Kobane is free, after 134 days of fighting off ISIL. Time for some cheers among the tears. The next step is about global witness not just of the military achievement but the politics which underlies it in Kobane and the rest of Rojava. Sure theyre idealistic - in a world of abject cynicism. Sure history suggests that they have a moths chance in hell of surviving politically. But theyve been the boots on the ground for a conflict the West partly created and was rendered politically incapable of doing anything about. Theyve been fighting for you and me, taking the casualties and the pain. All the different kinds of pain. Can we at least *watch diligently* and beg our governments to give them a fricken chance? That is, to NOT betray them (Im talking to the USA, Turkey, and the EU in particular). They are hope in a region that has very little. A *way* to live without sectarian strife, without patriarchy, without domination. A way not merely for Kobane but perhaps for the region. Isnt it time for us, the world, to look honestly at new options, especially in this region? The tired sentiment that there is no alternative to the current system doesnt hold up when there is no working system at all. Anyway, thats my view of the immediate future: diligent betrayal-watch. Tonight, a bottle of champagne that Dawn and I have been saving for months for this moment. Actually it will be a combination of Mozarts birthday, Socceroos vs UAE, and victory in Kobane! An evening to cheer!
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 00:32:49 +0000
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