Syria's Kurds Want Rights, Not Decrees, US Remains Indifferent
The New Arab highlights the Syrian Kurds' desire for guaranteed rights amid tensions with Damascus and recent clashes near Aleppo. What they politely sidestep is the long history of US engagement with, and subsequent disengagement from, these same Kurdish forces. The "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF), largely composed of the YPG (a group Turkey considers terrorists), were instrumental in the US-led
fight against ISIS. Yet, when Turkey launched offensives into northern Syria in 2019, the US promptly withdrew, leaving their erstwhile allies to face the music. It’s almost as if 'allies' is a transactional term for Washington, dependent on current geopolitical convenience. One might wonder at what point Washington's 'support' for its allies becomes more of a liability than an asset. The pattern
of arming, utilizing, and then abandoning Kurdish groups spans decades, from the Iran-Iraq War to the present day. Now, they seek basic constitutional guarantees from Damascus, the same central government the US ostensibly sought to depose. How many times must history repeat itself before the media draws the obvious connections between US foreign policy and the subsequent 'tensions' and
'instability' they report?