Against Imperialism, Jihadist Fundamentalism, and Chauvinism; The Oppressed Kurdish People Are Not Alone!
In Rojava, the clashes that began on January 6 between HTŞ and SDF appear to have resulted in a temporary ceasefire following an “agreement,” after Kurds were expelled from many areas and dozens were brutally murdered. Today, once again, as a result of an agreement between international powers—the world’s chief butcher, the US, and other imperialists competing with the US in this butchery—and regional reactionaries—Islamist Turkish fascism and the fundamentalist jihadist regime of Ahmed al-Shara—the Rojava Kurds are bitterly experiencing abandonment following the collapse of the federal model based on Kurdish self-administration established after the civil war began in Syria in 2011 , are bitterly experiencing abandonment with the demise of the federal model based on Kurdish self-governance established after the civil war that began in Syria in 2011. The Kurds of Rojava are trapped in a trap that harbors mass killings, in full view of the whole world.
Undoubtedly, this is not the first time the Kurds have been abandoned to massacres and genocides. However, a comprehensive examination of how this process unfolded in the context of the recent “Rojava Revolution” will be the subject of another article. For now, we will limit ourselves to identifying some points of orientation in order to intervene in the anger, outcry, and profound disappointment that have emerged on the brink of a genocide.
- Following the civil war that began in Syria, the Kurds of Rojava came to the fore, particularly in the fight against ISIS, and declared autonomy in their own regions. The Kurds’ distanciation from the forces of the Assad regime and their alignment with the West’s concept of the “war on terror” led to them being seen as a favorable partner. Such a strategy was suitable for the US and its imperialist allies to create a “geopolitical” balance that suited their interests without engaging in direct combat, as they had done in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Kurds, and especially Kurdish women, fought heroically against ISIS. ISIS declared an Islamic State after seizing Mosul and a significant part of Syria. With the image it created among Islamic fundamentalists in the region and internationally, it was able to attract thousands of radical jihadists to the region and formed a savage army of executioners, both ideologically and militarily. Against this darkness, the Kurds, the region’s largest secular force, defied them with very little power and weapons. The Kobani Resistance, in particular, resulted in the epic actions of Kurdish female fighters and was met with sympathy by the entire world public.
- Leadership of the Kurdish Movement; chose to take advantage of regional power divisions in order to fight against the Assad regime, Islamist Turkish fascism, and jihadist militia armies. To protect their own people, they entered into an alliance with US imperialism, the chief butcher of the world’s peoples, and its Western partners. Due to both the urgent necessities they faced and the narrow pragmatic stance dictated by their political line, the leadership of the Kurdish Movement was drawn into a position of increasing dependence on imperialist powers throughout the process.
- Following the fall of the Assad regime and the subsequent advance of jihadist forces from Idlib towards Damascus, the cards were reshuffled once again in Syria. The fascist Trump at the helm of the White House wants to wrap things up in the Middle East and accelerate his strategy against China after breaking the backbone of the axis of resistance and ensuring the “security” of his strategic partner, Israel. Therefore, continuing on the path in Syria with Shara, who is not a “clean kid” in Trump’s words, will be more “profitable” for US interests. There are several reasons for this: avoiding confrontation with Turkey, a NATO power; the fact that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is an Islamist force whose voice has been completely silenced with regard to Israel; its sharp conflicts with Iran and Hamas; and the possibility that it could play a role in the fight against ISIS.
- Trump and other imperialist powers now expect the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to fully
integrate into the new regime. By responding to journalists’ questions with, “The Kurds have done a lot for us, but we’ve also paid them a lot of money,” he once again demonstrates that the fate of oppressed nations depends on whether they meet imperialist expectations. Meanwhile, US Special Envoy To Syria and ambassador of US in Turkey, Tom Barrack’s statement that “the purpose of the SDF has largely ended” lays bare what the Kurds represent for the US.- Within Turkey’s borders, the Turkish ruling classes, in so-called peace, are emerging as the decisive actors in the bloody process in Rojava. It appears that the Turkish ruling classes, who once again sold out the Palestinian people in Trump’s Peace Plan for Palestine, returned with a “gain” in the form of the Kurds not gaining any significant status in Rojava. The content and language of the text signed between Damascus and the SDF forces on January 18 is noteworthy in that it is consistent with what the Turkish ruling classes have been saying for a long time.
- Despite the ceasefire in Rojava, jihadist, gangs of fascists have turned to a kind of “revenge for Kobani” fueled by their hatred for the Kurds. Jihadist forces have been waiting for years to take revenge on the Kurds, and this time the US has opened the gates of hell for the Kurds. Even if there is a “deal” in place, the jihadists’ hostility towards the Kurds—rooted in heavy Arab chauvinism and the Islamist Salafist ideology that views the Kurds as infidels—is likely to become even more aggressive once they take control of Rojava.
- The de facto autonomy known as the “Rojava Revolution,” which has been ongoing since 2011 and has boosted the morale of many progressive forces in the region and around the world, is being forced to integrate into a jihadist fascist administration led by ISIS remnant al-Shara. The January 18 agreement results in the transfer of the overwhelming majority of the Kurds’ important gains to the reactionary regime. Moreover, this “transfer” is taking place in many places through the bloody suppression of the Kurds.
- Millions of people who pinned their hopes on the “Rojava Revolution” once again feel deceived. Frankly, a century later, the Kurds are once again being abandoned to “helplessness” as a result of the intersecting interests of imperialist masters and reactionary local forces. However, it must be clearly stated that it is not the Kurdish people and their legitimate struggle that are helpless. The “helplessness” of the oppressed Kurdish people stems from the political line pursued by their leadership, which pins its hopes on impossible things. Yes, it is not the 1960s, and we do not have a revolutionary country that can give people hope. However, if the Kurdish people’s leadership had relied on the legitimate struggle of the peoples of the world instead of “contradictions between imperialists,” it would have presented a more hopeful picture internationally, and the peoples of the world could have forged stronger bonds of solidarity with Rojava today. Perhaps Rojava would still have been lost, but at least there would not have been a disappointment called “integration,” and it could have been a real beacon of hope for humanity.
- Today, tens of thousands of people who took to the streets in anger against the advance of the aggressive jihadist gangs in Rojava are rightly reacting against the imperialists and regional reactionaries and are ready to do anything to show solidarity with the people of Rojava. Although a “ceasefire” has been declared based on a 14-point agreement organized under the leadership of Ahmed al-Shara, the jihadist of yesterday and today’s “President,” the Kurdish people still hold significant potential for strong resistance. The fact that the Kurds have been forced into such an agreement does not mean that they have given up their will as a nation to determine their self determination.
- Following the recent developments in Rojava, both Islamist and Kemalist segments of the Turkish ruling class are in a celebratory mood. In Turkey, some secularists who claim to oppose political Islam and some “leftists” who claim to defend the values of enlightenment welcomed the advance of jihadist fascist forces in Rojava with joy. This situation demonstrates once again how powerful a glue aggressive Turkish chauvinism and eternal Kurdish hostility are for the Turkish ruling classes.
- Now people must take to the streets all over the world; we must stand against the attacks carried out by jihadist fascist gangs—undoubtedly backed by imperialists—with a vengeful zeal against the Kurds. A correct political analysis of Rojava must be made and its leadership’s erroneous line must be criticized, but without falling into an accusatory or judgmental position. As always, the sharp end of the spear must be directed at the big gangsters of the capitalist-imperialist world and their local collaborators; we must stand in solidarity with the legitimate struggle of the oppressed nations. The oppressed Kurdish nation is not alone; millions of people around the world who are angry at imperialism, fascism, and jihadist fundamentalism stand in solidarity with the oppressed Kurdish nation! It must not be forgotten that even the world’s largest armies have been defeated in the face of the determined and resolute struggle of organized peoples.
