Thank you for this great question. There are two things. One, yes, the Kurds live in Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. In Iraq, they have a federal structure that's recognized internationally and also by the constitution, of course, of Iraq.
In Syria, the Kurds demand some degree of autonomy. This is not, as I said in my speech, separatism. It is to make sure that they have structures of self-governance within Syria, within a decentralized Syria, and they are trying to make their contributions while the regime in Damascus is trying to undermine any kind of decentralization. That is the central problem, central question. The same goes with the Druze or the Alevis.
I want to also say one more thing about the question of women. I think that is going to be the very character of the emerging regime in Syria. You see, the whole western world was mesmerized by gorgeous—I am being a little bit sarcastic here—Kurdish women who were fighting ISIS. They helped greatly to defeat ISIS. They were fighters, actually. I mean, the YPG. Even fashion magazines put them on their cover pages and were showing that. Now ISIS is defeated, Assad is gone and those Kurdish women who fought against ISIS want to be integrated into the new Syrian army. They are being told that there is no place for women in the army, and they should go back to their homes or their kitchens. Do you see how it works here?
This is the case of the Kurdish women who are trying to integrate—not to separate but to integrate—in an autonomous way, as themselves, as the people who fought against ISIS. The Kurds, the women and other minorities, unfortunately, are perceived by the central government as threats and not as interlocutors to talk to and work together to rebuild the country. The fall of Assad is a golden opportunity for all peoples of Syria. They can come together, work together and build something, but if those people in Damascus want to impose a strong centralized agenda on everybody else, we suspect new conflicts will emerge in the future. In that particular context, I think special attention should be paid to the situation of Kurdish women and Kurdish fighters.