ENGLISH

From the Mountains to the Élysée: The Precarious International Legitimacy of the Syrian Kurdish YPG and PYD

By Ahmed Elsayed

Book information

Publisher
The Middle East Institute
Year
2023
ISBN
1232551004
DOI
10.3751/77.1.13
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
307 kB (314687 bytes)
Series
The Middle East Journal (77)
Edition
1
Pages
53-77\26
Time added
2024-02-13 11:04:21
Armed GroupsDiplomacyKurdslegitimacyMiddle EastPKKPYDSyriaTerrorismYPG

Description

This article examines the international legitimacy of the main Kurdish militia in northern Syria, the People's Defense Units (YPG), and its affiliated political party, the Democratic Union Party (PYD). Despite their origins in the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization in many countries, the YPG and PYD were anointed as partners of the Global Coalition against Daesh/ISIS and have been celebrated in Western capitals and press ever since. To understand this unusual trajectory, this article argues that, although defeating ISIS opened a "possibility space" for this alliance to emerge, the YPG and PYD's discursive and practical legitimation strategies have contributed to their remarkable international diplomatic standing. This position nevertheless remains perilous, largely due to an insurmountable barrier: Turkey.

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