Recently, much of the news focus in the Middle East has been focused on a very specific series of events: the Khashoggi killing. While this focus is entirely justified, it does still cast some very significant headlines to the sidelines. I’m going to be focusing on the important news coming out of Iraq and Kurdistan, and things related to the ongoing conflicts in those regions.
In Ankara, specifically, something happened within the past week that could determine the future of Rojava, the democratically federated region of northern Syria under the control of the Kurdish military force known as the YPG. Since the inception of the Rojavan “experiment” – as it’s sometimes referred to due to its attempt at forming a libertarian socialist federation – it has endured constant military attacks from all sides. Whether it’s the self-proclaimed Islamic State, Turkey, or the Free Syrian Army, the Kurds have largely been surrounded by hostile forces. So far, the Turkish effort to stamp out the YPG – while not hidden – has been fairly cautious in nature, due to the potential to upset powers that might favor Rojava, such as France or the US, with the largest push being Operation Euphrates Shield, which took control of a section of northwestern Syria. Now, however, the US has withdrawn significant support for the YPG, and at a meeting in Ankara last week, the French and the Russians gave Turkey the go-ahead to form a 12-mile buffer zone extending into the region. This approval could signal a bleak future for Rojava, as it implicitly condones Turkish intervention in the area.
Turkey has a vested interest in not only incapacitating the YPG, but utterly crushing it. For years, the PKK – Kurdish Workers’ Party – has promoted autonomy and secession in the southeastern regions of the Anatolian country. The victories of Kurds in Iraq have only emboldened Kurds in surrounding states, much to the chagrin of Ankara. With Rojava, however, Turkey has been presented an opportunity to demonstrate its power, and crush the idea of Kurdish nationalism both at home and abroad. If Rojava loses, the PKK will likely see devastating loss of morale and membership, as the effects of the defeat of that incredible section of the nation reverberates throughout the entire subcontinent.
Turkish advances against Rojava seem almost inevitable, given both these reasons and recent news. The future of the Kurdish nation hangs in the balance, firmly held in the hands of the fighters of the YPG.