Forum in Hasakah reopens debate on “integration” and building a decentralized Syria

HASAKAH, North and East Syria — The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) convened a dialogue forum in Hasakah under the title “The March 10 Agreement… and Integration toward a Pluralistic, Decentralized Syria” in a crowded hall of tribal, social, and religious figures. While appearing at first glance a local gathering, the discussions among participants carried a broader tone, raising essential questions about the future of governance in Syria and the place of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of the Region of North and East Syria (DAARNES) and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in that future. 

In his opening remarks, SDC Relations Office co-chair Hassan Mohammed Ali underscored that dialogue with the government in Daramsuq (Damascus) “is not a concession of principles,” but an attempt to pursue a new path after over a decade of war. He pointed to the March 10 Agreement as a possible basis for restoring trust, insisting that “integration” must be democratic and substantive rather than a symbolic incorporation of DAARNES into state bureaucracy. 

Mohammed Ali added that the absence of a constitution and legitimate elections deprives the transitional government of a true representative base, whereas the DAARNES “enjoys broader legitimacy” rooted in local governance experience. He called for a comprehensive national dialogue conference to rewrite the constitution on decentralized foundations, stressing that any return to past centralism is “completely unacceptable.” 

Viyan Adar, a member of the General Command of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), said the Syrian government continues to stall, proposing the integration of “non-regular factions” instead of building a unified national army. She emphasized that clinging to a centralist or religious mindset would only reproduce failure, stressing that for them, war is “a means, not a goal.” 

Tribal sheikhs and clerics in attendance underscored their popular and tribal support for the SDF and the DAARNES. They voiced concern over massacres witnessed in areas such as the coast and Suwayda, rejected what they described as attempts to “discredit the tribes,” and called for confronting hate speech and incitement as the greatest threat to any national project. 

In Hasakah, the forum put a pressing question on the table: can Syria after the war embrace decentralization as a framework for peaceful coexistence among its communities? While participants voiced optimism, they acknowledged that the outcome ultimately rests on negotiations still pending between the Syrian government and DAARNES.