The Rojava dream is no longer a project under development, nor an experiment open to the future. According to a major German newspaper, it has become a definitively closed chapter in the Syrian war. The Süddeutsche Zeitung chose to summarize the situation in a clear and decisive headline: "Der Traum von Rojava ist Geschichte" (The Rojava Dream is History), a description reflecting the end of a political phase that had long been presented as an alternative model of governance in Syria.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of the oldest and most influential daily newspapers in Germany and Europe, based in Munich, is known for its analytical rigor and editorial independence. Its articles often reflect the mood of the German political and intellectual elite, with a clear inclination towards realistic analysis devoid of slogans. Therefore, its characterization of the end of Rojava does not appear to be a fleeting observation, but rather an interpretation grounded in profound political and military shifts.
The article examines the self-administration project in northern and eastern Syria as an experiment that emerged in the state vacuum during the years of war. It relied on local military forces and international alliances and was marketed to the West as a democratic and decentralized model. However, the newspaper argues that this project has lost its viability with the shifting balance of power, the decline in external support, and the Syrian state's reassertion of its political and military presence in areas previously outside its control.
The newspaper clearly indicates that what has occurred is not merely a decline in influence or a repositioning, but rather the actual collapse of the idea of autonomy as it was initially presented.
The forces that formed the backbone of Rojava are no longer able to impose their conditions or protect their project politically or militarily, while the promises made to the local population regarding stability, representation, and a different future have evaporated.
The article conveys the prevailing anxiety and disappointment among the region's inhabitants, from all its diverse communities, after the revelation that the project upon which great hopes were built was not immune to regional and international transformations. According to the newspaper, the future has become uncertain, and the autonomy that was presented as a permanent option has turned into a finished experiment, its chapter closing with the shifting alliances and the collapse of political bets.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung concludes that Rojava is no longer a viable political entity, but rather an experiment linked to an exceptional phase of the Syrian war, which ended with its conclusion. With this stark assessment, the newspaper not only describes the reality but also declares unequivocally that what was once called the Rojava dream is now nothing more than a political memory, overtaken by events and relegated to the realm of history.
Reem Al-Nasser - Zaman Al-Wasl
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