Twilight of Rojava?

About this episode

Bill Weinberg discusses the implications of a new ceasefire in northeast Syria and the ongoing tensions between Kurdish aspirations for autonomy and the Syrian government's demands for centralization.

A last-minute "permanent ceasefire" may mean that northeast Syria is back from the brink of Arab-Kurdish ethnic war. But ceasefires have repeatedly broken down since fighting resumed earlier this year, with Damascus demanding disbandment of the Rojava autonomous zone, and the integration of its institutions—including its military wing, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—into the central government. While the new pact sets a more "gradual" pace for this integration, the Kurdish aspiration to regional autonomy and the central government's insistence on centralization may prove a long-term obstacle to peace. In Episode 315 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg weighs the odds for avoiding a conflict that holds the potential for escalation to genocide, with the connivance of the Great Powers that so recently backed the SDF to fight ISIS. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/countervortex Production by Chris Rywalt We ask listeners to donate just $1 per weekly podcast via Patreon -- or $2 for our new special offer! We now have 61 subscribers. If you appreciate our work, please become Number 62!

People in this episode

Host: Bill Weinberg

Topics covered

• Rojava
• Syria
• Kurdish autonomy
• ethnic conflict
• ceasefire

Keywords

• SDF
• genocide
• Great Powers
• Arab-Kurdish conflict

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Syria, Damascus, Rojava

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