The Kurds of Syria: Towards Self-Governance

Borain, Luke

The Kurds of Syria: Towards Self-Governance

Master Thesis

2022

Abstract

Comprehensive examinations of the self-styled Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, or AANES, are scarce not only due to the opacity of the entity's history and governance structures, but also the recency and context of its emergence as a significant actor in the Syrian civil war. This paper therefore attempts to contribute to the growing literature on the Administration, and the Syrian Kurds who are primarily responsible for its existence. Through historical and qualitative analyses, this paper describes what set of conditions facilitated the emergence of a Kurdish-led autonomous administration in northern Syria, how the unique nature of this administration's governance approach has influenced its ability to secure political and geographic security in the region, and finally, what significant factors (both regional and international) continue to either bolster its legitimacy or undermine it. What this paper finds, is that following a tumultuous history of French governance, new state formation, and years of ethnic persecution, Syrian Kurds were anxious for change. Under the pragmatic leadership of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), they were able to effect such change within the window of opportunity provided by the Arab Spring and the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, creating for themselves a de facto autonomous zone, encompassing significant territory in the north and east of the country. In the years since, through its: i) federalist approach to governance, ii) war with ISIS and the strategic partnerships this yielded, iii) clandestine arrangement with the Syrian regime, and iv) effective use of force, the PYD-led Administration has so far been able to ensure its own survival. Ultimately, the central argument offered here is that persistent aggression from Turkey in the north, a lack of formal recognition and international legitimacy, and a Syrian regime which appears increasingly capable of – in light of the ostensible easing in domestic tensions – moving to reclaim the territory it lost to the Kurds, means that the Administration's grasp on self-governance remains profoundly tenuous.

Keywords

Politics

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