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We could always give it all to the Kurds -- which is what's going to happen anyways, at the rate things are currently going. (The PKK has secured their home ter

We could always give it all to the Kurds -- which is what's going to happen anyways, at the rate things are currently going. (The PKK has secured their home territory, and is now conquering their neighbors to create facts on the ground and get more out of the peace settlement.) Alternatively, I could envision partitioning the country along its existing ethnic lines, to avoid a situation where Alawites, Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities end up in a majority-Sunni country. There are plenty of alternatives other than control by one or another pack of exceptionally ugly monsters. (I say "exceptionally ugly" because even the Kurds have committed some atrocities. Not without provocation, but still.)

stevenjohns 10y ago
Which Kurds? You mean the Kurdish Islamic Front (KIF) which wants to extend Shariah across Syria?[0] Try not to be so explicitly racist in your analyses. Kurds are an ethnic group of 40 million people with different ideologies, interests and goals. Saying "give it all to the Kurds" says more about your racism towards other regional ethnic groups (Arabs, Syriacs, Turks) than some grand understanding you have of the Middle East. > I could envision partitioning the country along its existing ethnic lines Nobody except casual MSM observers wants this racist, separatist outcome and anybody with any understanding of the country would know that the country doesn't have "ethnic lines" that you can just build a wall across and somehow produce mini-states that will be economically successful, productive and start working in harmony with their new neighbours. [0] http://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/54367?lang=en http://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/54367?lang=en
- clock_tower 10y ago
  Which Kurds? The Rojava (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rojava https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rojava), the Democratic Socialist (Sanders-like) Kurds of the northeast. The Kurdish Islamic Front (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdish_Islamic_Front https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdish_Islamic_Front) does not represent the Kurdish mainstream. As for the rest, the pro-Assad forces are mostly Alawites (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabiha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabiha) and Christians (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_militias_in_Syria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_militias_in_Syria), organized along ethno-religious lines. Incorporating them into Lebanon, or creating a "coastal Syria" with a minimum of Sunnis in it (and probably under Russian tutelage, since the Christians are Orthodox and the Alawites have reason to see Russia as a protector) would allow them to live without either being tyrants or being tyrannized.
  - stevenjohns 10y ago
    > does not represent the Kurdish mainstream Neither does the PYD. Mainstream Kurdish nationalism involves Kurdish independence (which the PYD is opposed to) and are largely capitalist (see Iraq). > As for the rest, the pro-Assad forces are mostly Alawites Really? The overwhelming majority of Syrian soldiers are Sunni. Alawites are overrepresented in the Syrian Air Force, but underrepresented in the general military. Pro-government auxiliary forces like the Lebanese Hezbollah are certainly not Alawite, neither are the Iraqis and others that support the Syrian government. > and Christians "Christians" what? There are Christian Arabs, Kurds, Syriacs and Armenians. They're not a single group. Even between the Syriacs we see pro-government and anti-government divisions (Sutoro vs Sootoro). > organized along ethno-religious lines No, they're not. I don't think the Syriacs in North East Syria want to be forcefully relocated to Lebanon or Coastal Syria, I think they want to stay at home. I also don't think ethnically cleansing Sunnis from Coastal Syria is any sort of move, let alone a justifiable one. I'd like to continue this conversation but I'm afraid I'm going to withdraw myself here.
    - clock_tower 9y ago
      I'm not interested in continuing this conversation either, but I'm glad to see that you're willing to discuss things in ethno-religious terms, despite accusing me of being a racist for using the same terms earlier. It gives me a pretty good sense of where you're coming from.

stevenjohns 10y ago

Which Kurds? You mean the Kurdish Islamic Front (KIF) which wants to extend Shariah across Syria?[0] Try not to be so explicitly racist in your analyses. Kurds are an ethnic group of 40 million people with different ideologies, interests and goals. Saying "give it all to the Kurds" says more about your racism towards other regional ethnic groups (Arabs, Syriacs, Turks) than some grand understanding you have of the Middle East. > I could envision partitioning the country along its existing ethnic lines Nobody except casual MSM observers wants this racist, separatist outcome and anybody with any understanding of the country would know that the country doesn't have "ethnic lines" that you can just build a wall across and somehow produce mini-states that will be economically successful, productive and start working in harmony with their new neighbours. [0] http://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/54367?lang=en http://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/54367?lang=en

clock_tower 10y ago
Which Kurds? The Rojava (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rojava https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rojava), the Democratic Socialist (Sanders-like) Kurds of the northeast. The Kurdish Islamic Front (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdish_Islamic_Front https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdish_Islamic_Front) does not represent the Kurdish mainstream. As for the rest, the pro-Assad forces are mostly Alawites (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabiha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabiha) and Christians (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_militias_in_Syria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_militias_in_Syria), organized along ethno-religious lines. Incorporating them into Lebanon, or creating a "coastal Syria" with a minimum of Sunnis in it (and probably under Russian tutelage, since the Christians are Orthodox and the Alawites have reason to see Russia as a protector) would allow them to live without either being tyrants or being tyrannized.
- stevenjohns 10y ago
  > does not represent the Kurdish mainstream Neither does the PYD. Mainstream Kurdish nationalism involves Kurdish independence (which the PYD is opposed to) and are largely capitalist (see Iraq). > As for the rest, the pro-Assad forces are mostly Alawites Really? The overwhelming majority of Syrian soldiers are Sunni. Alawites are overrepresented in the Syrian Air Force, but underrepresented in the general military. Pro-government auxiliary forces like the Lebanese Hezbollah are certainly not Alawite, neither are the Iraqis and others that support the Syrian government. > and Christians "Christians" what? There are Christian Arabs, Kurds, Syriacs and Armenians. They're not a single group. Even between the Syriacs we see pro-government and anti-government divisions (Sutoro vs Sootoro). > organized along ethno-religious lines No, they're not. I don't think the Syriacs in North East Syria want to be forcefully relocated to Lebanon or Coastal Syria, I think they want to stay at home. I also don't think ethnically cleansing Sunnis from Coastal Syria is any sort of move, let alone a justifiable one. I'd like to continue this conversation but I'm afraid I'm going to withdraw myself here.
  - clock_tower 9y ago
    I'm not interested in continuing this conversation either, but I'm glad to see that you're willing to discuss things in ethno-religious terms, despite accusing me of being a racist for using the same terms earlier. It gives me a pretty good sense of where you're coming from.