Turkey’s Intervention in Rojava and Its Consequences
Friday, September 9, 2016
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Board Source Conference Room
750 9th St NW, Suite 650
Washington, DC 20001
The Kurdish Policy Research Center (KPRC) is pleased to organize the panel entitled ‘Turkey’s Intervention in Rojava and Its Consequences’.
On Wednesday August 24 Turkish tanks entered the borderline territory in Rojava (Northern Syria) along with Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army. According to the Turkish sources the objective of the “Operation Euphrates Shield” is to ‘stabilize’ the situation by clearing ISIS from Jarablus, the last stronghold of ISIS on the Turkish-Syrian border that is less than a mile from Turkey. However, soon after capturing Jarablus, the so-called Free Syrian Army supported by Turkish tanks advanced south towards Kurdish held territories where they engaged in clashes with the Kurdish YPG-led Democratic Syrian Forces. Since then Turkish tanks and artillery have been shelling not only the YPG, America’s most trusted ally in the fight against DAESH, but also the civilian population in Jarablus and Manbij.
The latest Turkish attacks on YPG have made it crystal clear that the real motivation behind the Turkish invasion of Rojava does not stem from the threat from DAESH, as the Turks claim, but from Turkey’s desire to prevent an autonomous Kurdish region emerging in northern Syria. To this end Turkey threatened to intensify its attacks on the Kurdish YPG forces, if the latter does not comply with Turkey’s request to withdraw from Manbij, a town newly liberated from DAESH by YPG, and remain the east of the Euphrates River.
Our distinguished panelists will bring their expertise to our gathering and offer their views on the root causes of the current political crisis in Rojava, discuss the political implications of the recent Turkish invasion as well as the clashes between Turkish-backed FSA and the Kurdish YPG and explore ways to find a peaceful solution.
The KPRC hopes that you can join us on September 9 for this exciting event that is aimed at offering an understanding of the political implications of the recent clashes between Turkish-backed FSA and the Kurdish YPG-led Democratic Syrian Forces.
RSVP Required to attend this event.
For media inquiries and questions, please contact info@kprc.us
Panelists:
Salih Muslim:
Salih Muslim is the co-chairman of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in de facto autonomous Kurdish-controlled region of Rojava in Northern Syria. He is also the deputy coordinator of the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change.
* Mr. Muslim will participate via Skype
Professor Dlawer Ala’Aldeen:
Professor Ala’Aldeen is the Founding President of the Middle East Research Institute (MERI), a policy research institute and a think tank based in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He is a former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Kurdistan Regional Government (2009-2012). Dlawer has been an advocate of, and published extensively on, human rights, good governance and democracy in Kurdistan, Iraq and the wider Middle East.
Aliza Marcus:
Aliza Marcus is formerly an international correspondent for The Boston Globe and lives in Washington, D.C. She covered the PKK for more than eight years, first as a freelance reporter for the Christian Science Monitor and later as a staff writer for Reuters, receiving a National Press Club Award for her reporting. She is also a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation grant for her work (NYU Press).
Moderator:
Servet Tosun:
Servet Tosun is a co-founder and Director of Strategic Development at Kurdish Policy Research Center (KPRC).
He holds a MA in Political Science from Rutgers University, specializing in International Relations.