Full Description
Based on unprecedented access to Kurdish-governed areas of Syria, including exclusive interviews with administration officials and civilian surveys, this book sheds light on the socio-political landscape of this minority group and the various political factions vying to speak for them.
The first English-language book to capture the momentous transformations that have occurred since 2011, the authors move beyond idealized images of Rojava and the Kurdish PYD (Democratic Union Party) to provide a nuanced assessment of the Kurdish autonomous experience and the prospects for self-rule in Syria. The book draws on unparalleled field research, as well as analysis of the literature on the evolution of Kurdish politics and the Syrian war. You will understand why the PYD-led project in Syria split the Kurdish political movement and how other representative structures amongst Syria's Kurds fared. Emerging clearly are the complex range of views about pre-existing, current and future governance structures.
Contents
Maps
Note on Transliteration and Bibliographic Referencing
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
Introduction
Scope of the study:
Method and Fieldwork
Clarifications and definitions:
1 Identity and Representation I: the foundations of identity formation and representation
The demography of governance
Key influences on Kurdish identity formation
o State building and legitimacy:
o Tribal and local sub-state identities and channels of representation:
o Pan-state identity:
§ International class solidarity
§ Religion
§ Pan-state Kurdish identity
Politics and political identity
o The 1957 genealogy
o The PKK and PYD
The Effects of the Crisis on Identity
2 Kurdish Political Parties: A Comparison of Political Values
Parties of 1957 and the KNC
o The political spectrum and fragmentation
o The dominant parties of the 1957 genealogy
o The Kurdish National Council (KNC)
o KNC policy and internal divisions
o Military organisations
o Party alliances and affiliations within the Syria
The PYD
Armed forces
PYD alliances and affiliations within Syria
Cooperation and disagreement between the PYD and KNC
A Comparison of political values
o Democracy
o National and ethnic rights
o Women's rights
o The Future of Syria
3 PYD-led Governance Structures: From the DAAs to Federalism
The development of 'Democratic Autonomy': From the PYD to a federal region in under five years
Power structures and constituent parts
o Local DAA Governance
o Councils and Communes
o The economy
o The Education system
o Media
The Security of the Administrations
o The Asayish
o The YPG
o Self-Defence Forces (HXP) and Civil Defence Forces (HPC)
o Other Military forces
o Salaries
The move towards federalism
Local Obstacles to DAA control and to federalism
· Ethnic and political diversity
· KNC-PYD tensions and political opposition
A new state structure?
4 Identity and Representation II: The Democratic Autonomy Project
Direct democracy in practice
Transformations in identity and understandings of representation 2011-2016
Women's representation
A revolution in representation? Opinions about the system
5 The Role of Regional and International Actors
Intra-Kurdish power relations
Regional Relations
· Turkey
· Iraq
· The Syrian government
· Iran
International Relations
· The USA
· Russia
6 The Prospects of Kurdish Self-Representation and Self-Governance
The State context: Representation and identity
The northern Syria context
Kurdish society
Uncertainty
Bibliography
