Louis Proyect claims that "the Kurds" were "helping Assad gain control of his country". In reality, they were trying to build a democratic alternative to both the Assad regime and reactionary sections of the rebel movement.
It is true that the PYD, which led the Rojava revolution in July 2012, tried as far as possible to avoid military confrontations with the Assad regime. This policy has been continued by the broader leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces. But clashes have occurred from time to time, including in the past week or two. I believe that one reason for the PYD's policy of trying to avoid military conflict with the Assad regime was that they saw little prospect of overthrowing it by military force. Another was that they were not sure that, even if Assad was overthrown, the new regime would be better. The PYD did not trust the Turkish-backed rebel groups. Turkey had a history of oppressing its own Kurdish population, so the Kurds were fearful of Turkish intervention in Syria. They did not want the Assad regime to be replaced by a Turkish-backed regime that might be religiously oppressive and sectarian as well as hostile to Kurdish autonomy. They were also skeptical of the prospects for a rebel military victory. Assad had a base of support amongst Syria's religious minorities, who would fight to defend his regime. He also had external support from Russia and Iran. Without a change in one or both of these conditions, there was little likelihood of a rebel victory. The PYD therefore adopted a position of remaining separate from both the Assad regime and the Turkish-backed rebels. They hoped that Rojava would set an example of democracy, women's rights and religious and ethnic inclusion that would attract people elsewhere in Syria, including the religious minorities who saw Assad as a lesser evil. The existence of a progressive alternative might encourage the minorities to break with Assad. If this happened, the example of democracy in Rojava would give a boost to the struggle for democracy in the country as a whole. Rojava came under attack from various Turkish-backed groups, and eventually from the Turkish army, which invaded Afrin in January 2018 and then a strip of land between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain in northeastern Syria in October 2019. Turkey and its proxies have continued to harass the areas of northern and eastern Syria remaining under the control of the Autonomous Administration with artillery bombardments and other attacks. The Assad regime is also hostile and often imposes restrictions on goods, including food and medical supplies, going into areas of northern and eastern Syria controlled by the Autonomous Administration. Of course, it is difficult to build a democratic society under conditions of war and blockade. But the attempt to do so should be supported. Chris Slee ________________________________ From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Louis Proyect <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, 17 February 2021 7:20 AM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [marxmail] Kneel and Starve: Under the Watchful Eye of the Secret Police, Syrians Go Hungry - Newlines Institute On 2/16/21 3:04 PM, Roger Kulp wrote: How many bases does the US have in their country anyway? Fifteen or so if I recall correctly. Yeah, and most of them to support the Kurds who were helping Assad gain control of his country. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#6702): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/6702 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/80630195/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
