative power of local councils. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Its core argument is that modern capitalism causes environmental destruction and ecological crises that go hand in hand with the exploitation of people. Since then, a democratic, autonomous administration has attempted to create a grassroots, gender-equal and ecological society in these areas. Berivan Khaled, too, was involved in the drafting process. Asked about the political-theoretical foundations of her work in NES, she refers directly to calans concept: The administration is based on the principle of the democratic nation, which means that the rights of all must be protected: including Kurds, Arabs, Syrians, Turkmen and Circassians, 18. that is, self-determination and a say for all communities without state paternalism. These facilities play an active role in defending, empowering, and liberating women in an attempt to break free from the patriarchal foundations of the state and conservative society. Decision number 7 of this declaration states: 'The peoples and communities living in the federal system in Rojava/Northern Syria can develop their political, economic, social, cultural, and democratic relations with whom they see fit, or share their beliefs and culture with the people and communities on a regional and international level'. Legal institutions, such as peace committees, have been introduced. The situation was similar in rural areas. Brief but ery precie information 12. 70% of the total budget in NES goes to the regions, whereas only 30% goes directly to the higher structures of AANES. This encompasses the Euphrates (the former Kobane canton, including Tel Abyad, Sarrin, and Ayn Issa), and Cizr (Jazira) Regions, as well as the local civil councils of Raqqa, Manbij, Tabqa, and Deir ez-Zor Regions.