“Syria, the SDF, and What Comes Next” with Sirwan Kajjo
The emergent Islamist government in Damascus and the Kurdish-dominated, US aligned Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria’s north east are currently engaged in a complex, multi-layered process of negotiation. Can a reimagined Syrian state that integrates northeast Syria and the SDF offer a path away from extremism—or is western trust in HTS and Damascus misplaced? Is a decentralized Syria an inevitability? What is the role of US mediation, and of the ambitions of neighboring powers?
Sirwan Kajjo is a journalist and researcher specializing in Kurdish politics, Islamic militancy, and Syrian affairs. He has contributed two book chapters on Syria and the Kurds, published by Indiana University Press and Cambridge University Press. His writings on Syrian and Kurdish issues have appeared in the Middle East Forum, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and other prominent think tanks and publications. Kajjo is the author of Nothing But Soot, a novel set in Syria. He holds a B.A. in government and international politics from George Mason University.
