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A Small Key Can Open a Large Door: The Rojava Revolution
The world watched in horror last autumn as the ruthless Islamic State (commonly referred to as ISIS) marched on the small city of Kobane in northern Syria. No one expected the city to survive the attack. But it did. Mixed-gender militias with small arms held one of the most feared armies in the world at bay. The smoke cleared, and Kobane still stood.
And western media attention moved on.
The YPG and the YPJ, the militias who held the city, were fighting for their lives and their land. But even more than that, they were fighting to defend their their revolution: the Rojava Revolution. When the Assad regime began to fall, Kurds and other ethnic minorities in northern Syria carved out pockets of liberty and started one of the greatest social experiments the world has ever seen. Based on their own history of struggle and on the writings of social ecologist Murray Bookchin, the people of Rojava have developed an anti-state and anti-capitalist way of life. It’s a way of life that values feminism, direct democracy, ecological stewardship, and ethnic, linguistic, and religious pluralism. And right now, 2.5 million people are trying their hardest to defend their revolution against ISIS attacks from the south and an international trade embargo ruthlessly enforced by Turkey to the north.
Between language barriers, cultural barriers, and an international trade embargo, it can be hard to understand what is happening there. It can be hard to understand how to support the people of Rojava in their revolution. But in this short book, scholars and militia fighters alike explore and explain the situation in plain language. They discuss the Rojava principles that bind the region together and they discuss what it means to be in solidarity with those fighting in Rojava. Even beyond that, they discuss what we can learn from the brave women and men of Rojava.
And western media attention moved on.
The YPG and the YPJ, the militias who held the city, were fighting for their lives and their land. But even more than that, they were fighting to defend their their revolution: the Rojava Revolution. When the Assad regime began to fall, Kurds and other ethnic minorities in northern Syria carved out pockets of liberty and started one of the greatest social experiments the world has ever seen. Based on their own history of struggle and on the writings of social ecologist Murray Bookchin, the people of Rojava have developed an anti-state and anti-capitalist way of life. It’s a way of life that values feminism, direct democracy, ecological stewardship, and ethnic, linguistic, and religious pluralism. And right now, 2.5 million people are trying their hardest to defend their revolution against ISIS attacks from the south and an international trade embargo ruthlessly enforced by Turkey to the north.
Between language barriers, cultural barriers, and an international trade embargo, it can be hard to understand what is happening there. It can be hard to understand how to support the people of Rojava in their revolution. But in this short book, scholars and militia fighters alike explore and explain the situation in plain language. They discuss the Rojava principles that bind the region together and they discuss what it means to be in solidarity with those fighting in Rojava. Even beyond that, they discuss what we can learn from the brave women and men of Rojava.
190 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 3, 2020
"Rojava is neither a state nor a pure anarchist society."
I bought this a few years ago at Red Emmas and it is definitely propaganda from the PKK, but anyone with a high tolerance for acronyms and an interest in radical political movements can gain an understanding of the "Rojava Revolution" centered around Kurdistan.
Some call them terrorists but they see themselves as working against terror, and valuing feminism, pluralism, and shared property. They admit to targeted assassinations and more so you can judge for yourself. I wanted to understand more about the Kurdish people and region in my year of focusing my reading on the Middle East.
I bought this a few years ago at Red Emmas and it is definitely propaganda from the PKK, but anyone with a high tolerance for acronyms and an interest in radical political movements can gain an understanding of the "Rojava Revolution" centered around Kurdistan.
Some call them terrorists but they see themselves as working against terror, and valuing feminism, pluralism, and shared property. They admit to targeted assassinations and more so you can judge for yourself. I wanted to understand more about the Kurdish people and region in my year of focusing my reading on the Middle East.
January 27, 2016
An excellent and very readable collection of essays summarizing what's going on in Rojava. While all of these are written from a very sympathetic stand, it is unavoidable to not feel sympathetic for these people, holding out against both Nato-backed Turkey and ISIS, while also confronting Assad (on more peaceful terms). The essays give a good overview of what's going on in Rojava, and how it's system is working- while also presenting some criticism from inside. A truly remarkable system, only equiparable to the Spanish Anarchists during the Civil War in the late 30s. The book ends on a very positive and optimistic note, "Why Kobanî did not fall", which can be probably summarized as "The people in Kobanî have an ideology, a world view, a vision that keep them going". A possible third way for the Middle East which for now seems to work perfectly.
June 22, 2023
۱/۴/۱۴۰۲
۱۷:۰۰
"کنفدرالیسم دمکراتیک کردستان نه یک سیستم دولتی بلکه یک سیستم دمکراتیک مردمی بدون دولت است . این همراه با زنان و جوانان پیشگام ، سیستمی است که در آن تمام بخـش هـای جامعـه سـازمان های دمکراتیک خود را تکامل می دهند . سیستم مزبور سیاستی است که از سوی شهروندان آزاد و برابر کنفدرال با انتخاب نمایندگان منطقه ای آزاد خود به کار بسته می شود. این سیستم مبتنـی اسـت بـر اصـل تـوان و مهارتهای ویژه ی خود ، و قدرت خود را از مردم می گیرد و در تمام زمینه ها از جمله اقتصاد در پی رسیدن به خودبسندگی است ."
عبدالله اوجلان
کتاب شامل ۱۶ مقاله در مورد انقلاب روژاوا:
۱-روژاوا : واقعیت ها در یک نگاه
۲- یک فراخوان به خواهران و رفقایمان
۳-یک فراخوان برای رؤیای آزادی
۴- انقلاب زنان در روژاوا
۵- از انقلاب روژاوای متحد دفاع کنید
۶-مقاومت در روژاوا ، یک مقاومت فراملی
۷-مقاومت کوبانی بر استبداد غلبه خواهد
۸-کرد فراخوان به حمایت از کنفدرالیسم
۹-دمکراتیک صلح، برابری و تعیین سرنوشت
۱۰-خویش کوردستان غربی و دوره ی انقلابی
۱۱-الگوی اقتصادی روژاوا ، یک الگوی
۱۲-اشتراکی یک انقلاب در زنده گی روزمره
۱۳- کاوه هستیم در برابر ضحاکان
۱۴- برداشتها از روژاوا : گزارشی از انقلاب
۱۵-سفرنامهی یک فعال کاراکک آتونوم
۱۶-چرا کوبانی سقوط نکرد
و دو پیوست شامل:
پیوست الف قانون اساسی کانتون های روژاوا
پیوست ب خط زمانی مقاومت کردها
میباشد
۱۷:۰۰
"کنفدرالیسم دمکراتیک کردستان نه یک سیستم دولتی بلکه یک سیستم دمکراتیک مردمی بدون دولت است . این همراه با زنان و جوانان پیشگام ، سیستمی است که در آن تمام بخـش هـای جامعـه سـازمان های دمکراتیک خود را تکامل می دهند . سیستم مزبور سیاستی است که از سوی شهروندان آزاد و برابر کنفدرال با انتخاب نمایندگان منطقه ای آزاد خود به کار بسته می شود. این سیستم مبتنـی اسـت بـر اصـل تـوان و مهارتهای ویژه ی خود ، و قدرت خود را از مردم می گیرد و در تمام زمینه ها از جمله اقتصاد در پی رسیدن به خودبسندگی است ."
عبدالله اوجلان
کتاب شامل ۱۶ مقاله در مورد انقلاب روژاوا:
۱-روژاوا : واقعیت ها در یک نگاه
۲- یک فراخوان به خواهران و رفقایمان
۳-یک فراخوان برای رؤیای آزادی
۴- انقلاب زنان در روژاوا
۵- از انقلاب روژاوای متحد دفاع کنید
۶-مقاومت در روژاوا ، یک مقاومت فراملی
۷-مقاومت کوبانی بر استبداد غلبه خواهد
۸-کرد فراخوان به حمایت از کنفدرالیسم
۹-دمکراتیک صلح، برابری و تعیین سرنوشت
۱۰-خویش کوردستان غربی و دوره ی انقلابی
۱۱-الگوی اقتصادی روژاوا ، یک الگوی
۱۲-اشتراکی یک انقلاب در زنده گی روزمره
۱۳- کاوه هستیم در برابر ضحاکان
۱۴- برداشتها از روژاوا : گزارشی از انقلاب
۱۵-سفرنامهی یک فعال کاراکک آتونوم
۱۶-چرا کوبانی سقوط نکرد
و دو پیوست شامل:
پیوست الف قانون اساسی کانتون های روژاوا
پیوست ب خط زمانی مقاومت کردها
میباشد
July 17, 2017
From an interview with Dr. Ahmet Yusuf:
The world experienced a revolution in 1492. In 1498 it experienced another. The results were hardly beneficial but they have come to be remembered as revolutions. Let us accept them and assess them as such. In 1492 Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas. In 1498 Vasco da Gama was exploring Africa and passing behind Africa was able to reach India. Following these two encounters a period of savagery and oppression begins on earth. The wealth of the locals whose land had been “discovered” were seized. The foundations of the capitalist nation-state were being laid in the flows of Mercantilism. The nation-state, whose foundations had been laid in this period, became much stronger during its classical period in the 19th Century. The savagery which emerged with this development was of its own creation. It also had the name of capitalism. It looked upon life, communities, societies, and nature only with the eyes of the colonialist. Externally it developed through oppression, colonialism, and pillage, while internally it did not recognize the right to life of the poorer classes. Representatives of the church also played a role in these developments, for example Robert Malthus. Economic developments in the world grew along this first course.
The second course began with the publication of the Communist Manifesto developed under the leadership of Karl Marx in the 1840s. Existing savagery and oppression in the market was to be taken from the capitalists and transferred to the state. The second course developed in opposition to the first. The 20th Century saw a little development in this direction but it was not able to produce a solution for the social or economic problems of humanity. Nor could it solve the problems of freedom for communities, peoples and cultures. Communities were only considered with respect to economic factors. For that reason the problems of freedom, equality, and justice could not be solved. This [second] course was shaped by Marxist-Leninism. It became concrete in the guise of the Soviet Union. It saw some development. However it was also organized as a dictatorship of the Proletariat. Capitalist countries closed themselves against it in fear. They were seized with fear that communism would spread from Eastern to Western Europe. For this reason certain social and economic schools of thought founded in the West came out with a third course. This was a new course. Its goal was to obstruct the spread of Communism in Europe, to prevent it. They planned to accomplish this by returning some of the rights seized from the poor and from workers during capitalism’s development. This third course became stronger through the 1950s, 60s and 70s. This course created a beautiful life for the workers of Germany, France and Switzerland. Workers became the bearers of other rights than just labor rights. In the Scandinavian countries workers achieved this at a very high level.
In 1991, with the fall of the Soviet Union, this course disappeared. Capitalism took back the rights which it had recognized for workers out of fear of communism one by one.
The course set out by the Kurdish People’s leader Abdullah Öcalan emerges in the 1990s after this collapse. It strengthened as it went forward. For that reason I don’t think that calling it a third course quite fits. In fact it sounds as if it is an attempt to identify it with the third course that has collapsed and is disappearing [in the West.] This course, whose foundations were laid in the 1990s, became laid in more general terms after 1999. The details became clearer after 2007. Because in these years a crisis of capitalism was emerging. In my opinion this course is a fourth course as regards the economy. Not the third course. It is a course that rests on society, social development, life, and the organization of life. It is a course which comments on and evaluates Capitalism, Marxism, and the opinions of Rosa Luxembourg. It is a course which is against a monopoly economy. It is a course that will protect the existence of communities in so much that it is a course that pays attention to ecology to the upmost. It is a course that will find a solution for the social and economic problems of the people of the region and the world. Of course for this course to develop it must be well-presented. We cannot keep it to ourselves. We need to familiarize [others] with it through practical steps.
The world experienced a revolution in 1492. In 1498 it experienced another. The results were hardly beneficial but they have come to be remembered as revolutions. Let us accept them and assess them as such. In 1492 Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas. In 1498 Vasco da Gama was exploring Africa and passing behind Africa was able to reach India. Following these two encounters a period of savagery and oppression begins on earth. The wealth of the locals whose land had been “discovered” were seized. The foundations of the capitalist nation-state were being laid in the flows of Mercantilism. The nation-state, whose foundations had been laid in this period, became much stronger during its classical period in the 19th Century. The savagery which emerged with this development was of its own creation. It also had the name of capitalism. It looked upon life, communities, societies, and nature only with the eyes of the colonialist. Externally it developed through oppression, colonialism, and pillage, while internally it did not recognize the right to life of the poorer classes. Representatives of the church also played a role in these developments, for example Robert Malthus. Economic developments in the world grew along this first course.
The second course began with the publication of the Communist Manifesto developed under the leadership of Karl Marx in the 1840s. Existing savagery and oppression in the market was to be taken from the capitalists and transferred to the state. The second course developed in opposition to the first. The 20th Century saw a little development in this direction but it was not able to produce a solution for the social or economic problems of humanity. Nor could it solve the problems of freedom for communities, peoples and cultures. Communities were only considered with respect to economic factors. For that reason the problems of freedom, equality, and justice could not be solved. This [second] course was shaped by Marxist-Leninism. It became concrete in the guise of the Soviet Union. It saw some development. However it was also organized as a dictatorship of the Proletariat. Capitalist countries closed themselves against it in fear. They were seized with fear that communism would spread from Eastern to Western Europe. For this reason certain social and economic schools of thought founded in the West came out with a third course. This was a new course. Its goal was to obstruct the spread of Communism in Europe, to prevent it. They planned to accomplish this by returning some of the rights seized from the poor and from workers during capitalism’s development. This third course became stronger through the 1950s, 60s and 70s. This course created a beautiful life for the workers of Germany, France and Switzerland. Workers became the bearers of other rights than just labor rights. In the Scandinavian countries workers achieved this at a very high level.
In 1991, with the fall of the Soviet Union, this course disappeared. Capitalism took back the rights which it had recognized for workers out of fear of communism one by one.
The course set out by the Kurdish People’s leader Abdullah Öcalan emerges in the 1990s after this collapse. It strengthened as it went forward. For that reason I don’t think that calling it a third course quite fits. In fact it sounds as if it is an attempt to identify it with the third course that has collapsed and is disappearing [in the West.] This course, whose foundations were laid in the 1990s, became laid in more general terms after 1999. The details became clearer after 2007. Because in these years a crisis of capitalism was emerging. In my opinion this course is a fourth course as regards the economy. Not the third course. It is a course that rests on society, social development, life, and the organization of life. It is a course which comments on and evaluates Capitalism, Marxism, and the opinions of Rosa Luxembourg. It is a course which is against a monopoly economy. It is a course that will protect the existence of communities in so much that it is a course that pays attention to ecology to the upmost. It is a course that will find a solution for the social and economic problems of the people of the region and the world. Of course for this course to develop it must be well-presented. We cannot keep it to ourselves. We need to familiarize [others] with it through practical steps.
August 12, 2015
This is a must read for anyone interested in what's going on in Syria. The brave men and women of Rojava are doing something not seen since the Spanish civil war, forming a non-state, egalitarian structured society. All of this in the midst of a civil war fighting off the Syrian dictator Assad, the Fascist/Islamist ISIS forces, and the Western backed Turkish government.
March 9, 2016
An excellent introduction to what's happening in Northern Syria right now. Opens with a quick but filling history of the Kurds as pawns in global geopolitical chess. And then unfolds with first-person accounts of how Rojava has launched one of the most inspiring "anti-nationalist" social movements in the world.
Highly recommended as a starter text.
Highly recommended as a starter text.
June 20, 2017
Fluff. There is just too much that is stated without any argument or evidence, too much oversimplification of the parties involved, their motivations, and the solutions. The essays read like summaries of actual content that never comes. The interviews are better.
February 4, 2016
Very good introduction/overview of the revolution in rojava, told through essays, letters and statements written by activists, politicians and citizens.
November 23, 2017
This short compact book is a good introductory read for anyone wanting an overview of what the Rojava Revolution (or more widely the Kurdish Question) is all about. A comprehensive introduction gives a good introduction to the historical situation of the Kurds before more specifically giving a potted history of how Rojava emerged from the meltdown of Syria and the rise of Islamist terror in the region. As the write says the Kurds have historically been pawns in other players games (something that the PKK and YPG/YPJ have been keen to right becoming their own players turning the tables on the regional monarchs. As the introduction comments "Kurdish autonomy has been used as a functional and disposable tool for achieving other countries' agendas (...) Kurdish autonomy has always been a means to an end, never an end in itself, for the many states that have gotten involved over the years". The evolution of a new method of doing politics and government - "Democratic Confederalism" - developed by imprisoned Kurdish leader Mr Ocalan inspired in part by the work of Murray Bookchin at last has provided what is probably the best hope for Kurds in the region. That is in the unlikely event that the rest of the world is prepared to let the experiment continue (unlikely given the serious threat of a good example and serious threat to the power and wealth of the global minority that Democratic Confederalism represents). The rest of the book is a collection of writings and interviews with key players and experts who discuss specific aspects of the revolution social, military, economic and most importantly the revolutionary and liberating place of women in the movement. The chapter by Dilar Dirik (whose writing on Kurdish issues is amongst the best) "The Women's Revolution in Rojava" is worth the price of the book alone. Slightly tighter editing would have helped the book but its a work well worth having. As one report by an academic highlights delegates were repeatedly told "The point of the revolution ... is not to replace one government with another, it is to end the rule of the state" - not a new reveolutionary goal and one which has failed badly many times but Democratic Confederalism is the best method yet to try to make this a successful and happy reality. Read this book, join the cause!
December 31, 2018
Closing this year in books with a little anthology that is a jewel in itself.
I confess I was very ignorant about the struggle of the Kurdish people. It was this small book that opened that huge door for me. What is happening in Rojava sounds like a real revolution, where new systems of organisation are being implemented, tested, experienced and improved as needed.
The whole world needs to know how this region has been torn with war, and in the middle of it all, the Kurdish people and their neighbours have had enough. They have made a confederation, organised from the bottom up, where everyone is explicitly included.
Women are a vital part of this revolution inspired and set forth by the currently imprisoned leader
Abdullah Öcalan, or Apo. Turkey hates the idea of an anarchist confederation next door, and has done everything it can to stop it.
But still, the will of the people, their kindness and social awareness, makes them prosper. Against all odds, the seeds of a new system that explicitly rejects capitalism, authoritarianism and discrimination are sprouting in one of the most violent environments. The whole world should learn about Democratic Confederalism, about the Asayish, the YPG and the YPJ, the assemblies, about Kobane, Afrin and Qamishli.
I was inspired by this awesome recount of what is possible, of how we can live together and look after each other with motivations other than self centered power or money struggles. Long live the Rojava Revolution! The world stands with your brave people!
I confess I was very ignorant about the struggle of the Kurdish people. It was this small book that opened that huge door for me. What is happening in Rojava sounds like a real revolution, where new systems of organisation are being implemented, tested, experienced and improved as needed.
The whole world needs to know how this region has been torn with war, and in the middle of it all, the Kurdish people and their neighbours have had enough. They have made a confederation, organised from the bottom up, where everyone is explicitly included.
Women are a vital part of this revolution inspired and set forth by the currently imprisoned leader
Abdullah Öcalan, or Apo. Turkey hates the idea of an anarchist confederation next door, and has done everything it can to stop it.
But still, the will of the people, their kindness and social awareness, makes them prosper. Against all odds, the seeds of a new system that explicitly rejects capitalism, authoritarianism and discrimination are sprouting in one of the most violent environments. The whole world should learn about Democratic Confederalism, about the Asayish, the YPG and the YPJ, the assemblies, about Kobane, Afrin and Qamishli.
I was inspired by this awesome recount of what is possible, of how we can live together and look after each other with motivations other than self centered power or money struggles. Long live the Rojava Revolution! The world stands with your brave people!
February 12, 2025
This small book contains some decent essays, a good summary of the history of the Kurdish struggle, and illuminating firsthand looks at the situation on the ground in Rojava, and I do recommend it for anyone who wants a concise summary of the situation - but read it critically. Much of it is propaganda, and as a whole it should serve only as a primer and a stepping-off point for future research and not a reliable source in and of itself.
Recommended Sections:
Rojava: Facts at a Glance and Introduction
The Women’s Revolution in Rojava: Defeating Fascism by Constructing an Alternative Society
A Revolution in Daily Life: Cizîrê Canton, Rojava
Impressions of Rojava: a report from the revolution
The Travel Account of a Karakök Autonome Activist
Recommended Sections:
Rojava: Facts at a Glance and Introduction
The Women’s Revolution in Rojava: Defeating Fascism by Constructing an Alternative Society
A Revolution in Daily Life: Cizîrê Canton, Rojava
Impressions of Rojava: a report from the revolution
The Travel Account of a Karakök Autonome Activist
November 7, 2019
A Small Key Can Open A Large Door is the quintessential introduction to the Rojava Revolution. The first section is written by some of the editors and is an excellent crash course into the history of the region covering major events and some of the basic facets of the revolution. The rest of the book is divided into short essays written by various people involved one way or another in the ongoing struggle followed by an appendices covering the constitution of Rojava Cantons, timeline, and a lexicon.
January 5, 2018
Great resource for a brief understanding of Rojava and the ideologies and people like Murray Bookchin and Abdullah Öcalan that influenced it. Not much of an historical text if you’re looking for one, although there is a rough timeline related to Kurdistan in general towards the end. The Constitution of the (3) Rojava Cantons is included. Truly a misunderstood and underreported region of the world, even during periods when heavy attention has been directed towards the Syrian civil war.
July 10, 2017
The book as a collection of documents and manifestos of the Rojava community was an interesting approach to publishing, but not rewriting the mission of Rojava as a representation of the Kurdish independence movement. It left me excited and curious to know more about the personal and social effects of this project though. Was overall a great foundation/introduction.
May 16, 2017
A good book, but by no means is it an in-depth analysis. A compilation of articles that people have probably already read if they were interested in the topic. But I would definitely recommend for an introduction.
September 24, 2019
Great read
While short, this is nice and informative. I enjoyed it a lot. If you want a primer of what Rojava is all about, here it is.
While short, this is nice and informative. I enjoyed it a lot. If you want a primer of what Rojava is all about, here it is.
Read
March 3, 2020✊🏽
January 21, 2018
El libro es chiquitito y un poco superficial, pero la cosa está bien interesante.
February 18, 2016
Excellent little book...read it...
March 28, 2017
Awe-inspiring.
June 2, 2017
Very informative collection of writings about the development of and community functions in Rojava.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews