The author, Joost Jongerden, dives deep into the the the ideas of the nation-state and a societal self-organization questioning and how these two systems of governance differ and what the societal implications are of these differences, based on two examples.
One model is the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and disputed areas controlled by Kurdish forces which were given the opportunity on 25 September 2017 to respond ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the question ‘Do you want the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistani areas outside the administration of the Region to become an independent state?’
The other, the neighbouring population in the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria which has elected co-chairs for the approximately 3,700 ‘communes’, which form the basis of what is claimed to be a non-state governmental system.
Photo: Kevin Bergen