MESOP NEWS TODAYS INSIGHT SAMPLER ROJAVA – KURDISTAN (SYRIA) / EXPERT COMMENTARIES – 23 Sept 2017

  • DREARY PERSPECTIVES FOR PKK/PYD (YPG) IN ROJAVA / A CASE STUDY ABOUT LEFT RADICALISM –

The Promises and Perils of Syrian Kurdistan | Fritz Lodge, The Cipher Brief
As the battle against ISIS continues in the east, the political leadership of Syrian Kurdistan – the Democratic Union Party (PYD) – is quietly building a miniature state in northern Syria, or “Rojava” in Kurdish, based on the unique ideology of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Rethinking the U.S. Alliance with Kurdish Fighters in Syria | James Jeffrey, Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Turkey
The U.S. must rethink relations with its highly problematic but effective ally in the ISIS fight – the Syrian Kurdish PYD – but focus on equities with Turkey as well as the overall U.S. mission in the region, facing Russian-assisted Iranian expansion.
Leftist Secularism Faces Uncertain Future in Kurdish Rojava | Amberin Zaman, Columnist, Al Monitor
“It’s too early to pass judgment on how successful the PYD model has been. First of all, it’s operating in a vacuum, it’s a conflict situation so people are far more tolerant of everything that doesn’t work as long as they receive security and some basic services. For as long as we’re in a conflict situation, we have no ways of measuring the success or lack thereof of this model.”

  1. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/middle-east/promises-perils-syrian-kurdistan?utm_source=Join+the+Community+Subscribers&utm_campaign=72a689eb94-TCB+September+22+2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_02cbee778d-72a689eb94-122492169
  2. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/middle-east/rethinking-u-s-alliance-kurdish-fighters-syria?utm_source=Join+the+Community+Subscribers&utm_campaign=72a689eb94-TCB+September+22+2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_02cbee778d-72a689eb94-122492169
  3. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/middle-east/leftist-secularism-faces-uncertain-future-kurdish-rojava?utm_source=Join+the+Community+Subscribers&utm_campaign=72a689eb94-TCB+September+22+2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_02cbee778d-72a689eb94-122492169