It Could Happen Here – "Rojava with Andrew" (April 14, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode of It Could Happen Here features Andrew Sage (also known as Andrewism on YouTube) and frequent contributor James Stout discussing the past, present, and uncertain future of Rojava (the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, or AANES). The conversation traces Rojava’s unique experiment in bottom-up governance, the obstacles it has faced—from ISIS and Turkish invasions to international betrayals—and its recent collapse in the wake of Assad’s fall and the rise of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) government. The episode explores both the revolutionary promise of Rojava and the complexities, internal contradictions, and external threats it faced.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rojava’s Origins and Ideology

• Diverse Beginnings:
  • Rojava began as a Kurdish liberation project but evolved into a multiethnic, pluralistic society incorporating Syrians, Arabs, Armenians, Yazidis, and others. The official administration moved away from the term "Rojava" to de-ethnicize the project but hosts stick with it for clarity. (02:58–04:38)
• Democratic Confederalism:
  • Heavily influenced by Abdullah Öcalan’s reading of Murray Bookchin and others, the region experimented with democratic confederalism: grassroots self-organization, direct democracy, pluralism over nationalism, secularism, gender liberation, and ecological sustainability. (05:32–11:00)
  • “We had the opportunity to see people living without gods or masters, people building democracy without the state.” – James (04:51)
• Women's Liberation:
  • Rojava implemented gender quotas in governance, established women's councils, banned honor killings and child marriage, and became internationally renowned for the all-female YPJ (Women’s Defense Units). (10:00)
  • “Woman Life Freedom. Such was the slogan of the women’s movement considered key to the project...” – Andrew (02:58)

2. Complexities: Internal Politics, Criticisms, and Solidarity

• Not Purely Anarchist:
  • While admired by anarchists and leftists globally, hosts clarify that Rojava wasn’t doctrinally anarchist—solidarity doesn’t equal perfect ideological unity. (11:00–12:02)
  • “What they're doing is not anarchism. It's kind of its own thing. It's democratic confederalism.” – Andrew (10:51)
• Critical Solidarity:
  • Acknowledgement of credible allegations against SDF, including forced displacement and child recruitment—emphasizing a need for critical, not blind, support. (13:15–17:51)
  • “Solidarity doesn’t imply you keep your mouth shut... That is the best way to engage these projects, not to just close your eyes and follow.” – Andrew (18:02)
• Movement Diversity:
  • The revolution wasn’t monolithic—comprised diverse ideologies, motives, and affiliations, from Marxist-Leninists to pragmatic self-defenders. (16:33–17:39)

3. Geopolitical Entanglements and Betrayals

• Web of Alliances:
  • Rojava juggled alliances, not just with the US (which treated SDF as a “partner force” against ISIS only), but with Iraq, Iran, Russia, and sometimes even Assad, always as a pawn in bigger geopolitical games. (22:29–26:09)
  • “Rojava has been seen and treated as a chess piece essentially by both global and regional powers.” – Andrew (22:29)
• US Withdrawal:
  • US abandonment in 2019 resulted in Turkish assaults on Kurdish areas, widespread displacement, yet also heightened global attention to the struggle. (24:00–25:05)
  • “It is disgraceful to abandon these people… but it is also what we should expect from the United States.” – James (26:10)
• Yazidi Rescue:
  • Personal account of the Kurdish forces risking all to save Yazidis encircled by ISIS at Mt. Shengal, highlighting Rojava’s broader commitment to regional minorities:
    • “With their bodies, with their blood… If they had done nothing else since 2012, that would be reason enough for us to stand in solidarity with them.” – James (27:34–29:42)

4. Recent Upheaval: Fall of Assad, Rise of HTS, and Rojava’s Collapse

• Assad’s Fall & HTS Takeover:
  • In 2024, Assad’s government collapsed. HTS (an offshoot of al-Qaeda) took over large swaths of Syria, was quickly integrated into the international system (with Turkish and Western approval), and initiated brutal repressions, especially toward minority communities. (29:50–31:49)
• Siege and Ethnic Cleansing:
  • Kurdish and minority neighborhoods (especially in Aleppo, Raqqa, Hasaka) were besieged, infrastructure destroyed, and mass displacement ensued.
  • “For days, coordinated attacks targeted Rojava itself, threatening not only the survival of Kurdish government, but with the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians...” – Andrew (30:56)
  • Example of deliberate erasure: A statue of a fallen Arab, female YPJ fighter (who liberated her community from ISIS) destroyed by local men—signaling the reversal of Rojava's social gains. (33:36)
    • “A whole group of men destroying a statue of a woman, a woman from that community who had fought to liberate that community from the Islamic State... when that context is deliberately excluded, that tells us an awful lot.” – James (33:36)

5. Final Surrender & Uncertain Legacy

• Collapse and Absorption:
  • SDF retreated, signed over territory and agreed (under duress and with Western countries acting as “guarantors”) to absorb governance and security structures into the new Syrian government. The fate of many SDF fighters, especially women and international volunteers, remains perilous. (42:25–44:47)
  • “By the end of January, the autonomous administration had lost roughly 80% of the territory it once governed... SDF formally announced a ceasefire and accepted a framework for folding both their military structures and civilian administration into the Syrian state.” – Andrew (43:32)
• Paper Promises:
  • The agreement included token recognition of Kurdish language, festivals, and limited local rights, but hosts are skeptical about implementation, emphasizing ongoing risks of betrayal and repression. (44:47–45:56)
• Enduring Spirit:
  • Despite the crushing losses, both hosts stress that the struggle will continue and Rojava’s revolutionary aspirations will inspire future movements—if not in name, then in spirit.
    • “It remains to be seen what happens with them, but also remains to be seen what happens with us, what we decide to do to push our way forward... All power to all the people. Peace.” – Andrew (46:27)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On pluralism and solidarity:
  • “We are fighting for a world in which many worlds exist—and so are they.” – Andrew (11:00)
• On the dangers of mythologizing revolutions:
  • “We should engage with the Spanish Civil War as it was, not as we wished it to be. That way we could learn from it and get better as opposed to just creating a hagiography.” – James (15:00)
• On US betrayal:
  • “The SDF was a US partner force… The US was not there in solidarity with the revolution. They were there fighting alongside them in this one specific thing.” – James (25:05)
• On the erasure of social gains:
  • “It was a whole group of men destroying a statue of a woman, a woman from that community who had fought to liberate that community from the Islamic State.” – James (33:36)
• On geopolitical chess:
  • “The blame lies in this game of geopolitical chess, this ability of imperial powers to treat the people of the region as a whole as tools to be used and discarded.” – Andrew (46:27)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Rojava’s foundational history and democratic confederalism – 02:58–12:02
• On critical solidarity (warts and all) – 13:15–18:32
• Complex regional alliances and US abandonment – 22:29–26:09
• Personal account: The Yazidi rescue at Mt. Shengal – 27:34–29:42
• Rise of HTS and the siege of Rojava – 29:50–33:36
• Crumbling of the SDF and absorption into the new Syrian state – 42:25–46:27
• Closing reflections on revolutionary spirit and geopolitical blame – 46:27–48:34

Conclusion & Takeaways

This episode is a nuanced, timely discussion about Rojava’s legacy, the realities of revolutionary struggles, the dangers of both romanticization and cynicism, and the crushing weight of regional and global power politics. Andrew and James chart the movement’s remarkable social gains, the solidarity it inspired worldwide, the betrayals it endured, and the renewed necessity for grassroots, critical internationalism. Their sober hope is that, though the social experiment known as Rojava has been violently curtailed, its vision—and the lessons learned—will endure.

All power to all the people. Peace.
– Andrew (48:33)