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Eastern Germany, formerly known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR) before German reunification in 1990, comprises five states. In the post-unification political lexicon of Germany, these states are referred to as the “new states”: Brandenburg (2.5 million inhabitants), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (1.6 million inhabitants), Saxony (4 million inhabitants), Saxony-Anhalt (2.2 million inhabitants), and Thuringia (2.1 million inhabitants). […]

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 war between Hamas and Israel on October 7, 2023, established a new security environment for the entire region; it is likely to shift the association ‘east of the Euphrates’ in Syria from the war against ISIS to the region’s de facto transformation into part of a wider  international coalition environment led by Washington. The […]

At the beginning of his presidency, President Joe Biden seemed poised to initiate major troop withdrawals after the last withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021. Shortly thereafter, he adjusted the nature of U.S. military presence in Iraq, limiting it to an advisory role. Despite this, Biden has maintained the number of U.S. troops […]

What a re-elected President Donald Trump will do if he wins is well known. But what if Kamala Harris wins? It is easy to assume that Harris will continue the foreign policy of the Joe Biden administration, and this is not an incorrect assumption. Preventing Russia from winning the war in Ukraine will remain a […]

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 […]

Where does ‘security’ end and ‘occupation’ begin? Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan signed the initial letters of a memorandum of understanding for military and security cooperation and counterterrorism on August 15th, 2024. This marks a continuation of the security agreements signed in Baghdad on April 22nd, during a visit […]

Several days after Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran, speculation arose regarding the nature and timing of Iran’s expected retaliation against Israel. Among the anticipated responses was the targeting of US bases and assets in Iraq and Syria, which was realized through a missile attack carried out by Iranian militias near the Conoco gas field, where […]

The ISIS terrorist organization continues to expand in the Syrian Badiyah Desert region, adopting the method of rapid surprise strikes that leave as many casualties as possible, whether military or civilian. The group uses a strategy of intimidation and terror to disrupt the ranks of its opponents and demonstrate the strong presence of an organization […]

While it is important to remember the Mount Sinjar siege, it is equally important to remember the people who broke it, and saved thousands of Kurdish Yezidis from execution, sexual slavery, and torture. This year marks ten years since the siege of Mount Sinjar, one of the most devastating genocidal acts against the Yezidi community, […]

Following the declaration of the municipal election results on March 31, 2024, Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu, the head of the Free Cause Party, known by their Turkish abbreviation of “HÜDA PAR” (Hür Dava Partisi) which can be translated as “Party of God” delivered a statement acknowledging that his party’s performance in the municipal election fell short of […]

According to the latest Pentagon’s Lead Inspector General Quarterly Report to Congress for the period of April 1 through June 30, 2024, published on August 1, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) “were further stretched by the tensions with Arab tribal fighters” in Deir ez-Zor. The U.S.-led military Coalition against ISIS also stated that while there […]

The Syrian opposition’s statements in response to Turkish leader Tayyip Erdoğan’s desire to reconcile with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad show their angry rejection, but do not provide a clear picture of what has even been proposed. Except for a small contingent of the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition that is justifying Erdoğan’s intention in a pathetic manner, the […]

Today marks a somber milestone: the tenth anniversary of the Yezidi Genocide. It remains a dark chapter in human history, that unfolded on August 3, 2014, when ISIS launched a merciless assault on the peaceful Yezidi Kurds of Şengal, Southern Kurdistan (Sinjar, Iraq). On this solemn occasion, we at the Kurdish Center for Studies come […]

In November 1922, Ismet Pasha Inonu led the Grand National Assembly of Turkey delegation to the Lausanne Conference. The trip included an elite group of politicians, including Reza Nur, an Ottoman physician and minister in Ankara’s government at the time. The country was ruled by two capitals, Ankara, led by Mustafa Kemal Pasha (later named […]

With coverage of the Jin, Jiyan, Azadî (Women, Life, Freedom) Revolution and Jîna Amini’s murder fading from the Western press, many have forgotten that the Iranian regime continues to kidnap and execute women who defy its theocratic dictates. The following case is our latest tragic reminder. Pakhshan Azizi is a Kurdish social worker from Mahabad […]

On the 12th anniversary of the Rojava Revolution, Kurds and their supporters held the 2nd annual Rojava Street Festival in Vienna. For two days, Kurds and their friends took to the streets of Austria’s capital city. The first day of the festival was held outside the Kurdish Democratic Society Center of Vienna, stretching over two […]

July 19, 2024, marks the twelfth anniversary of the Rojava Revolution. Two years ago, on the tenth anniversary, I was asked by Hawar News Agency to give my thoughts on the occasion and what it signified for the world, based on my trips to the region. My time in Rojava (north and east Syria) witnessed […]

A Greek film-maker’s detention at the UK border under a controversial and little-known anti-terror power has raised concerns about both the increasing targeting of Left-wing journalists by UK police and the continued persecution and harassment of activists, volunteers, and community figures in and around the Kurdish political movement. Both groups face distinct but related challenges, […]

Statelet of Survivors: The Making of a Semi-Autonomous Region in Northeast Syria, a new book-length look at the establishment, evolution, and achievements of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) by academic Dr. Amy Austin Holmes, takes up two important challenges. First, Holmes’ observations based on hundreds of interviews conducted throughout North and […]

One cannot separate sports from politics. Though we like to believe football games are neutral apolitical spectacles, they are intertwined within a larger socio-political context that is inescapable (as all Kurdish fans of Amedspor are well aware). This past week, that notion was on full display, igniting a wider debate about the line between where […]

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 […]

We are now living in a world where ethnic cleansing and war crimes have become the order of the day, where human rights and international law no longer matter, and where the so-called “global order” turns a blind eye towards injustices committed by powerful nations when it suits their geopolitical interests. In a series of […]

The defiant city of Şirnex (Şırnak) in occupied Northern Kurdistan (southeast Turkey) has always been a thorn in the side of the Turkish Republic and their desire to assimilate the Kurdish people. Figuratively, if Dersim (Tunceli) is the ‘brain’, and Amed (Diyarbakır) is the ‘body’, then Şirnex would be the ‘heart’ of Bakur. Taking its […]

On April 23rd, 2024, around 200 armed Belgian federal police officers amassed at 1 a.m. in the town of Denderleeuw, in East Flanders (Belgium). Anyone observing this massive show of force and the militarized posture of the small army that was preparing for a nighttime siege, would have assumed they were about to storm an […]

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recently released their 2024 Annual Report on May 1st, underscoring that the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), supported by its Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), continues “to highlight religious freedom as a governing principle.” This is in stark contrast to religious freedom conditions in […]

On April 24, 2024, the University of Rojava (founded in 2016) held its fourth Freedom Annual Lecture Series. The lecture, featuring the distinguished Kurdish historian Professor Hamit Bozarslan, Director of the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris, France, was entitled: “Reflections on Anti-Democracy and War in the 21st Century.” With regards […]

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 […]

Turkey has shifted its foreign policy focus to Iraq, following rumors that the US-led Coalition forces may soon withdraw. Looking to fill the potential void, Turkey is ready to adopt a new approach to Iraq based on broadening the fields of trade and security-based economic projects and codifying their military occupation of the Kurdistan Region […]

I. Background Since 2011, cultural heritage in Syria has been under constant threat. Even though the civil war has raged on for more than a decade, there is still no end in sight. The involvement of various foreign actors has further complicated the country’s ongoing division between several rival factions. With around 5.2 million Syrians […]