Publication

This paper examines the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the armed unit of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which was formed in 2003 and is the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) of Turkey. More specifically, the author discusses 1) the political beliefs of the PYD and YPG, and how they mainly adhere to the ideas of the PKK; 2) the military organization and capabilities of the YPG and how it has contributed to their successes against Islamic State (IS); 3) the political system created by the PYD in the region it has gained control of in Syria; 4) the relationship between the EU, the US and the YPG; 5) Turkey’s position towards the YPG and how it is informed by its conflict with the PKK and issues related to Kurdish independence; and 6) the strategic importance of the YPG in the fight against IS.