Kurdish autonomy collapses as Damascus takes full control of northeast

For more than a decade, northeastern Syria existed as a semi-detached political and military space, shaped by war, external sponsorship, and local autonomy. That arrangement has now collapsed, signaling a decisive re-centralization of power by Damascus. The sudden disappearance of Kurdish self-rule marks not just a territorial shift, but a structural reordering of authority inside Syria. While the government presents this as national reunification, the speed and scale of the transition introduce new risks beneath the surface. Integrating formerly autonomous regions requires more than military control; it demands political accommodation, economic absorption, and social legitimacy. The coming phase will determine whether unification produces stability—or merely replaces one unresolved conflict with another.

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