The Annihilation of Rojava
A US withdrawal from Syria that cleared the way for the destruction of the Kurds’ radical democratic experiment would not serve the cause of peace — and it would not be a blow to US imperialism.
Kurdish troops from the Syrian Democratic Forces stand in a forward operating base overlooking the front line on November 10, 2015 in the autonomous region of Rojava, Syria. (John Moore / Getty Images)
In late September, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told the United Nations General Assembly: “Our intention is to establish a peace corridor with a depth of 30 kilometers and a length of 480 kilometers in Syria so that the international community can settle two million Syrians here.” On Monday, with Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States may withdraw troops from Northern Syria, Erdoğan’s proposed “peace corridor” came closer to a reality.
Yet despite Erdoğan’s seemingly humanitarian words, Turkey’s desire to occupy Northern Syria is driven by motivations both cynical and malevolent. A “peace corridor” would be a convenient place to dump Syrian refugees whose presence in Turkey is increasingly seen as a political liability. And it would provide Ankara with an opportunity not just to end Kurdish rule in Northern Syria (also known as Rojava) but to destroy its radical democratic dreams.
“Syrians Fuck Off”
Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, some three to four million Syrians have sought sanctuary in Turkey. In 2016, Erdoğan signed a multibillion-dollar agreement with the European Union to settle refugees in the country rather than flow into Europe. But as the stream of people fleeing the fighting has continued, anti-refugee sentiment in Turkey has grown and Turkish authorities are increasingly looking for ways to remove Syrians from the country.
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.