Panel Discussion on Rojava

'Beyond the Front Lines: Kurds, Minorities, and Syria’s Unfinished Uprising'

Dr Yunus Abakay, University of Exeter

Abstract: Syria is entering a dangerous phase as the transitional government intensifies attacks on the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), reshaping front lines and risking the country's fragile political state. The post-Ba'ath conflicts, including attacks on the Alawite-populated coastal region in March 2025, the Druze-populated Suwayda in July 2025, and the current attacks on the Kurds in the North, should not be seen only as military but also as competing visions for the future. Linking past oppression, current clashes, and future political paths, we invite you to reflect on how ongoing fighting in Syria is reshaping the struggle for dignity, freedom, and justice for the Kurds and other minoritised communities.

'Rojava at the Crossroads: Extremism, Abandonment, and the Future of Regional Stability'

Dr Seevan Saeed, Shaanxi Normal University- China

Northeastern Syria (Rojava) has entered a critical phase in which unresolved political status, shifting international priorities, and regional power rivalries are converging to undermine hard-won security gains. This development exposes a widening gap between Western counterterrorism rhetoric and sustained political commitment to local governance structures in Rojava. The USA and allied engagement remain largely tactical, offering limited institutional semi-recognition or long-term security guarantees to Rojava. Such strategic ambiguity creates conditions that extremist networks can exploit. This talk argues that the persistence of extremists reflect not intentional revival, but strategic neglect, revealing how geopolitical short-termism undermines durable stability in a conflict environments.