COVID and the Solidarity Ethos in North and East Syria
Syrian Democratic Times, 2020
"Crisis and suffering have always had the power to bring clarity. When lives are at stake, competing values are inevitably brought into the sharpest relief. Coronavirus has been no different in this basic sense, but even among crises it is remarkable for the sheer scope of its impact and its truly global reach.
Worldwide, the coronavirus has triggered debates about the nature of our shared responsibilities, not only in individual cities or countries, but across borders of nationality, language, and belief. Together we measure profit against solidarity, liberty against duty, and even the spiritual against the physical."
Against the Odds, a Stable Economy in Syria
Syrian Democratic Times, 2020
"Democracy, it must be remembered, will not ultimately be fostered by force of arms, but by its ability to create a thriving society in daily life. The AANES has taken many promising steps to build this democratic foundation, an accomplishment in a region long viewed in the West with suspicion and cynicism. The interests of world powers have too often obscured the real progress created on the ground by the AANES’s governance. The biggest story may yet be that, out of the tragedy of war, the seeds are planted not only for a pluralistic, feminist, and democratic economy, but also a democratic society. It would be the ultimate tragedy if this vision itself was suffocated by short-sighted policy and a lack of political will."