Kurdish political rights and self-administration deserve protection

The position holds that Kurdish political rights and self-administration are legitimate and deserve protection. Its advocates describe Rojava in northeast Syria as a multi-ethnic, democratic self-administration, and speak of federalism, autonomy, minority rights and a negotiated peace such as the Imrali process in Turkey.

The position is voiced by outlets from Western and allied countries: 11 on Kurdish self-administration in northeast Syria and eight on the Kurdish question in Turkey, where they criticise the state of Kurdish political rights.

The competing position holds that Turkey is a legitimate, independent middle power and an indispensable broker, not a junior partner to be dictated to. The two meet on the Kurdish question in Turkey and in northeast Syria, where one stresses Kurdish rights and the other Turkey's standing. In recent months the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces announced their dissolution and integration into the Syrian army after an agreement with Damascus, ending their separate military structure, and Turkey's parliament passed a law offering a conditional pardon to thousands of PKK militants, debating it without using the word Kurds.