It is no exaggeration to say that a strip of land along Syria鈥檚 northern border with Turkey is home to the most radical experiment in democracy and gender equality, not just in the Middle East, but in the whole world.
Syria
It is no exaggeration to say that a strip of land along Syria鈥檚 northern border with Turkey is home to the most radical experiment in democracy and gender equality, not just in the Middle East, but in the whole world.
The Syrian Kurds and allied communities declared their areas the 鈥淔ederation of Northern Syria and Rojava鈥 on March 17, and announced that democratic federalism is a viable alternative to the detrimental politics of both the Syrian regime and the jihadist opposition.
This picture looks like any ordinary scenery from the Koban锚 countryside. The idyllic villages and golden wheat fields with the sleepy little houses tucked away across the distance. But, it is more than that.
This is Ain Issa, an area of Tell Abyad and the frontline between the Syrian Democratic Forces (QSD) and Daesh (Islamic State).
Fighters in the Rojava-based Women's Protection Units (YPJ) militia.
Since a 鈥渃essation in hostilities鈥 in Syria's multi-sided civil war was declared on February 27, about 6000 people have been killed in the conflict.
Since a 鈥渃essation in hostilities鈥 in Syria's multi-sided civil war was declared on February 27, about 6000 people have been killed in the conflict.
This 鈥渃essation in hostilities鈥 was brokered by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), made up of the United Nations, the European Union and the Arab League and the governments of Britain, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United States.
The ISSG is co-chaired by the US and Russia.
The US government has admitted to killing 20 civilians in Iraq and Syria over five months, a death toll far below that estimated by independent observers. Washington had previously acknowledged 26 civilian casualties.
In a statement released on April 22, the US Central Command insisted that the killing of the civilians, and the injuring of 11 others, was legal.
The struggles of Kurdish women in Rojava Kurdistan (Northern Syria) became known to many people in the world during the brutal attacks of ISIS against the city of Koban锚 in September 2014.
On March 17, after a two-day meeting held in the town of Girk锚 Leg锚 (Al-Muabbada) in Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan), a Constituent Assembly established a 鈥淩ojava-Northern Syria Democratic Federal System鈥.
The Constituent Assembly was attended by 31 parties and 200 delegates representing Rojava's Koban锚, Efr卯n and Ciz卯r锚 cantons and the Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, Syriac, Armenian, Turkmen and Chechen peoples of Gir锚 Sp卯 (Tal Abyad), Shaddadi, Aleppo and Shehba regions.
A 鈥渃essation of hostilities鈥 in Syria, sponsored by the United States and Russia, came into force on February 27. Only some of the internal and foreign participants in Syria's multi-sided conflicts signed on.
The air wars that the US and Russia are waging in Syria are both officially directed against ISIS. But in reality, Russia is keen to protect its ally, the dictator Bashar al-Assad, while the US and its regional allies, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, have given money, weapons and logistical and diplomatic support to his opponents since the civil war began in 2011.
Since the Mu'l'livaaykkaal killings of 2009, the Tamil diaspora has mostly focused political efforts towards demanding justice for the inhuman crimes committed against Tamil civilians.
While such efforts have elevated international awareness of the gross human rights violations committed by the Sri Lankan military during the war, the approach has not yielded results on prosecuting the perpetrators of the international crimes.
陌lham Ehmed is Co-President of the Syrian Democratic Council, the political body with which the Syrian Democratic Forces (QSD) are affiliated, and a leading representative of the Kurdish-led Rojava Revolution in Northern Syria.
She spoke to about the QSD's recent gains and Turkey's bombardment, and threatened invasion, of Rojava.
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What is your evaluation of Turkey's recent escalated attacks on Rojava?
Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev said in an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt on February 11 that a threatened ground invasion of Syria by Western allies Turkey and possibly Saudi Arabia would lead to a 鈥渘ew world war鈥. On February 18, Hawar News Agency reported that 鈥渄ozens鈥 of Turkish armoured vehicles had advanced 200 metres across the Syrian border.
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