“We, the people of the Democratic Autonomous Regions of Afrin, Jazira and Kobane, a confederation of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Arameans, Turkmen, Armenians and Chechens, freely and solemnly declare and establish this Charter.” Preamble, Democratic Federation of Northern Syria Constitution.

For decades, dictators have ruled Iraq and Syria, both Saddam Hussein and Hafez Assad led with an iron fist, eradicating all those who opposed their reign. Today Saddam is gone and Hafez is replaced by his son, Bashar, who has also lost legitimacy among civilians within the Syrian territory and the international community. The lack of governance in Syria left a void to be filled, not by the Islamic State (IS), but by the Syrian Kurds. Often branded as the Syrian experiment, the Kurds in the northern territory of the country have proven to be effective partners for locals who were frequently persecuted during the reign of the Assad’s.