Browsing Category
Analysis
Is the Republican Party Becoming the Representative of Workers and Farmers?
In the new American, and perhaps European world, it is not far-fetched to imagine that right-wing parties and traditional conservatives will become the leaders of the working class and workers. The middle class has been politically disintegrating for decades, and this process has accelerated in recent years. This phenomenon is observed globally, not just in […]
States should raise human rights crisis in Azerbaijan during COP29
The UN Climate Change Conference COP29 kicks off in Baku on Monday, 11 November. Delegations, business leaders from around the world will be visiting Baku, a city where those living in it are suffering the effects of climate crisis and the impacts of oil exploration. As Amnesty International underlined in a report published on 8 […]
Is Trump’s Presidency the End of American Leadership?
In his first term, Donald Trump coined the slogan “America First” and “Make America Great Again.” This slogan maintained its appeal during the election campaign that ultimately culminated in Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris. During Trump’s first term (2016-2020), this slogan was linked to radical implementations, resulting in significant upheaval within the largest institution in […]
Understanding Iran’s ‘Surplus of Power’
Four months after Ruhollah Khomeini came to power on February 11, 1979, two delegations from the global organization of the Muslim Brotherhood arrived in Iran. According to oral accounts from Syrian opposition circles at the time, the group offered to pledge allegiance to Khomeini as the caliph of Muslims in exchange for his declaration that […]
The Kurdish-Arab Consensus: A Pillar of Stability Amid Regional Turmoil
Amid the bloody conflicts ravaging the Middle East, particularly in Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have emerged as a key player in the political and military landscape of Northern and Eastern Syria. Alongside the Arab tribes, the SDF represents a crucial pillar for stability in a region that constantly faces threats from extremist organizations […]
Turkey: The Scorched Earth Policy Does Not Create Solutions or Internal Cohesion
The Turkish state has begun launching comprehensive and targeted attacks on the infrastructure in Northern and Eastern Syria, destroying dozens of electricity and water stations, grain silos, hospitals, police headquarters, and civilian facilities belonging to the Autonomous Administration. In addition to causing infrastructural destruction, these attacks have resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens […]
Mysteries in Syrian Political History
There are many unresolved mysteries in Syrian political history. Even what has been revealed in Douglas Little’s documents or in Ambassador Hare’s correspondence warrants further research or should be compared with documents that can be found elsewhere. History possesses complexities and layers akin to mines, with the surface offering little indication of what lies beneath. […]
Confusion in Ankara’s vision
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has yet to grasp the thread that would enable him to maintain the old regional order. Iran is no longer the same following the blows it and its proxies received before October 7, 2023. The war that has dismantled the external borders of the Iranian regime in Gaza, Lebanon, and […]
Yahya al-Sinwar’s Karbala: Dreaming of Israel’s Demise on Horse-Drawn Carriages
Yahya al-Sinwar was arrested by Israel in 1988, and it is said that upon his release from prison, incredulous, he asked, “Why haven’t you liberated Palestine yet?” During interrogations, the Israelis recognized him and were astonished by his boldness in confessing and expressing his thoughts and past. He was sentenced to four life terms after […]
About a Mysterious Debate Between Netanyahu and Edward Said
In June 1996, Yedioth Ahronoth published a lengthy biography of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He had just risen to political prominence after being elected head of the Likud party in 1993, becoming the leader of the opposition. In the 1996 elections, he defeated Shimon Peres, becoming the first Israeli prime minister elected directly by […]
‘Left-Liberal’ Intransigence Provides Opportunities for European Right-Wing…
Right-wing parties have gained significant presence in several European countries and have now seats in state assemblies, national parliaments, and the European Parliament, where they have united into a single parliamentary bloc. These right-wing parties share similar rhetoric and themes that are central to their election campaigns, leading to their prominent position in many influential […]
Kurdish Journalists in Turkey: Jailed at Home, Murdered Abroad
The grim reality of journalists working in Turkey is now well-known. The country is one of the world’s most notorious jailers of journalists, taking the top spot as the country with the highest number of imprisoned journalists in 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Only in 2023 did Turkey drop below the 5th place spot, […]
Scorched Earth: How Turkey & Iran are Destroying Kurdistan
The scorched earth policy is a military tactic that involves the deliberate destruction of resources that could be beneficial to enemy forces during either an advance or a retreat. This strategy encompasses the demolition of agricultural crops, infrastructure, transportation networks, and other assets that might aid the opposing side. This strategy often results in significant […]
The Struggles & Triumphs of People with Disabilities in Rojava
Liberating a place politically is a quicker and easier process than solving all of its problems socially, which can be culturally rooted and require a transformation in mindsets. Since the first cities of Rojava began to free themselves from the Syrian regime in 2011, there have been several simultaneous movements pushing for the rights of […]
Weaponizing Wildfires: Deforestation as Dekurdification
Burning down forests so you can build castles upon the ashes sounds like an ancient moral parable about the pitfalls of rapaciousness, not a modern occupation strategy by the second largest military in NATO. The recent massive wildfires that ravaged Northern Kurdistan / Bakur (southeast Turkey) between Amed and Mêrdîn killed 15 people and left […]
40,000 Deaths: Dissecting Turkey’s “Big Lie” Against Kurdistan’s Guerrillas
With oppressive military occupations, state accusations serve as confessions. Since 1984, Kurdish guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have been fighting an asymmetric resistance war against the Turkish military. Consequently, anyone who has ever read or watched Turkish state media (which at this point is the only press allowed to freely operate in the […]
Shamima Begum & Why an International Tribunal for ISIS is Necessary
At just 15 years-old, Shamima Begum left her home in London with two friends to travel to the Islamic State (IS). They would be smuggled through Turkey by a Canadian spy, where the three girls would be married off to foreign fighters. Two are presumed dead, and the survivor, Shamima Begum, ended up in a […]
UK Criminalises Kurdish Resistance Flags at Behest of Turkey
On January 30th, Arazw Abdullah (known as Beritan Ranya) and Mark Campbell were found guilty of a terrorism offence at London’s Westminster Magistrate’s Court. They were in court for displaying a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) flag. The PKK has been an illegal proscribed organisation in the UK since 2001. However, supporters point out that the […]
How Would a US Withdrawal from Iraq Affect Northeast Syria?
The war in Gaza has increased tensions between Iranian-backed proxies and the US military, with Iran-backed groups carrying out over 160 attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria since October. Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has repeatedly called for a timetable for US forces to leave Iraq and chaired a joint Higher Military Commission […]
Democratic Confederalism as the Antidote to Homogenization
“The homogenic national society is the most artificial society to have ever been created and is the result of the social engineering project.” — Abdullah Öcalan[1] One of the defining characteristics of contemporary humanity is undoubtedly that of homogeneity. It is a phenomenon with global proportions that has affected, in varying degrees, almost all corners […]
Erdoğan’s Air Force Lays Waste to Rojava Amidst Global Silence
Erdoğan’s regime in Turkey has continued its reign of terror on the Kurdish region of Rojava, which is governed by the DAANES (Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria). Ankara’s litany of weekly war crimes for the past several months involves ceaseless bombardments, airstrikes, and drone attacks across a wide range of civilian sites. […]
Rojava Education Co-Chair: Turkey is Bombing Our Schools
KCS conducted an exclusive interview with Semira Hac Eli, the co-chair of the Ministry of Education for the DAANES (Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria) – commonly referred to as Rojava. In the interview, she discussed the impact of the latest bombardments by the Turkish state, which began in October, their ongoing targeting […]
Selahattin Demirtaş Puts the Turkish State on Trial
Is it possible to shame a state who proudly celebrates their lack of moral conscience? The answer is being sought currently, as on Tuesday, the Erdoğan regime in Turkey commenced their illegitimate show trial of Selahattin Demirtaş, the former co-chair of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP). To his credit, Demirtaş mounted a powerful defense in […]
Öcalan’s Solution for Our Crises: Restoring Social Ethics to Politics
The world is trapped in a vicious cycle of crisis. In other words, as Barry Gills and Hamed Hosseini claim, “we are living through a great implosion.” The environment is decaying, poverty is widening, inequality is growing, and war is spreading. The recent data from The Armed Conflict Survey indicates the growing number of armed […]
Enhancing Diverse Democracy: NE Syria’s New Social Contract
Authorities in the de facto autonomous region of North and East Syria (NES) this week made an announcement many years in the making. For several years now, representatives of the region known by the Kurdish metonym ‘Rojava’ have promised a new, updated version of the ‘Social Contract’ which codifies the principles through which the region […]
Seyvan Ebrahimi: 11 Years in Prison for Being Zahra Mohammadi’s Husband
Going after the family of your enemies is a sign of desperation. An action taken out of panic in response to the fears that the walls you have constructed around your reality are closing in. That is the state of modern-day Iran and the case of Seyvan Ebrahimi. On December 2nd, Seyvan Ebrahimi, a Kurdish […]
Panel: Rojava Under Siege, Analysis from the War Crime Scene
On November 20, 2023, The Kurdish Center for Studies (KCS) held a special panel on the impact of the Turkish bombardments around six weeks after they began. The panel was titled: ‘Rojava Under Siege: Analysis from the War Crime Scene’ and moderated by Co-Directors Dr. Hawzhin Azeez and Dr. Thoreau Redcrow. Both have spent extended […]
Traumatized by Turkish Airstrikes: Testimonies from Rojava
Children searching around for their father’s head. Cats running away from homes and refusing to return. Fires so bright they turn the night into day and resemble the surface of the sun. Terrified children who have gone mute out of fear. Fainting mothers who awake and do not recognize their children. Six young friends lying […]
Hunting Kurds: Erdoğan Continues Bombing Rojava
“The attacks specifically targeted the region’s vital infrastructure, including oil, water, and electricity, significantly impacting the daily lives of Rojava’s people. The Turkish government’s objective is the suppression of Kurdish identity. For decades, Turkey has waged a relentless campaign against the Kurdish cause, irrespective of location. These attacks on the Kurds in Syria have persisted […]
Targeting IDPs: Turkey’s Assault on Washokani Camp
On October 5, 2023, the former residents of Serê Kaniyê bore witness to the world’s impotence to protect internally displaced persons (IDPs). It seems that such safeguards, which are supposedly enshrined within international law, do not apply to attacks from Turkey – a NATO member with an apparent free pass to bomb whichever Kurdish civilians […]