Description: Senior officials from several Kurdish political entities in Syria have stated their demands of the country’s federalization, citing concerns over the Islamic rule imposed by President Ahmed Al – Sharaa and the HTS. The demand follows the deadly wave of violence which engulfed the country last month when government led forces targeted minority ethnicities in Syria under the pretext of eliminating supporters of ousted President Bashar Al – Assad. US supported SDF (Syria Democratic Forces) recently brokered an agreement with Al – Sharaa to be included in Syria’s constitution across all administrative institutions including the military. The PKK (Kurdish Worker’s Party) which campaigned decades – long war against Turkey also engaged in negotiations with Al – Sharaa’s biggest ally to commence a ceasefire.
Impact: Integrated in the newly conceptualized Syrian constitution on paper, the Kurds still hold significant operational and political influence in the country. Federalization demands prompted by the massive killings of Alawites last month could further destabilize the country as the new constitution gave broad powers to Al – Sharaa and enshrined Islamic law as the legislative foundation in the country. Syria is plagued by militant fractions with diversified interests divided by ethnicity which fuels inter – ethnic conflicts and causes severe security and humanitarian crises. The idea of federalization stands healthy as the county is divided by the ample militant fractions from diverse ethnic groups, however, the concept could set a confrontational tone for the country’s future. The upcoming months would be crucial as the governing HTS is set to engage in multilateral negotiations with multiple groups which would dictate the general state of affairs going forward.