I first found about this morning because people on twitter were arguing about whether the SDF or the YPG were running the camps. Which I guess is an important distinction but it’s a moral stain on the YPG even if not directly involved that their partners/allies are doing this.
SDF are the broad coalition opposing Assad and ISIS, which the YPG are a large member (plurality not majority from memory). But the YPG who are the communists are also quite autonomous from the rest of the SDF. The USA prefers the SDF because they are easier to bribe and manipulate, but also needs the YPG because they can actually fight and tries to divide them up by internal factions and leaders. The SDF and YPG are generally mixed with people who are fully anti-Assad and those who are willing to cut deals (which the USA does not want).
I suspect it’s probably non-YPG SDF running these but I’m going to wait for more information.
It’s hard to say. I didn’t see any YPG markings in the video, but the commander-in-chief guy they interview is a member of the YPG and a friend of Abdullah Öcalan, and was a combatant in the PKK.
The news says SDF, which include the YPG as leader of the coalition. The interview guy also had an SDF flag on his shoulder. Flag over the camp is also an SDF flag.
To be frank, I’m not even sure what the YPG or Syria could do here. So many of these people are foreigners, and many are from countries that refuse to allow them back due to ISIS affiliation. They’re in limbo. Its not like Syria is a very prosperous country, they’re still technically in a civil war. China and the Soviet Union had many efforts at deradicalization post-civil war and post WW2, but they are giant countries with a ton of resources.
I think you still have to consider if these policies are actually warranted, do they have to systematically separate sons from their mothers, do they have to view and treat them as baby makers for a future islamic army?
Within the limits of “they can’t move these people out of the country and there is a danger in allowing their free movement within the country” there is still choices being made and those have to be scrutinized.
I mean the PKK and YPG were explicitly Marxist Leninists when founded until they changed to democratic conferederalism.
We can have a debate (well we actually can’t due to anti-sectarianism rules on Hexbear) about whether that is revisionism or opportunism or radical liberalism or dialectical materialism applied to their conditions or whatever or not. I’m not really sold either way.
It’s different to European social democracy, etc. Nationalism can liberatory in the imperial periphery for oppressed demographics (and it can still suck too).
It can be liberatory, if it actually is. What we can see in Syria is them aiding the US in harming Syria. When have US bases ever accompanied any liberatory movement?
I stand corrected… though I tell you this, how drastic are their effects on Syria… I have heard of them blocking wheat exports and taking away oil from the official Arab Syrian Republic, both of which are supposed to be the latter’s exports, eh?
Yep. I believe most oil fields are in the north which is also majority Kurdish. Nice intersection of interests for the us. Map is helpful, if out of date
I first found about this morning because people on twitter were arguing about whether the SDF or the YPG were running the camps. Which I guess is an important distinction but it’s a moral stain on the YPG even if not directly involved that their partners/allies are doing this.
SDF are the broad coalition opposing Assad and ISIS, which the YPG are a large member (plurality not majority from memory). But the YPG who are the communists are also quite autonomous from the rest of the SDF. The USA prefers the SDF because they are easier to bribe and manipulate, but also needs the YPG because they can actually fight and tries to divide them up by internal factions and leaders. The SDF and YPG are generally mixed with people who are fully anti-Assad and those who are willing to cut deals (which the USA does not want).
I suspect it’s probably non-YPG SDF running these but I’m going to wait for more information.
It’s hard to say. I didn’t see any YPG markings in the video, but the commander-in-chief guy they interview is a member of the YPG and a friend of Abdullah Öcalan, and was a combatant in the PKK.
The news says SDF, which include the YPG as leader of the coalition. The interview guy also had an SDF flag on his shoulder. Flag over the camp is also an SDF flag.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazloum_Abdi
To be frank, I’m not even sure what the YPG or Syria could do here. So many of these people are foreigners, and many are from countries that refuse to allow them back due to ISIS affiliation. They’re in limbo. Its not like Syria is a very prosperous country, they’re still technically in a civil war. China and the Soviet Union had many efforts at deradicalization post-civil war and post WW2, but they are giant countries with a ton of resources.
I think you still have to consider if these policies are actually warranted, do they have to systematically separate sons from their mothers, do they have to view and treat them as baby makers for a future islamic army?
Within the limits of “they can’t move these people out of the country and there is a danger in allowing their free movement within the country” there is still choices being made and those have to be scrutinized.
Oof. That’s not good
Calling the YPG communists is about as correct as calling nordic countries communist. The YPG are nationalists.
I mean the PKK and YPG were explicitly Marxist Leninists when founded until they changed to democratic conferederalism.
We can have a debate (well we actually can’t due to anti-sectarianism rules on Hexbear) about whether that is revisionism or opportunism or radical liberalism or dialectical materialism applied to their conditions or whatever or not. I’m not really sold either way.
It’s different to European social democracy, etc. Nationalism can liberatory in the imperial periphery for oppressed demographics (and it can still suck too).
It can be liberatory, if it actually is. What we can see in Syria is them aiding the US in harming Syria. When have US bases ever accompanied any liberatory movement?
Which nationalists? Chauvinists or national liberation fighters, toton de calice…
What national liberation includes US bases?
Ok, so they’re chauvinists and collaborators…
I stand corrected… though I tell you this, how drastic are their effects on Syria… I have heard of them blocking wheat exports and taking away oil from the official Arab Syrian Republic, both of which are supposed to be the latter’s exports, eh?
Give me numbers…
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-06-17/Decoding-the-U-S-oil-theft-campaign-in-Syria-1kHXiR4Uy2s/index.html
Jaysus wept…
Yep. I believe most oil fields are in the north which is also majority Kurdish. Nice intersection of interests for the us. Map is helpful, if out of date