Is it possible for a state to develop, sustain economic growth, keep its citizens safe, and start to rebuild after many years of conflict when it does not fully control its own territory? This was the question facing Syria under Ahmed Al-Sharaa until recently, and whilst the state is still facing questions in the Sweida region in the far south, the size of the area and its population pale in comparison to the north-east, which was until recently controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF. 

The collapse of the SDF was quick, and has been likened by commentators to the fall of Assad just over a year ago, but it was also self-inflicted and a result of poor decisions from within the group itself.

There is a general misunderstanding of the SDF; as much as they may have tried, they never truly operated as a state within a state, and are essentially a militia group affiliated to the PKK (which is designated as a terrorist group by various countries) who had visions of creating an independent Kurdish-led region in north-eastern Syria. 

The SDF were part of the coalition against Daesh over the past decade and were a key US ally but a key reason for their recent downfall lies in the withdrawal of US support; after all, why would the US support a militia when the Syrian government itself is now a key partner against ISIS and has proven itself to be relatively stable, since the collapse of the Assad regime? 

The SDF itself is not a cohesive group. Mazloum Abdi, its leader, was considered weak, and there were factions within the militia who wanted him to be more aggressive from the outset, whilst others favoured integration. These divisions created problems for the leadership and meant decision-making was affected. 

Moreover, the SDF does not seem to have been popular with the local population under its control. No improvements were made to the infrastructure, nor were any services provided to the local population. It seems that Assad-era tactics of suppressing dissent, jailing critics and even torturing prisoners were practiced by........

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