LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Syria has just days to integrate Kurdish militia forces into its national military. The Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and the new Syrian government signed a peace deal in March with a deadline of the end of this year. But that integration not only hasn't happened yet. Just this week, the SDF and Syria's national forces fought each other in the city of Aleppo. The two sides quickly agreed to stop shooting, but it's not clear how long that will last. So what does this all mean for the future of this new Syria's security and its national unity? To discuss that, we're joined by Wa'el Alzayat. He is a former Syria outreach coordinator at the State Department. Good morning, and thank you for being on the program.
WA'EL ALZAYAT: Good morning. Thank you for having me.
FADEL: Wa'el, the deadline is just a few days away. Is there a path that this integration can happen?
ALZAYAT: It's unclear. It does not necessarily mean that there will be an all-out war if this deadline comes and goes with that agreement, but it certainly raises the prospects of one or at least continued skirmishes like we just seen a few days ago.
FADEL: Yeah.
ALZAYAT: But definitely, I think both sides do understand, I think, that the prospect of that all-out war is - would be devastating for all involved. And the leaderships on both sides are trying to avoid it, but definitely there's an impasse.
FADEL: What are the main challenges here, the main sticking points? Is it...
ALZAYAT: Yeah.
FADEL: ...A lack of trust?
ALZAYAT: That, for sure. They simply not only not know each other well, but they fought against each other before the toppling of Assad, but also the integration of the military units of the Kurdish militias, the SDF, the Syrian Democratic Forces, into the broader national army. Damascus wants them to be integrated as individuals, while the SDF wants them to be integrated as a whole unit. And that's a really big sticking point for both sides.
FADEL: Now, the SDF, the Kurdish-dominated forces, are U.S. backed. How involved is the U.S. in these negotiations, and how involved should they be?
ALZAYAT: Very much on both sides, from the March agreement till now, the U.S. - the Trump administration, Ambassador Tom Barrack - have been heavily involved, as well as the Pentagon and CENTCOM in trying to bridge these differences. The U.S. has personnel in that area. It has a stake in both sides coming to agreement, given their mutual desire to fight and prevent the return of the Islamic State and other counterterrorism priorities. So they're heavily involved in all aspects, and they still are until this very moment.
FADEL: I want to come back to that issue of trust. I mean, the new president of Syria, Ahmed Sharaa, was designated as a terrorist by the U.S. just a few months ago, something like seven months ago. And I've heard from a lot of minorities in Syria trepidation about his history and about things that have happened since he took power - Syrian forces killing minorities, Alawites, Druze. And now this Kurdish agreement seems to be falling through. Can a united, diverse Syria emerge in these conditions after, you know, so long under dictatorship under the Assad regime?
ALZAYAT: It can if the Syrians want it to, and the majority of Syrians want the country to stay together and to move on beyond its troubled history and to rebuild. You know, I visited the country three times since the removal of Assad. And there's excitement. There's hope.
FADEL: Yeah.
ALZAYAT: And there are these serious, serious challenges. You mentioned the episodic violence that we saw on the coast...
FADEL: Yeah.
ALZAYAT: ...In Suwayda and the south. And, you know, many folks thought that if and when Assad is defeated or is moved, it would be - and I hate to say it - a whole lot bloodier and a lot messier, more like Rwanda and Bosnia. And thankfully it hasn't been, but there are these challenges. Now, I would say that the - you know, President Sharaa and his team have, obviously, I think, a long way to go in terms of inclusive governance but have done a pretty good job in ensuring that the violence that's happened does not spiral out of control. And they've been commended for it, and I think rightfully because what we saw on the coast in Suwayda, I think, were really a prelude to an all-out civil war that at the end, the government security forces ended up intervening and putting an end to.
FADEL: Now, this particular moment with the Kurds, you said you're not expecting an all-out war. What is your hope in the next few days? We just have a few seconds.
ALZAYAT: Yeah. I think that they either reach an agreement or continue to commit themselves to peaceful dialogue and a political process. Even if it takes longer, it's a whole lot better than an all-out war.
FADEL: Wa'el Alzayat is a former Syria outreach coordinator at the State Department. He's now the CEO of the Muslim American advocacy group Emgage. Thank you so much for your time.
ALZAYAT: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
