Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) Co-Spokesperson Ali Kenanoğlu said the situation cannot be reduced to a military confrontation alone, stressing that a democratic model of governance in the Middle East based on the will of the peoples is being directly targeted.
Kenanoğlu said this structure, shaped with the support of Western powers and Israel, is incapable of producing lasting peace, warning that a monist approach rooted in external intervention will lay the groundwork for new and deeper conflicts in Syria.
West does not want democracy in the Middle East
Ali Kenanoğlu said the recent clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) mercenaries in the Middle East must be assessed within a broader process that has reopened debates over regional and international balances. He explained why Western powers view a political model based on peoples’ self-administration as a threat: “The United States, Europe, the Western bloc, they do not want a system in the Middle East based on the sovereignty of peoples, where people can govern themselves. The United States’ representative Tom Barrack has already stated this very clearly. From the perspective of Europe and the United States, they want these countries to be ruled by leaders who align with their interests; they aim to shape the entire Middle East accordingly.
There are already two main actors across the region. One is a model of governance based on religious tradition, history, and representation, as seen in Iran. The other consists of tribal and family-based systems of rule. By contrast, in the Rojava region there is an approach, rooted in the requirements of democracy, in which all social segments living there (Arabs, Kurds, Alawites, Turkmen, Christians, Assyrians, Armenians) can govern themselves and come together around a constitution.
This picture creates a dangerous situation for the West. In a system where peoples can choose and elect their own leaders, rulers who turn into puppets of the West and imperialist countries do not emerge. And if they do, they are overthrown immediately. That is why leaders are compelled to act in line with the interests of their own countries and their own peoples. For this reason, the West does not want this system.”
Issue is entirely Israel’s security
Ali Kenanoğlu said developments in the region have been shaped by Western interventions, stressing that the structure established in Damascus is being built not on the will of the peoples but on the security interests of Israel and the West. Kenanoğlu said: “First and foremost Israel’s security, everyone knows very well, and we have all seen it, that HTS was installed in Damascus as an Israeli project with the approval of the United States, and with the backing of the United Kingdom and France. What we are witnessing today clearly lays this bare.
Even though key and strategic parts of Syria have been seized by Israel, we do not hear Turkey, the HTS administration, or the Western bloc speaking about ‘Syria’s territorial integrity.’ Therefore, the issue here is not Syria’s territorial integrity or the will of the people there. The issue is entirely the creation of an administration that prioritizes Israel’s security and the interests of the West, particularly the United States.
That this administration is hostile to peoples, that it destroys beliefs, kills, and bans, none of these matters to anyone anymore. They say this very openly and plainly. We see it in the news coming in today as well: the Damascus administration has issued a decree banning sectarianism. What does it mean to ban sects? It means, just as in Turkey, imposing a single understanding of religion and banning all other religions and beliefs outside of it. This is how the system was built in Turkey as well; from the very beginning, Alevi belief, one of the ancient beliefs of these lands, was banned, and this state of prohibition has continued to this day. Now, a similar picture is emerging in Syria.”
This situation will lead to deadlock
Kenanoğlu said the military and political developments on the ground are being driven by temporary alliances and will not produce a lasting solution for the peoples. He also said: “At this moment, with the support of the United States, Europe, the West, and Israel, HTS mercenaries may be carrying this out. But these are not the ways or methods that can resolve Syria’s enduring problems. They will not bring happiness to the peoples, nor will they bring peace. On the contrary, this monist approach will cause the problems there to become more permanent and entrenched.
This means that all forms of tension and conflict will continue there. Unfortunately, that is the reality. After the Alawites and the Druze, attacks have now begun against the will and living spaces of the Kurdish people. Even if there is a ceasefire for now, all the talks that have taken place, all the words that have been spoken, and all the threats that have been made show that a comprehensive consensus has been reached on this course. Unfortunately, it appears that the attacks against the Kurdish people there will not come to an end.”
We will continue to stand against this monist approach
Ali Kenanoğlu stated that a democratic order based on the will of the peoples is the only path to lasting peace in both Turkey and Syria, and said: “As HDK, from the very beginning we have consistently said that across the Middle East, including Turkey and Syria, we stand for the establishment of systems in which peoples can live by their own will and choices, in a democratic manner, with equality, freedom, and justice. The condition for these lands to live in peace and prosperity, based on fraternity, is the creation of this equal and democratic environment. From the outset, HDK has worked toward this goal.
At the same time, particularly over the past year, with the start of the peace and democratic society process in Turkey, we have been carrying out efforts to bring this process to society, to explain it, to articulate why it matters, and to help society raise this demand. We hold public meetings; we have organized conferences, seminars, and many other events. In this sense, we will undoubtedly continue to uphold our position in favor of building a system in which peoples can live by their own will and choices, both in Syria and in Turkey.
As for HDK, we will be in Suruç. Against this occupying mindset, one that ignores peoples, denies differences, and seeks to impose monism on all the peoples of Syria, we are putting forward democratic reactions so that a system whose pain we have endured in Turkey for a century is not established in Syria either.”