Category: Democracy
Democracy is one of the three main pillars of the Rojava Revolution and the stateless self-governance model of the Autonomous Administrations of North and East Syria (AANES), as well as the Kurdish freedom movement more broadly, which initiated the revolution.
Democracy here is not the same as the representative democracy model found in Western countries such as the UK, Germany and France, where one person speaks on behalf of a large number of people whose interest they do not necessarily share. This is a more radical form of democracy, which aims to build up the entire society, giving everyone the chance to participate in making decisions on issues which affect their lives.
The most basic democratic unit is the commune, or neighbourhood assembly, which meets regularly and discusses issues affecting the community. There will be a number of committees in each commune which function like working groups to focus on particular issues, such as security, agriculture or conflict resolution. There is also an autonomous women’s council in every democratic structure in the AANES. Co-chairs of different genders (and usually different ethnic or religious backgrounds) are chosen to represent the neighbourhood at the district level assembly, and from there to the city-wide assembly, and so on.
Below you can find articles with more information on the evolving democratic system of the AANES and how people are taking control of their lives and learning to work together as part of a stateless system of self-governance in North and East Syria, and southeastern Turkey.
Kiosk bookstores in 7 cities and provinces of Rojava provide quicker access to books
Kiosk bookstores were established in 7 cities and provinces of Rojava to provide quicker access to books, magazines and newspapers, as well as to spread the reading culture.
About the Youth conference on the methods of Sociology of Freedom – as a solution for social problems
More than 150 young people came together, for the first youth conference focused on the methods of the paradigm, named “With the methods of Sociology of Freedom we will solve the problem of the youth”.
Council of Martyrs’ Families: The Heart of the Revolution
So far, 11,804 fighters have died in the defense of Northern and Eastern Syria. New ones are added every day due to the attacks. The Council of the Families of Martyrs takes care of the relatives in eight committees and 199 municipalities.
The Social Economy and the Co-operative System in Rojava/NES
In this video, Chalang Omer outlines both the background and development of the social economy in Rojava. The principles of social economy have a deep history in the region, beginning in Mesopotamia.
Interview – Washokani IDP Camp
On the 4th anniversary of the Turkish invasion and subsequent occupation of the ‘M4 Strip,’ RIC interviewed Berzan Abdullah, one of the members of the administration of Washokani camp, near Heseke city, and Souria Mohamed Hussain, a resident of this camp.
Solidarity against all odds: Humanitarian aid in North and East Syria
In the fourth part of our series of articles on of the tenth anniversary of the Rojava Revolution, Anita Starosta looked back at the Medico history in Rojava and discussed the importance of international humanitarian aid in Syria.
Something I Want to Make Everyone Feel
It is impossible to pass through places like Raqqa, Minbic or Kobane without confronting the reality of war, among the destroyed buildings but at the same time, the rebuilding of the cities that is still in progress. The destruction caused is still visible, but besides the fact of the destruction, what influenced me during the days of our tour to get to know Rojava, was how much the energy of this youth overflowed. This is what enchanted me the most.
The multiple faces of the revolution
The people of Rojava and North-east Syria gave a lot of sacrifices, struggled so much and built so much with their own hands. They are connected to this revolution in such a way that it’s a part of them.
The world can learn from the Rojava revolution
Let’s reflect on the great achievements of the Rojava revolution in north and east Syria in the face of great adversity: the unification of communities deliberately divided on the basis of religion and ethnicity by dictatorial states and the Islamic fundamentalist terrorist movements alike; the liberation and empowerment of women in the face of the reactionary rollbacks imposed by the later; the embryonic attempts to reorganise the economy on a cooperative and ecologically sustainable basis; and the establishment of inclusive grassroots democracy based on the democratic confederalist ideas developed by long-imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan.
Women’s House leads social change in Qamishlo Canton
Women’s House, one of the networks created to solve the problems faced by women, leads social change in the Qamishlo Canton of North and East Syria.
Meeting society – The Colors of the Revolution in Rojava
As a group of internationalists from different places in the world, being involved in different structures in Rojava we were part of a tour in the region of north and east Syria, the region organized as the Autonomous Administration.
