Ten years ago, the world looked to Rojava halting Daesh (ISIS). Today, successors of al Qaeda advance into North-East Syria. They trimmed their beards and followed Turkey’s advise and direction. Taking control of the capital city enabled them to integrate into the nation state system. If you have the right suit, a clean tongue and open your markets to international capital, BBC will be there to give you a prime time interview. Just like that, now there is a new government of Syria, welcomed into the club called state system.
The graveyards of northern Syria are full of brave fighters who gave their lives to defend humanity, to halt the insanity ISIS unleashed. The comrades surviving to see their victory over the caliphate put massive efforts finding a diplomatic compromise towards peace. Yet again, in vain. The hegemonic powers only join such process if it suits their agenda. After all, they always use any opportunity to make gains for their imperial power.
In the times we live now, dominant forces impose themselves shamelessly, deaf to any complains about genocide or human rights violations. They don’t care anymore to hide how they break the rules they imposed to everyone else. Emboldened by this overwhelming political climate of say-and-do-whatever-you-want, the self proclaimed government of Syria is free to pursue its cruelest aspirations. After massacring the Alawites and the Druze, they now come back at the Kurds. With Turkish weapons in hand and EU money in the pocket they are now advancing by the minute, with the aim to crush NES and the women’s revolution in it’s totality.
Rojava did not hide itself speaking the language of capitalism and nation-states. It fought ISIS with an open face, proudly claiming their revolutionary aspirations for communal democracy and social self-administration, always spearheaded by women. Since 2015 SDF has been part of an international coalition fighting Daesh alongside many state armies. Tolerated among the states’ ranks because of sheer military power. Welcomed, as SDF was always the one doing the dirty job on the ground so imperial powers could direct drones from a comfortable place. For NES, it always was a pragmatic compromise due to existential threat, made possible only due to the size and fierce determination of the revolution.
Now, the new polished brand of al-Qaeda is able to draw a prospect of a ‘stable nation state’. And all states that have anything to say in international power games are happy to spread their arms wide, hailing a welcome to another proper, allegedly stable, state. They even guided the aggressors to engineer insane propaganda, manufacturing consent for this massacre. US does its best to get the hell out of NES. For them SDF served their purpose, they may now be killed. Other states are nowhere to be seen, except shaking hands with al Qaeda-wannabe-president.
Who is remaining to stand the ground is the people of NES. And we are not alone. SDF and many more around Kurdistan and the world are willing to stand in defence of the revolution. Make no mistake, we are well aware that we will be portrayed as “collateral damage” of a war we know intimately. A war that claimed many sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and friends. But here we are, betrayed once more and left just with our determination, desperation, commitment, and massive strength of heart.
What’s at stakes is the anti-patriarchal practice of every day life where women struggle day by day, year by year, for the next inch of freeing each other. At stakes is also the slow-built humanity of a society where the wish for freedom is the basis to organise life across ethnic and gendered lines. A society building communal autonomy, based on people’s self determination and self defence. A society where people remember how to resolve conflict with their neighbours, defending sanity against the insanity of this world. At stakes is, that NES does its best to prevent genocide of the people in its region, while those powers eager to get rid of the revolution, already proved themselves able to commit brutal atrocities.
Thus, we find ourselves again in a deeply precarious but more clear situation: On the opposing side stand we, the people. Whether in Iran putting lives on the line to finally smash the patriarchal regime, in Gaza standing up to ongoing genocide, on Turtle Island protesting ICE and an imperial state gone loose, or in NES, where currently anybody who has at least one hand and a heart is taking up arms. Against overwhelming odds, our answer is still resistance. Because in the face of death dealers, the only way to not give up life, is to fight. And we all scramble and struggle to preserve, nurture and revive life in all its beautiful forms.
We need a plethora of efforts to push back against these attacks, to struggle for freedom, to fight for life. Join the resistance! Come to Rojava, organize protests and actions against these attacks, connect people across ethno-national divisions and colonial trenches, disrupt the mechanisms of empires and occupation forces, open ways for people to move across borders, occupy embassies, consolidate community around you, conspire to overthrow your government, tell people what is happening in Syria and other places of conflict, fight back against the rise of fascism, gift each other moral support to counter despair, organise and strategise with comrades internationally to coordinate efforts.
Rojava proved that liberation is only possible through community and people’s resistance. The liberal myth of the state as a guarantor of freedom is an illusion that must die for dreams to rise. There is no alternative:
Freedom through struggle, or death.
