There are 17 different ethnic and religious groups throughout Syria. The vast majority of these groups is Arabic. The second largest group, after the Arabs, is the Kurds. There are about four million Kurds, most of whom are living in the Al-Jazira area, followed by those in Kobane and Afrin. The Kurds in other parts of Syria have migrated to the aforementioned areas during different times in history. Up to one million Kurds, who used to live in Damascus and Aleppo, have for example fled during the recent periods.

Kobani and Afrin have no settled Arab population. Compared with these areas, the Al-Jazira area is more cosmopolitan. The Al-Jazira region has also old Armenian and Assyrian settlements, where these people have lived side by side with Kurds for a long time. Here, one will also find a substantial Arabic population in the urban centers, who migrated there during different times and for different reasons.

IS A CIVIL WAR POSSIBLE?

So, while the war is raging on in Syria, is it possible for a civil war to break out?

Yes it's possible, and in some sense, it is already taking place through different driving forces. But this war is definitely not the Syrians peoples´ war.

Well, let's ask this question now: "Is there any foundation for a war between the biggest groups, the Arabs and the Kurds?"

The answer: "Yes, there is."

There is such a foundation. But although such a foundation exists, there is no chance this war will be successful if it breaks out. Neither do people want such a war. But there exist external and internal forces trying to impose such a war for different reasons.

Those wanting a war between Arabs and Kurds are the forces that want a rebuilt Syria based on their own political and economical interests. To name these countries and their different interests is another story. Let's try to study the internal situation instead.

Let's do following generalization: Syrians, who base their politics on a nation state, regardless if they live inside or outside Syria, are pushing for a war between the different peoples.

Syria will either continue to be condemned to live under the nation state, or a federal Syria, embracing all colors, will be created. The latter is what the Kurds strive for. The project put forward by the Kurds is against the nation state paradigm.

The Arabs, and the other ethnic and religious groups, are each a great part of this project.

WHAT ARE THE FORCES THAT WANT A WAR BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE LEANING ON?

In order to get such a war started, three issues exist: history, ideological and economy.

ISSUES STEMMING FROM HISTORY

When the French entered Syria in the years of 1921-1922, the Arab tribes south of the Al-Jazira area were nomads. The first Arab village in Al-Jazira was created in 1933. At this time, the Shammar tribe clashed periodically with the Kurds, and they would later settle down in the newly created Arab villages. They got along well with the ruling powers. Representatives for them claimed that Kurds "have come from Turkey (northern Kurdistan)." The Baath regime would later incorporate this theory into their official ideology.

During the French rule, there was a controlled tension. But in 1945, a war broke out between the Kurds and the Arab tribes. The Arab tribes fighting the Kurds received support from the regimes in Damascus, Britain and some Arab countries, and 150 Kurdish villages were pillaged during this period. Ultimately, Arabs would move into the region, and the Kurds had to accommodate to this new socio-demographic order.

In 1962, 70,000 Kurds were stripped of their citizenship. They were regarded as "foreigners residing in the country" and stripped of rights such as education, traveling abroad, and land ownership.

In regards to the relationship between Kurds and Arabs in Syria, the worst clash between these groups occurred in 2004 during the Kurdish "Serhildan" (uprising) in Qamishlo.

Some of the Arab tribes, who are now opposing to the regime, united with the Baath regime and attacked the Kurds. And the Kurds, who were encouraged by the developments in Iraq and wanted to start the "Syrian Spring" early, were instead thwarted.

These Arab tribes, who in 2011 thought that the regime would be toppled in a short period of time, broke their contacts with the regime. In order to receive aid from countries such as Turkey, some facets of society started to support these countries' anti-Kurdish policies. By creating divisions between Kurds and Arabs, Turkey and other outside forces wanted to sabotage the Kurds' "Confederalism project," (unification project?) and bring both Arabs and Kurds under their control. This is a policy that is still pursued today.

IDELOGICAL PROBLEMS

Just as other types of chauvinism, the Arab chauvinism that is imposed from the outside is appearing as a disease in Syria. Some Arab leaders in the region regard Kurds as a community that have arrived as guests with no rights neither in the past nor in the future, and with this perspective they are trying to marginalize the Kurds in a new Syria. (Same circles are rejecting all other ethnic and religious groups by trying to create a new Syria as an Arab-Sunni state.)

ECONOMICAL REASONS

As widely know, the Arab belt project brought and settled many Arab tribes to the Al-Jazira area. Every Arab village, from Derik to Serekaniye, has been placed between two Kurdish villages. Through the Arab belt project, lands and goods of Kurds were confiscated and handed to Arabs. Until now, these Arab tribes were under the protection of the regime. Now that the Kurds are in control, the Arab tribes in these areas are worried, wondering whether Kurds will take back their lands and villages. But Kurdish authorities have acted contrary to their worries, where they want to include the Arabs in the new administration.

Since the beginning of the Rojava revolt in July, 2012, many mutually controlled councils, decision making bodies, and institutions have been founded. Despite this, and especially lately, there has been a war going on. On one side of this war are there Kurds. But can we say that "The Arabs" are on the other side of the war?

"NO".

On the other side of the war, there are organized gangs like al-Qaeda-aligned Jabhat al-Nusra. Yes, some Arab circles wanted to cooperate with these gangs, but al-Nusra is isolated in Rojava. Even the Saudis, which is supporting al-Nusra with all means possible, were almost about to withdraw their support. Lately, many of those groups that fought against the Kurds have withdrawn from the front. In the end, Al-Awsat, which is reflecting Saudi policy, had to admit that al-Nusra had been unsuccessful against YPG, and write lengthy about al-Nusra's oppression of civilians.

The Arabs in Rojava, which are mainly made up of tribes, did not participate in this front against the Kurds. For example, the Sharabiya and Zubeyd tribes, which are among the largest Arab tribes and live side by side with Kurds, have many members that are YPG fighters. In Til Tamir, the YPG fighters are welcomed by the tribes. The Teyb tribe, sided with the regime and came out against al-Nusra. The largest tribe in the region is the Begar tribe with approximately 100,000 members, and centered in Dera. The Begar tribe has now split into three. After their leader Newaf al-Bashir went to Turkey, and organized the attacks against Serekaniye (Ras al-Ayn), many in the tribe took a stand against him. One part of the tribe has sided with the regime.

Another important tribe is the Shammar tribe. Politically and economically its center is in Saudi. Ahmet al-Cerba, the leader of the Qatar-Turkey aligned Syrian National Coalition, is a member of this tribe. He said recently that "there is no such region as 'Kurdistan' in Syria." But one cannot say that he has a broad support within his tribe..

"As long as there is a baby of ours in the cradle, we will not let Kurds have any rights" is a member of the Cibure tribe. To bring both of these personalities from the Al-Jazira area in Rojava to the top of the coalition, is a result of them having same perspective as Ankara.

There exist serious alternatives to these adverse examples. Yes, as it is now, chaos can be created in Syria and Rojava. The region can be turned into a war area. But this is not going to be a Kurd-Arab war.

There are two reasons for this.

1)Kurds are not putting forward a system based on ethnicity. They are not regarding Arabs or communities as "blocs." After all, it would be contradictory to the Kurdish political paradigm. It's not possible that Kurds, who depict themselves as the third force in the region, who are against the current status quo, and who are pursuing a community-oriented foundation, would get involved in such a war. This would mean that they would contradict themselves.

2) Despite a lot of misfortunes and hardships, the Kurds and Arabs of the area are fused together. The Arabic society doesn't have a collective front against Kurds. The chauvinism and religious fanaticism that is imposed, is and will be the foundation for many issues. But those forces that portray themselves as angels, yet try to incite an Arab-Kurd war from the shadows, will not succeed.