Political Governance And Strategy In North And East Syria

By M. Lashway

Report on the governance capabilities of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria with policy recommendations for the American government. Report on the governance capabilities of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria with policy recommendations for the American government.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Branch & Arrow Press
• Release date: May 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781087966687

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Abbreviations / Definitions

AANES - Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria

CIA- Central Intelligence Agency

CMO - Civil-Military Operations - US military group that specializes in bridging the relationship between civil society/governance and the US Military.

DCSW - Democratic Confederal System of Women - System designed by AANES and women's organizations to elevate the position of women in society. DCSW ensures equal opportunity for women in society and the economy.

DOS - Department of State

FDI - Foreign Direct Investment

FTO - Foreign Terrorist Organization

HPC - Hezen Parastina Civake/Community Protection-Defense forces

HTS - Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham

IDP - Internally Displaced People

ISIL - The Islamic State of Syria and the and the Levant

KRG/KRI - Kurdistan Regional Government/Kurdish Region of Iraq 

SAA - Syrian Arab Army

SDC - Syrian Democratic Council - An umbrella organization for all political parties in the whole of Syria, not a system of governance.

SDF - Syrian Democratic Forces - Multi-ethnic, multi-religious defense forces of the AANES that have partnered with CJTF-OIR (Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve).

SOTF-S - Special Operations Task Force - Syria

UN - United Nations

YAT/HAT/Commandos - Military Anti-terrorism units, commandos are hand-selected to partner directly with US forces during raid operations/ HAT are Police anti-terrorism units.

YPG - People's Protection Units

YPJ - Women’s Protection Units

Executive Summary

This report offers an analysis of governance in North and East Syria. The purpose is to inform the development of a unified interagency strategy for American policy in Syria and the broader region. This strategy is important because Syria is, in many ways, a cornerstone for regional stability. Growing antagonisms and the reemergence of the Islamic State will demand a strong stance by the Biden administration. Lack of a cohesive and clearly defined strategy in the past has led to diminishing American influence and an increased role for Turkey, Iran, and Russia. As the Biden administration settles into office, it is more important than ever that foreign policy professionals take a step back and include all available data and information in their policy recommendations.

Freedom Research Foundation relies on extensive on-the-ground research to help educate policymakers across the globe. Our work in Syria over the past 14 years has helped form the foundations of relationships that have given us access to every level of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). This report is a product of a three-month study into how the AANES provides goods and services to its people. The focus of this report is the outputs of governance (electricity, water, health care, etc.) rather than the bureaucratic infrastructure that defines some systems of governance. Focusing on these factors makes it possible to fairly judge a fledgling government on how it can provide for its people rather than how robust its institutions are.

The study presented here entailed the execution of surveys across three of the six available regions within AANES (a seventh region is currently occupied by Turkey). These regions were chosen because their geography, demographics, and incorporations varied significantly. The study also included interviews at every level of the AANES government as well as multiple offices and commissions under the regional executive branches. The subject matter and frequency of the questions were repeated across interviews to collect comparative data that could be cross-checked and analyzed with some confidence. The research also included key informant interviews, as well as the collection of documents and secondary data.

The main findings of the paper are as follows

There is strong evidence that sub-national governance in North and East Syria may be much stronger than the current Washington understanding. Although the AANES is a new government, the level of outputs i.e. clean water, electricity, food, human rights, and equality, has far exceeded most governments emerging from civil conflicts or external threats. In contrast, many societies