This report is based on a review of existing (grey) literature on the Syrian civil war and the YPG/PYD (referenced), official documents that are publicly available (referenced), leaked (but verified) documents from the Syrian government (see Annex 1); a review of Kurdish, Arab and international media (referenced); and 85 interviews conducted during field research in Istanbul, northeast Syria, Erbil, Şanlıurfa and Brussels (details below) between mid-2019 and early 2021.
Our interviewees included representatives of local authorities, members of opposition parties, journalists, members of armed forces, think tank members, lawyers, tribal leaders, intellectuals, ordinary citizens from all walks of life, and representatives of Western governments.
| Category |
No. of interviews |
Organisations/affiliations |
|---|---|---|
| Local authorities and representatives |
9 |
SDC, PYD |
| Kurdish opposition parties |
13 |
KNC, PDK-S, The Kurdish Democratic Equality Party in Syria, The Kurdish Reform Movement, The Kurdish Democratic Left Party in Syria, Association of Independent Kurds |
| Journalists |
6 |
Syria TV, Zenan Radio, Al Araby, independents |
| Armed forces |
6 |
Defectors, former Syrian regime intelligence, YPG |
| Individuals affiliated with tribes |
7 |
Sheikhs, ordinary tribesmen and researchers focused on tribal affairs |
| Arab/Assyrian opposition |
11 |
Politicians |
| Experts |
18 |
Lawyers, intellectuals, analysts and researchers of various Middle Eastern origins, and some of Dutch origin |
| Activists & local residents |
12 |
Syrian Kurdish |
| Western government representatives |
3 |
Former and serving diplomats from the US and the Netherlands |
| Total |
85 |
Interviews between August 2019 and February 2021 |
Interviews were conducted on a confidential basis to protect the safety of our interviewees. They are referenced in the analysis mostly as source of direct quotations that have been edited for clarity, indicating only the organisation/affiliation, place and date of interview. The interviews varied in duration and method. Most were semi-structured conversations based on an interview protocol lasting from one to several hours. Others were improvised on the spot and lasted up to 30 minutes. Yet others took place in several instalments by WhatsApp or other means. We also spoke with some interviewees more than once to keep track of developments (not included in the 85 interviews listed). This was done mostly by WhatsApp voice messages.