Syria and the Kurds: the future of Syria’s political landscape

The recent clashes and the agreement between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have occurred within a regional and international political dynamic that raises many questions about the politics and future of Syria and the status of its minorities.

This expert panel will address several pressing questions, including why has the US abandoned the SDF and supported the new Syrian government. Is the agreement between both sides a step towards the consolidation of Damascus's central authority? And is this the end of the Kurdish self-rule in Northeast Syria/Rojava? 

What are the fallouts from this for the Kurds? What is the future of Rojava? Can Rojava’s achievements be protected and how can this secular project coexist with the Islamist government in Damascus? What is the status of the minorities under the new government led by a variety of jihadi-Salafist groups and individuals linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS? What does this mean for the role of women and securing women’s rights in Rojava and Syria as a whole?