Syria 'Extends Control' as Kurds Get Linguistic Pat on the Head
Al-Monitor reports that Syria's army has "dislodged Kurdish forces" from territory and that President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree declaring Kurdish a "national language." This narrative sidesteps the trifling detail that Kurdish forces, specifically the YPG/SDF, were armed and backed by the U.S. for years, creating a de facto autonomous zone. The 'dislodging' isn't just Syria asserting
control; it's a recalibration of power dynamics left simmering after years of external interference and proxy engagements. So, after Washington used them as proxies, then abandoned them to Turkish threats, the Syrian government steps back in to 'extend' its hold, offering a mere linguistic nod. One might ask, how many 'national language' decrees does it take to erase the memory of a foreign-fueled
proxy conflict and U.S. geopolitical gambits creating instability in the first place? It's almost as if the 'Kurds’ aspirations' were a convenient talking point when they served American interests, but now they're just a linguistic footnote.