The Democratic Nation Project is a failure of the new Ottoman project

For more than twelve years, Syria and the region have been living in a state of terror after what was known as the Arab Spring, which swept through North Africa and the Middle East. Perhaps due to the misfortune of the peoples of the region, they live geographically on the borders of a neighboring country, Turkey, which has continued to create chaos among the peoples of the region since the end of World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the Sultanate. It was forced to sign the Treaty of Lausanne, which was like a mercy bullet in the coffin of the sick man. The region was divided between the victorious Western countries based on natural geography and the division of shares among them, far from ethics and human values, and neglecting – perhaps intentionally – to the human geography and history of the ancient peoples who have been living in this region. Naturally, the biggest victim of all of the above is the Kurdish people, who were divided into four parts in a process that can only be described as cruel and far from human rights to live a dignified life and freedom.

Turkey and the Kurdish phobia generally, and the Democratic Self-Administration in northern and eastern Syria particularly

So far, Turkish leaders have not provided any occasion to remind that giving space and not interfering at the time was one of the biggest historical mistakes committed by Turkish politicians in declaring the South Kurdistan region in northern Iraq. One of the biggest historical mistakes made by the Iraqi regime and Iraqi leaders was giving or constitutionally recognizing Kurdish self-rule in the region, which became a revival for the rest of Kurdistan in claiming legitimate Kurdish rights in northern and eastern Syria, led by the Kurdistan Liberation Movement. It noticed the historical mistakes of the Kurds in how they collect their rights and do not fall behind illusions and empty promises. Therefore, with the popular movement in Syria, the Kurds also participated in the peaceful movement demanding freedom and dignity. With the deviation of the peaceful revolution towards militarization, the features of the Islamic and regionally supported radical forces began to emerge and surface. Naturally, the democratic and secular forces began to be aware of the state of chaos that some parties want to drag the Syrian arena into. Meanwhile, the Kurdish liberation movement began to adopt the approach of the third line represented by the democratic nation based on the ideas of its leader Abdullah Ocalan, in achieving social justice and leading the community itself, and thus the project of democratic self-administration was presented in its theoretical and practical aspects. On this basis, work began to apply these principles on the ground and present them to all components of the region, including nationalities, religions, and races, to participate in and adopt it.

The Collision of the Democratic project with the Illusions of the Colonial project:

Modern Turkey, which emerged from the Ottoman Empire, still sees itself as the legitimate and sole heir in reviving the glory of the expansionist Chaldean army east and west. The Treaty of Lausanne is a historical mistake that must be overcome with the approaching centenary of its signing. Naturally, Turkey imagines that the National Pact is the optimal solution to reclaim past glories, with its eyes set on the strip extending from Aleppo in Syria to Mosul and Kirkuk, seizing all lands and peoples living on them, solely to satisfy its expansionist desires and achieve the delusions of its sick leader in reviving the Islamic caliphate and leading the Sunni Islamic world, presenting himself as the hero and lion of the coming Sunnah. In an effort to confront its historical enemy (the Persian Empire) and its opposing sectarian expansion (Shiite), all the illusions and rosy dreams experienced by the head of the current Turkish regime, represented by the one man who even split from most of his comrades at the beginning of the journey, collide with the reality of the democratic self-administration that has already begun to be implemented and has proposed an alternative solution for all of Syria and the region.

The actual hostility towards northern and eastern Syria began after the failure of negotiations with the Kurds in northern Kurdistan to find a democratic solution to the problems experienced by the Turkish interior. As a result, there was a shift towards supporting radical Islamic groups, represented by Al-Qaeda and its Syrian branch, Jabhat al-Nusra, merging with what is known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). There are many documents, pictures, and videos that prove the involvement of the Turkish regime in this, which are no longer hidden from anyone, including logistical support and facilitation of the movement of fighters on its territory, and how Turkish lands served as a transit point for terrorist groups to move between Syria and the outside world, which was a hub for planning many attacks that targeted European and Western countries. In addition, there were commercial transactions between the two parties, smuggling of Syrian resources and wealth, and their investment and financing of terrorist activities. On the other hand, with the development of the Kurdish democratic experiment, this did not sit well with the opposing camp. After the historic victory of the fortress of resistance, Kobani, against the most powerful terrorist organization, the world was forced to respect and support this force that fights on behalf of the entire world. This action increased Turkish pressure and hostility towards the Kurds and the Kurdish issue.

Exporting internal crises and expanding external crises:

After the recent success of the Justice and Development Party and its allies in the Turkish elections (which were questionable), internal and external crises began to surface and the Turkish population began to be dissatisfied with the failed policies in the political and economic management of the country. The effects of the economic deterioration have become evident on Turkish citizens, especially after the rapid depreciation and inflation of the Turkish currency, with the Turkish lira continuing to decline to nearly thirty in recent times. European and Gulf countries have also become disillusioned with the continuous pleas of the Turkish regime’s president at their doors, under the pretext of supporting and accommodating immigrants and using those funds in expansionary and financing projects for movements that support them in several internal and external fronts. Additionally, Turkey’s blatant interventions in several regional issues, such as Libya, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Greece, and Azerbaijan, Turkey’s aggressive policy has become increasingly clear with the appointment of the former intelligence chief, Hakan Fidan, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. As soon as he officially assumed his duties, he began his shuttle tours to friendly countries that share common political interests, in order to gather approvals for pre-drawn plans to change the face and features of the region according to the whims and desires of the Turkish regime. The attacks on legitimate defense territories and the Kurdish liberation movement began with all internationally prohibited weapons. Turkey also supported and incited the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict, providing direct logistical and political support to Azerbaijan at the expense of Armenia. Finally, the savage attacks on the infrastructure and civilian areas in northern and eastern Syria, under the pretext of combating terrorism that does not actually exist except in the sick Turkish imagination.

Why northern and eastern Syria? And why this international silence?

It is not hidden from the politician that international interests are the ones that control the relations between countries, and therefore we can define this official international silence within an intentional international hypocrisy based on distant interests far from human values and ethics. But what cannot be justified is this mysterious and unjustifiable silence of international civil society organizations, human rights organizations, and organizations for the protection of civilians in times of war… etc. Those who fail in their weakest duties to condemn and issue statements of condemnation and documentation and present them to the relevant authorities.

The United States of America, as a major player on Syrian land and its leadership of the international coalition to combat terrorism represented by the Islamic State (ISIS), occasionally turns a blind eye to Turkish attacks on the areas of self-administration and for the following reasons:

• Satisfying Turkey, its ally in NATO and the second largest military power in it.
• Keeping Turkey away from the Russian bear’s embrace completely.
• Keeping Turkey away from the countries of the Warsaw Pact, the competitor of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
• Pressuring the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) under the pretext of severing their ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
• Pressuring the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to implement specific American agendas to undermine the Iranian role and its militias in Syria and to fight them.
• Creating a kind of balance between the Turkish ally in NATO and the Syrian Democratic Forces within the international coalition to combat terrorism.

Russia is also a strong player present on Syrian territory, trying to create a role of power for the following reasons:

• Directing attention away from the fiery Ukrainian arena and distracting the world with other scenes and conflicts.
• Satisfying the Turkish ally and partner on the Astana platform in order to keep it away from the Western axis.
• Pressuring the self-administration and its institutions to make concessions, submit, and sit with the Damascus regime.

As for Turkey, it has several reasons for its brutal attacks on the areas of self-administration in northern and eastern Syria, the most important of which are:

• Covering up its internal political and economic failures.
• Covering up the rapid deterioration of the Turkish lira and the inflation in the country, as well as the people’s dissatisfaction with the futile conflicts created by the Justice and Development Party government and its extreme nationalist allies.
• Satisfying the allies of the Justice and Development Party in the government to ensure that they do not withdraw from the existing coalition.
• Covering up the failures of its branches in both Al-Ghuwairan prison and the recent sedition that it tried to instigate between the Arab tribes and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Deir Al-Zor.
• Tightening the economic noose on the self-administration in creating the daily life requirements for the people of northern and eastern Syria by targeting the infrastructure, thus creating a state of division and chaos between the administration and the people.
• Undermining the project of the democratic nation and its achievements and the level of acceptance by the components of the region with this model for solving the Syrian problem in general.
• Creating a state of fear and instability among the different segments of the population, pushing them towards migration as a form of special war policy.
• Reasons related to the controversial personality of the Turkish president, which lead to creating an image of him as the Sunni lion in the region.
• The possibility of obtaining a green light from the major active powers on the ground in order to invade the region by land and benefit from its resources, as is happening in Afrin, Serê Kaniyê (Ras al-Ain), Tal Abyad, and other Syrian cities under Turkish occupation and its Syrian mercenaries.

In summary and according to the data on the ground, we can conclude from the attack on the military college in Homs, and the ongoing war in Gaza, the impact of Hamas’ recent attack on Israel, and the escalation of the regime and Russia in their airstrikes on western Euphrates and Islamic groups and factions of the so-called Free Army or National Army. There are new developments for the region in general and it may be the beginning of a comprehensive war as mentioned by Mr. Abdullah Ocalan during his speeches about the Middle East and the possibility of its reorganization and division on national, religious, ethnic, and sectarian bases. It becomes clear to everyone during the recent Turkish barbaric attack that the peoples of the region today, more than ever, are clinging to their land and morally committed to the blood of their sons that is shed on this land and for its sake. The Kurdish people, along with their Arab brothers and other components, are committed to the popular revolutionary war against the Turkish tyrant. It may be useful to create friendship and build cases of balance based on common interests with the major powers, but in any case, it is not possible to rely on anyone to achieve the rights of oppressed peoples, and the only way for these peoples is to sacrifice dearly to obtain their freedom and rights.