The Rojava experiment : understanding the Kurdish quest for autonomy in Northern Syria and the effects of PYD dominance -

Abstract

Burgeoning Kurdish nationalism in Syria, sparked by the Qamishli Revolt in 2004, has been given further room for growth since the outset of the Syrian Civil War. In Kurdish majority regions of Syria, the Regime has granted tacit approval of self-governance by drawing down troop presence during the initial stages of the conflict. Furthermore, as the war wages on, Kurdish armed groups, specifically the Democratic Union Party (PYD), have proven their effectiveness in countering ISIL advances. Little is known about the PYD, which arrived on the scene in 2003, beyond their close affiliation with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) of Turkey. The PYD has played a strategic role in the formation of Rojava, an enclave of Kurdish nationalism in northern Syria, where it plays the role of a governing body. This however raises important questions about the source of the PYD’s legitimacy and its ability to withstand the inevitable end of the Syrian conflict. This study expects to demonstrate how the PYD intends to overcome obstacles to reaching autonomy by, first, identifying these impediments through an investigation of literature and, secondly, by exploring how the PYD either addresses or neglects these impediments through an analysis of their rhetoric. Furthermore, through inspecting the PYD, the paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of how non-state actors establish and maintain legitimacy in the context of failed and fragile states.