Syrian Kurds After The "Arab Spring"

The Kurds is one minority group with the biggest population in Syria,and the main Kurdish areas there are in the Jazira province of Northeast Syria and Ayn al-Arab in North Syria,etc.Historically,the relationship between the Kurds and the local society in Syria was relatively harmonious.In the first chapter of this paper,the author briefly introduces the situation of the Kurdsin Ottoman Empire and the Mandatory period.After World War I,the Kurdish issue appeared in Syria.After Arabia Baath Party came to power in 1963,the Kurdish issue Syria gradually intensified.Especially during the Assad administration,the Kurds suffered unfair treatment,and their situation began to deteriorate.In 1963,the government of Syria conducted a census for the Kurdish population in Jazira province,as a result the 120 thousand Kurds were deprived of citizenship,and since then they were discriminated in education,employment and other aspects.After that the government promoted the establishment of the "Arab Belt",a large number of Arabs moved into the Kurdish region,and the government's action was a method of"Arabization" of the traditional Kurdish home.In 2000,after Assad's son Bashar became president,the suppression of Kurdish culture by him was even more than that of his father.The political movement of"Arab Spring",which broke out in the end of 2010,swept the whole of Arab world,and had an unprecedented impact on the Kurds in Syria.The second chapter is an analysis of the Rojava autonomous region.After a series of efforts,the Kurdish Democratic Union Party(PYD)established Rojava autonomous region in July,2013,and officially announced the autonomous plan in November,with the establishment of the PYD-led autonomous government.Rojava autonomous region includes 4 cantons—Jazira,Kobani,Afrin and Shahba,across North Syria and connecting Turkey.The third chapter discusses the foreign relations of the Kurdish autonomous region,including the relationship with the government of Syria,the opposition and the IS.The relationship between the Kurdish autonomous region and the opposition can be summed up as both conflict and cooperation.Then,it discusses the relationship between the Kurdish autonomous region and the great powers in the Middle East,such as Turkey,as well as its relationship with the United States and Russia.From the analysis of this chapter,the relationship between the factions in the civil war in Syria is very complex,and the Kurds are an important force.The fourth chapter is the conclusion of this paper.Firstly,it analyzes the development and characteristics of the Kurdish problem in other three countries in the Middle East,namely Turkey,Iraq and Iran.After that,it discusses the prospect of the Kurdish movement in the four countries,and points out that the trend of development may be the autonomy in the nation-state concerned.The prospect of the Kurdish issue in Syria is analyzed,and the author thinks that the possible situation of the Kurdish autonomous region in Syria is the coexistence of opportunities and risks.