Federalization of Syria

This article is about the recent proposal to create a federal Syria. For the earlier period of federalism, see Syrian Federation.

The federalization of Syria has been controversially proposed as a possible solution to end the Syrian Civil War.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} In the broadest sense, it means turning the centralized Syrian Arab Republic into a federal republic with autonomous subdivisions. Many powers and actors involved in the Syrian Civil War have entertained the idea of "federal division", not least among them Russia, United Nations representatives, the United States^[3] and Israel.^[6] Bashar al-Assad has publicly rejected the idea of federalism, asserting that the Arab majority in Syria is opposed to such proposals.^[a] Most of the neighbouring countries in the region have also dismissed the proposal, including the members of the Arab League and Turkey.^[12][13]

Governorates and districts of Syria

Syrian Civil War frontlines

Ethno-religious composition (1976)

The regions of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria

Due to the fact that federalization would more or less follow ethnic and possibly also religious-sectarian lines, it has been dismissed as "division of the country" and "Balkanization" by its opponents.^[2][4] Most factions of the Syrian opposition, such as the Syrian National Council and the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, have consistently rejected the idea of federalization.^[14] On the other hand, Kurdish opposition parties have strongly promoted the idea.^[3] The Egypt-based opposition party Syria's Tomorrow Movement takes an intermediate position.^[15][16]

Timeline during the Syrian Civil War

On 17 March 2016, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria was unilaterally declared a federation of autonomous cantons modelled after the cantons of Switzerland; Afrin Canton, Jazira Canton and Kobanî Canton, as well as the Shahba region. The federation is considered by its protagonists to be a model for Syria as a whole.^[17] The move was dismissed by the Syrian government and disapproved of by Turkey and the United States.^[18]

In September 2016, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, came out in an interview as one of the first regional politicians taking a public stand for the federalization of Syria. He said that the establishment of a federal system in Syria would "guarantee to preserve the institutions and unity" and that a federal system would be "the most appropriate solution and will protect the country from destruction."^[19]

In October 2016, a Russian initiative for federalization with a focus on northern Syria was reported, which at its core called for the existing institutions of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria to be recognised by the Syrian government, which rejected the call.^[20]

After multilateral peace talks in Astana in January 2017, Russia offered a draft for a future constitution of Syria, which would inter alia turn the "Syrian Arab Republic" into the "Republic of Syria", introduce decentralized authorities as well as elements of federalism like "association areas", strengthen the parliament at the cost of the presidency, and realize secularism by abolishing Islamic jurisprudence as a source of legislation.^{[21][22][23][24]} The same month, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that "implementation of a Dayton style accord in Syria and introduction of some form of a federal solution in Syria (...) may indeed be the right way forward or the only way forward in the end of all this."^[25]

Historical antecedents

 

Map showing the states of the French Mandate from 1921 to 1922

During the French mandate, Syria was subdivided into various autonomous entities, most of which bore the designation "state" (in French État; in Arabic Dawlat):

• the State of the Alawites
• the Province of Jazira
• the Jabal Druze State (originally called the State of Souaida)
• the State of Aleppo
• the State of Damascus
• the State of Greater Lebanon
• the State of Hatay (originally called the Sanjak of Alexandretta)
• the State of Syria

These autonomous entities did not correspond to the administrative division of Ottoman Syria. France ceded Hatay to Turkey in 1939, and Lebanon became an independent state (separate from the rest of Syria) in 1945.

See also

•  Asia portal

• Constitution of Syria
• Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
• Ethnic groups in Syria
• Regions of Rojava
• Religion in Syria
• Sectarianism and minorities in the Syrian Civil War
• Syrian Democratic Forces
• Syrian peace process

Notes

1. Sources:^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

References

1. Michael O'Hanlon (3 September 2015). "How will Syria's war end? Other civil wars suggest an answer". Washington Post.
2. "Is partitioning Syria a viable option?". Global Risk Insights.
3. "Syria civil war: Key powers 'consider federal division'". Al Jazeera. March 2016.
4. "US, Israel Consider 'Balkanization' of Syria: Coalition Source". Syrian Observer. 13 July 2015.
5. Zeina Karam And Dan Perry, The Associated Press (29 September 2015). "Partitioning Syria may be the only answer to a devastating civil war with no end in sight". National Post.
6. . SETA. 2016. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023.
7. Sheikho, Kamal (1 April 2016). . Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021.
8. Said, Nebehay, Rodi, Stephanie (16 March 2016). . Reuters. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
9. Arafat, Hisham (31 March 2016). . Kurdistan 24. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023.
10. . rudaw. 14 October 2016. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017.
11. . Nationalia. 17 March 2016. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016.
12. . Ahramonline. 21 March 2016. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023.
13. Ziadeh, Radwan (13 March 2017). . Arab Center Washington DC. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023.
14. Sources:
    • Arafat, Hisham (31 March 2016). . Kurdistan 24. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023.
    • . Nationalia. 17 March 2016. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016.
    • Sheikho, Kamal (1 April 2016). . Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021.
    • "Syria civil war: Key powers 'consider federal division'". Al Jazeera. March 2016.
15. "Agreement for the future of Syria". ANF. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
16. "Unlikely partners join forces to lead by example in Syriaa". Al-Monitor. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
17. "ANALYSIS: 'This is a new Syria, not a new Kurdistan'". Middle East Eye. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
18. "Syria conflict: Kurds declare federal system". BBC News. 17 March 2016.
19. . ARA News. 28 September 2016. Archived from the original on October 1, 2016.
20. "Syria rejects Russian proposal for Kurdish federation". Al-Monitor. 24 October 2016.
21. "Syria Opposition Rejects Russian Draft of New Constitution". Bloomberg. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
22. "Syrian draft constitution recognizes Kurdish language, no mentions of federalism". Rudaw. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
23. "رووداو تنشر مسودة الدستور السوري التي أعدها خبراء روس". Rudaw. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
24. . ARA News. 26 January 2017. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
25. . ARA News. 27 January 2017. Archived from the original on January 27, 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.

External links

• Kheder Khaddour (28 March 2017). "Local Wars and the Chance for Decentralized Peace in Syria". Carnegie Middle East Center.
• Semih Idiz (1 February 2017). "Turkey squeezed between Russia, US in Syria". Al-Monitor.
• "No Going Back: Why decentralisation is the future for Syria" (PDF). European Council on Foreign Relations. September 2016.
• "Syria: Opinions and Attitudes on Federalism, Decentralization, and the experience of the Democratic Self-Administration". The Day After (TDA). April 2016.
• Fabrice Balanche (3 December 2015). "Ethnic Cleansing Threatens Syria's Unity". The Washington Institute.
• "Partition: It's time to recognise reality in Syria". London School of Economics and Political Science, USAPP. 3 October 2015.
• "Deconstructing Syria: Towards a regionalized strategy for a confederal country". Brookings. 23 June 2015.
• Khaddour, K.; Mazur, K. (2013). "The Struggle for Syria's Regions". Middle East Report. 43: 269–.