International Bulletin / Issue 195 / February 195

When US President Trump declared that he will withdraw the US troops from Syria with a sudden decision, it was considered that Turkey will take this opportunity rapidly and implement the invasion plan which was declared earlier and that this decision was already taken on the USA-Turkey agreement. After a few days unique pace of the military processes, no occupation moves from Turkey followed. It turned out that Turkey had nothing to do with the US withdrawal decision and was unprepared for this change. Just on the days of Trump's withdrawal announcement, Turkey wanted to put its plan to occupy Manbij via the FSA gangs into practice, but by leaving the outer fronts of the city to the Syrian army, SDF prevented this plan.
Withdrawal of the USA and the Question of "Safe Zone"
The USA does not mention the withdrawal for the first time; it had already stated that it would change its Syria policy one way or another. However, they decided "to stay" for a while with the 4 billion dollars source from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. So far, the United States actions have been based on trying to find a formula seeking to pull both Turkey and Rojava's revolutionary forces to its own political line. The other imperialist power in the region, Russia, on the other hand, proceeded from a similar line. While Russia has been trying to pull Turkey on its side by benefiting from the political disintegration of Turkey from USA, which is going on for a while now, Russia also tried to weaken Rojava's revolutionary forces against Assad regime and indirectly against Turkey. In other words, two imperialist powers tried to strengthen their position by taking advantage of reciprocal contradictions. In the current stage of the Syrian civil war, however, the field for taking advantage of such contradictions has been narrowed for both the imperialist powers, the colonialist states of the region and also for the Rojava's revolutionary forces. Al-Nusra and Al-Qaeda gangs were trapped in Idlib and SDF completely defeated ISIS in Deyr-ez-Zor countryside and wiped it out of Syria.
The "safe zone" or "buffer zone" discussion, which came up on Trump's tweet immediately after the withdrawal decision, is in the middle as a non-deepening issue for everyone to interpret on their own terms. It is understood that the concessions that are to be made mutually, so far are not enough for an applicable "safe zone" plan. While Turkey is holding high its hand with an occupation zone plan fully controlled by Turkey, including residential areas just at the edge along the entire border line; the North and the East Syrian Autonomous Governance and SDF, state that they will accept a region under supervision of the United Nations and they won't accept any plan that includes Turkey. In fact, the Autonomous Governance even says that the Syrian army can be deployed on the border line after negotiations and agreements with the Syrian regime.
In the face of these requests from both sides, USA has so far avoided declaring any concrete timetable for withdrawal and tried to keep Turkey and Autonomous Governance remaining their positions without any clashes, which is independent from how and with which countries the "safe zone" plan will take place. With such a "safe zone" plan, on the one hand USA aims at discouraging and drawing Turkey on its side and on the other, it aims at forcing Rojava to change its political line and its composition thus intended to limit the revolution's independent movement capability. In this respect, the "buffer zone", despite Turkey's initial objection, is a step that Turkey will accept in order to stay in the field, because common points of Russia-Iran-Syria and Turkey has gradually shrunk while approaching to the end in Idlib.
Turkey in Difficult Situation
Of course, spreading the withdrawal process of USA over an indefinite time is not an acceptable waiting period for the Turkish colonialism, which is ready to take action, having completed the occupation plans. Meanwhile, for the Autonomous Governance, this period is considered as a time-stalling process for preparation against the occupation. On the one hand, it continues to pursue its quest for protecting its gainings through saving time with diplomatic negotiations with the Syrian regime, Russia and the United States, while at the same time taking steps to increase the self-defense organization of the people. Also for the communists, the foresight that the buffer zone plan will pave the way for Turkey's invasion plans is correct. The diplomatic steps that have been taken in keeping with the independent progress of the revolution must be combined with the strengthening of the defense and the popular organization of the revolution.
If we look at this issue more deeply from the point of view of the Turkish state, we see that the political field of action of the existing Palace fascism is very narrow. The policies of oppression and massacres raised by fascism within the country did not crush the resistance of the masses, but the regime's legitimacy crisis deepened. The recent hunger strike resistance for the abolition of isolation on Abdullah Öcalan and the fact that the HDP can mobilize its mass base through all these actions despite heavy police attacks is the latest indication of this. Moreover, what is worse for Turkey is that a swamp-like foreign policy on Syria in the last 5 years was added to the effects of deferred financial-economic crisis which can now no longer be postponed. Despite the heavy bombardment of chauvinist and racist propaganda, the fascist dictatorship could not prevent the people, who suffer from crisis, from questioning the war budget. The real impacts of the economic crisis such as unemployment and skyrocketing food prices were added to violations of the right to live, job murders, injustice in the legal system, femicides and so on.
Among the reasons why dividing lines between domestic and foreign policy of the Palace fascism are also dimmed, the crisis of imperialism influences Turkey. Changes in US Middle-East policy are among these reflections and that affects Turkey through the Kurdish question. The Kurdish question has a frontalizing effect on all political forces, along with the regional and international situation created by the Rojava revolution. At this point of the Syrian civil war, the ranks became clearer, while the Kurdish question is a new threshold of the war.
Yankee Go Home!
The withdrawal of the US from Syria is in the interest of all the peoples of the Middle East, especially the peoples of North and East Syria. The US must shove off not only from Syria, but from the entire Middle East. Thus, the anti-imperialist, anti-fascist, anti-colonial struggle for freedom based on the united struggle of peoples will reach more possibilities of progressing in its own line.
The reasoning put forth by those who has so far avoided solidarity with Rojava due to alliance with the United States, was an excuse that actually did not conform to the historical facts of the last 6 years. In fact, the US had taken a stance against Rojava and tried to organize a counter-revolution through the Syrian National Council and the Free Syrian Army in the first place. However, when this plan did not fulfill, when the axis Russia-Iran strengthened in the region, only after the victory of Kobanê, it had established a relationship with the YPG, and only at a military level. The claim that the revolution survives with the existence of the US means to ignore the thousands of martyrs fallen against ISIS and reactionary gangs. It means also to ignore the civilians killed in the Afrin occupation.
Now, with both this decision to withdraw and by putting a reward on the PKK leaders and as well as reasserting some development steps in US-Turkey relations over the Kurdish hostility, the validity of this claim is absolutely thoroughly emptied.
All imperialist forces are trying to make the Rojava revolution dependent, submitted and the only way to prevent this is the resistance of peoples and international solidarity. They ignore the Rojava's political power as they organize summits in Astana, Sochi or Geneva without any results. These summits can produce nothing but statue quo for the peoples of Middle East.
Therefore, international solidarity still remains urgent and precious against the current occupation threats and imperialist submission attempts. The revolution needs new trailing pipes to advance and all progressive forces need to focus on this point. The experience of Kobanê and Afrin resistances is ahead of us, the Rojava revolution is still up to date and should be moved back again to the agenda of all the world's oppressed.
The communists and socialists will take their place not only with their military forces, but also with their political organizations, alongside the peoples of North and East Syria. The office opened by SYPG (The Initiative for the Unity and Solidarity of Peoples) in Dırbêsiye last month, the participation of the human shield action in Serêkaniyê, the campaigns organized by SYPG, are expressions of the existence of a communist vein in the region and revolution. Communists continue to contribute to the organization of revolution in all areas as vanguards with women's organization Jinên Azad ên Sosyalîst (JAS, Free Socialist Women) and youth organization Ciwanên Komûnistên Şoreşger (CKŞ, Revolutionary Communist Youth) as well.
The defeat of Palace fascism in Turkey are intertwined with the regional revolution. Rojava is an advanced position of the unified struggle the revolutionary forces in Turkey and Kurdistan. The jump of the struggle for revolution and socialism to a new threshold depends on the preservation of this advanced position.