The changing dynamics in Syria, following the ouster of Bashar Assad, have set the stage for a confrontation between the new government in Damascus and the YPG — the offshoot of the PKK terrorist group — in northeastern Syria. Having achieved a degree of internal stability and made significant progress in strengthening its regional and international standing, the transitional government is now turning its attention to the broader objective of unifying Syria. For Damascus, the dissolution of all armed groups is a critical imperative for consolidating authority and restoring Syria’s territorial integrity. To that end, it has proposed a political solution to the YPG. Whether through political dialogue or military means, the transitional government appears resolute in its commitment to bring all of Syria under centralized control.
However, the YPG has rejected Damascus’s political proposal, maintaining its ambition to preserve autonomy and control over the territories it currently occupies. Although negotiations between the two sides are ongoing, their contrasting visions for Syria’s political future have prevented meaningful progress. Meanwhile, Damascus is steadily gaining the upper hand over the YPG, consolidating its position both domestically and internationally. Yet, unwilling to acknowledge the shifting dynamics working against it, the YPG continues to drag its feet. As a result, the YPG and the transitional government are on a collision course, as their mutually exclusive objectives make the prospect of a negotiated settlement increasingly tenuous. Should the YPG persist in its intransigent stance against an increasingly confident Damascus, the prevailing deadlock is likely to endure, exacerbating tensions and heightening the risk of open confrontation.
