Intellectuals: Democratic Nation project is the path to peace

Syria has become one of the major issues on the agenda of regional and international powers. As crises multiply and deepen in the Middle East, and as regional and international interests are thrown into an impasse at the expense of the people's interests in the region, leader Abdullah Ocalan reveals his vision for a Democratic Nation as an approach committed to achieving just peace and shaping a democratic society of all the components without exclusion.

Against this backdrop, ANHA's agency conducted a set of interviews with several intellectuals from the city of Tel Tamer in al-Jazira Canton of North and East Syria to discuss the importance of this project, and its implications for the future of Syria and the region.

The intellectual Idris al-Younes believes that Abdullah Ocalan, with his vision of a democratic nation, offered a completely different perspective than what prevailed in the Middle East. Therefore, it is based on coexistence and social justice, which is contrary to the concepts of the hegemony of the nation-state, which has been among the most basic causes of conflicts and wars in general, and in Syria in particular.

Al-Younes underlined that the self-administration project in North and East Syria is the practical implementation of Abdullah Ocalan's thought, pointing out that this region has proved its capabilities to build a pluralistic democratic model based on gender equality, freedom of belief, and social organization.

He underlined that the Syrian issue has turned into a point of convergence for the great powers' interests, while any future settlement cannot succeed without the recognition of autonomous administration and its civil and military institutions, which express the will of the varied communities in the region.

For her part, intellectual Sanaa al-Thamer explained that the experience of the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria AANES is unique within the context of the Syrian crisis. Despite the difficult political, military, and economic circumstances, it has managed to establish an administrative model based on popular participation, pluralism, and equality among its various communities.

She added, "The Democratic Nation project proposed by the leader Abdullah Ocalan is closely linked to the peace process since it provides an alternative to the national and sectarian conflicts that have torn the region apart. In the Syrian context, the project forms an intellectual and political basis for the dialogue and building trust among the different groups in addition to strengthening the idea of a decentralized democratic solution as a realistic and sustainable option for peace in Syria and the region."

She also underlined that the Democratic Nation project can act as an example for a comprehensive solution in Syria if there is serious political, national, and international will to make it happen. Its main basis is Democratic Autonomous Administration, popular participation, and respect for national and religious diversity principles in agreement with the diverse nature of Syrian society.

Intellectual Ismail Farhan, for his part, explained in an interview that the international community recognized the democratic experiment in North and East Syria, but some regional powers were trying to obstruct this model out of fear of the spread of this model to other countries in the region. He underscored that the Syrian solution must emanate from Syria itself and be driven by the will of the Syrian people themselves.

He added: "Major powers are dealing with the Syrian issue in accordance with their interests and without consideration for the aspirations of the people." He concluded by saying: "Unless a comprehensive national democratic project is adopted, crises will be renewed no matter how many faces or governments change."

ANHA