Link to Article: https://apnews.com/article/syria-aleppo-sdf-kurds-deir-hafer-us-d287ef2425bee41d485ee99f4d61a70f
A U.S. military delegation arrived in a contested area of Northern Syria following rising tensions between the Syrian government and a Kurdish-led force that controls much of the northeast. Earlier that day, many people carrying their belongings arrived in government-held areas in northern Syria ahead of a possible offensive by Syrian troops. Many of the civilians who fled were seen using side roads to reach government-held areas because the highway was blocked by a checkpoint in the town of Deir Hafer, which is normally controlled by the Kurdish-led and U.S. backed Syrian Democratic forces. There have been limited exchanges of fire between the two sides.
This article connects to one of my previous blogs, which was the blog about the Kurdish separatist groups. This article states that the checkpoint in Deir Hafer is normally controlled by a Kurdish led organization. This shows the Kurdish groups are all throughout the Middle East. This also demonstrates how the tensions between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led force could have lasting impacts on the region. If the group from Iran and the group in Syria were to connect, then they may settle somewhere in the region.
The main stakeholders in this article are the Syrian government, the Syrian Democratic forces, and the Syrian citizens. The article says that there have been limited exchanges of fire between the two sides, but this could still affect the citizens. As I am writing this, the Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, said that the Kurdish forces must lay down their arms and disband. There has also been a 4-day ceasefire. I do not think that this ceasefire will last. Either the Syrian government of the Kurdish group will rekindle it.
This article connects to the IB Global Politics themes and concepts of Peace and Conflict, Power, Human Rights, and Security. For the Syrian government, the Syrian Democratic forces are limiting the security within the country. But for the citizens, the Syrian Democratic forces are protecting and helping them. I think that there should be groups like this in a country that is unstable. This also connects to peace and conflict because of the fire that has been exchanged between the two groups. The cease-fire is aiming for peace, but I think that it is important to think about the safety of the citizens. Many citizens are in need of aid, or are displaced from their homes. This means that the country is unstable when it comes to Human Rights.