Is Rojava anarchist in 2024? In essence the answer to this is no, Rojava is not anarchist. It is though experimenting with certain points that are on the anarchist spectrum.
What though exactly does this mean in practice and will you see anything anarchist in Rojava. We will keep this answer very non-educational (as we will have to write other articles) and use this more as a dummies guide to anarchism.
Why do people think that Rojava is anarchist?
Mostly because anarchy is a very misunderstood word. In English it means a lack of order or things going badly without law. If this version of anarchy is used than Rojava is far from it.
In fact Anarchism refers to a number of political ideas across the spectrum from left to right and even includes libertarianism, the right to Rojavas left.
Some have opined that Rojava practices left-wing anarchism, or similarly anarchist-syndicalism. These much like socialism – communism can be seen as end goals of a process.
You can read about socialist countries here.
What is the ideology of Rojava?
Is Rojava anarchist to those in power? The simply answer to this is that no they are not. In fact the region is very well regulated with more in common with communism perhaps than anarchism, even of the left. Some though could say it is actually existed anarchism, although I will dodge that one for now.
The ideology of Rojava is evidently leftist for a number of reasons, not least the state apparatus and officially follows Democratic Confederalism as espoused by the Kurd Abdullah Öcalan.
What anarchist elements do you see in Rojava?
This is where anarchist comprehension comes in to things when you look at if Rojava is anarchist, as anarchism wherever it has been successful has been a left-wing branch. Therefore there are some left-wing anarchist ideals you can see.
These include deep entrenches direct democracy and federalism, as well as more new and niche ideas such as having a man and a woman manager in every state enterprise, as well as encouraging them in others.
One also sees things like women’s shelters, better pay then anywhere else in the country for state employees, as well as a safety net for those with health issues, as well as being out of work.
This is also supported by left-wing propaganda, a strong military and dare I say a bureaucracy. So, yes there is some anarchy, but you might be quite surprised by just well controlled anarchy can work.