Kurds Opportunities to build a State North Syria- Interview

Translation by Yusra Ahmed

(EQTSAD)- Esam Khori, a writer, political Analyst and Geo-demographic expert, Coordinator of the Centre of Social structural development, detailed to Eqtsad his views of possibility to found a Kurdish country or Entity in future, and their chances to succeed.

Khori believes that the Northern East region of Syria, known as “the Syrian Island territory”, economically able to survive even with good income, because the region is naturally rich. However, geographically it cannot succeed because of the lack of direct connection among Kurdish areas in Syria, like Ain al-Arab “Kobani”

and Efrin Northern Aleppo, are separated from the Syrian Island in the Northern East, connection cannot be done without taking parts of Turkish lands, and creating an entity of “Turkish Kurdstan” which is recently unacceptable amid the Sunni-Shiite conflict.

Moreover, Iran would strongly disagree because that would encourage to founding “Iranian Kurdistan” and dividing Iran itself.

The political Analyst added: “Even at local demography levels, the Northern East region of Syrian is not purely inhabited by Kurds, as there are many Arab tribes, who are annoyed by any project leads to Kurds’ independency. “The biggest confirmation for that attitude that hundreds of men joined the Islamic State just to fight and revenge from Kurds and to destruct the Kurdish project, despite they were known of their liberation” Khori thinks that everything in politics is possible, therefore, it is possible for Turkey to logistically, economically and geo-politically cooperate with self-controlled Kurdish Entity.

On the other hand, according to the Geo-graphic expert, Turkey strongly rejects any existence of a Kurdish State at its boarders, because that would increase the National Kurdish belonging.

He added that Turkey tried for a long time to minimize the National feeling of Kurds and fought Kurdistan Labour Party because it called for that, in return Turkey supported Kurdish parties of religious Islamic agendas to weaken the Kurdish identity and melt Kurds within the Turkish Sunnis.

At official Turkish levels, creating a Kurdish state next to the huge Kurdish community in Turkey, would increase the national Kurdish feelings, which might destabilize Anatolia territory, therefore Turkey would definitely reject that kind of projects.

“As a result, Kurds tried to use the Syrian crisis to their own benefits and try to show the international community that they are isolated from what is going on in Syria, in the same time, Turkey tries to use the Ethnic conflict in Northern Syria to prove that such a project to create a Kurdish state is difficult to achieve” the expert added.

In regard to the way Kurds used the Syrian crisis, Esam Khori explained that Kurds were clever and pragmatic in presenting themselves to the international community using Kobani’s Battles, as they concentrated on showing women, even a mother feeding her baby, in the battle field. Those ideas attract the Western cultures calls for liberating women. On the other hand, Islamic groups showed only men with long beards raising Islamic flags, abandoned the Syrian Revolution flag.

Khori finds that the International community looks for partners refusing cooperation with extremists, and fight for serious causes not blood dealers.

“Kurds proved their honesty to their international supporters in their war against the Islamic State, but this does not mean they would get their independency, but that could give them priority in future, that was proved by De Mistura, the United Nation Envoy to Syria, when he expressed his support to ending the centralism, and called for Autonomy, but he did not talk about dividing Syria.

In regard to the Federalism and possibilities of implementing it in Syria especially for Kurds, Khori explained that Centralism is hard to keep in general, and with a multi-Ethnic big country in particular. In the same time, Kurds work to fulfill their big dream of Kurdish state, which is difficult to achieve without fighting could last for a long time. That what many Kurdish leaders realized, when they called for Autonomy follows the central Syrian government.

“In Future, we may see Kurd-Kurd conflict, between those who convinced with smaller state, and who seek the entire Kurds’ lands. Besides the Kurds-Arab conflict”, explains.

In the end, the Federal project would need a while to succeed, because it is deeply related to Syrian crisis in whole.