A road unforeseen: women fight the Islamic State

Description

Recounts the history of the Syrian Rojava Kurds, a democratic secular society whose all-women militia was instrumental in the mountaintop rescue of tens of thousands of civilians besieged by the Islamic State in Iraq.;A road unforeseen -- The Kurds -- Separated at birth -- Insurrection and genocide -- The people take up the struggle -- Kurdish women rising -- Democratic autonomy in Turkey and Syria -- The battle of Kobane and its backlash -- The birth of Daesh -- Daesh vs. Kobane -- War and peace in Turkey -- Some questions remain.;In war-torn northern Syria, a democratic society--based on secularism, ethnic inclusiveness, and gender equality--has won significant victories against the Islamic State, or Daesh, with women on the front lines as fierce warriors and leaders. A Road Unforeseen recounts the dramatic, underreported history of the Rojava Kurds, whose all-women militia was instrumental in the perilous mountaintop rescue of tens of thousands of civilians besieged in Iraq. Up to that point, the Islamic State had seemed invincible. Yet these women helped vanquish them, bringing the first half of the refugees to safety within twenty-four hours. Who are the revolutionary women of Rojava and what lessons can we learn from their heroic story? How does their political philosophy differ from that of Iraqi Kurdistan, the Islamic State, and Turkey? And will the politics of the twenty-first century be shaped by the opposition between these political models? -- Provided by publisher. A road unforeseen -- The Kurds -- Separated at birth -- Insurrection and genocide -- The people take up the struggle -- Kurdish women rising -- Democratic autonomy in Turkey and Syria -- The battle of Kobane and its backlash -- The birth of Daesh -- Daesh vs. Kobane -- War and peace in Turkey -- Some questions remain.