- Joined
- Mar 11, 2013
- Messages
- 13,336
- Points
- 113
The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime has prompted a fresh power struggle in Syria. Îlham Ehmed, a foreign relations representative for the Kurdish-led autonomous region, spoke to Jacobin about Turkey’s bid to expand its control.
On December 8, Bashar al-Assad boarded a plane to Moscow. His flight marked the end of the Syrian Ba’ath Party and the end of over half a century of rule by the Assad family, who governed the country through torture and intense police surveillance. Since then, many Syrians have been searching for their abducted relatives, and mass graves have been found all over the country. It is estimated that 100,000 people have been arrested and tortured since 2013 alone; over 150,000 are still missing.
There is great joy at the end of the Assad regime, but this is also mixed with fear for the future. The country’s new rulers, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have their roots in ISIS (the so-called Islamic State) and the Al-Nusra Front. Many other groups fear that oppression and repression will now continue under a new flag. These fears are particularly strong in the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES).
A Kurdish-led, quasi-autonomous region, DAANES covers around a third of Syria’s territory and is still not officially recognized by anyone. It has advanced a unique democratic project and push for gender equality, and all positions in its autonomous administration are filled equally by men and women. But it also faces major challenges, in particular the war that Turkey has been waging against it for some years. Turkey launched its first military offensive on the ground in 2016 and has occupied the Afrîn region since 2018, as well as Serê Kaniyê and Girê Spî since 2018. Assad’s downfall has given new impetus to Turkey and the mercenaries it supports. There is currently even a threat of an attack on Kobanê, the city that more than any other symbolizes the fight against ISIS.
Îlham Ehmed is one of DAANES’s two representatives for foreign relations. Ehmed herself is Kurdish and was born in Afrîn. She has been campaigning for a democratic and pluralistic system in the region since 1990. Today she represents the self-administration on an international level and is a key figure for post-Assad Syria. In an interview with Justus Johannsen for Jacobin.de, she explains how the fall of Assad will affect the autonomous administration’s future.
On December 8, Bashar al-Assad boarded a plane to Moscow. His flight marked the end of the Syrian Ba’ath Party and the end of over half a century of rule by the Assad family, who governed the country through torture and intense police surveillance. Since then, many Syrians have been searching for their abducted relatives, and mass graves have been found all over the country. It is estimated that 100,000 people have been arrested and tortured since 2013 alone; over 150,000 are still missing.
There is great joy at the end of the Assad regime, but this is also mixed with fear for the future. The country’s new rulers, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have their roots in ISIS (the so-called Islamic State) and the Al-Nusra Front. Many other groups fear that oppression and repression will now continue under a new flag. These fears are particularly strong in the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES).
A Kurdish-led, quasi-autonomous region, DAANES covers around a third of Syria’s territory and is still not officially recognized by anyone. It has advanced a unique democratic project and push for gender equality, and all positions in its autonomous administration are filled equally by men and women. But it also faces major challenges, in particular the war that Turkey has been waging against it for some years. Turkey launched its first military offensive on the ground in 2016 and has occupied the Afrîn region since 2018, as well as Serê Kaniyê and Girê Spî since 2018. Assad’s downfall has given new impetus to Turkey and the mercenaries it supports. There is currently even a threat of an attack on Kobanê, the city that more than any other symbolizes the fight against ISIS.
Îlham Ehmed is one of DAANES’s two representatives for foreign relations. Ehmed herself is Kurdish and was born in Afrîn. She has been campaigning for a democratic and pluralistic system in the region since 1990. Today she represents the self-administration on an international level and is a key figure for post-Assad Syria. In an interview with Justus Johannsen for Jacobin.de, she explains how the fall of Assad will affect the autonomous administration’s future.
