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Interim Administration's Defense Minister Sparks Controversy Over "SDF" Integration
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Abu Qusra's statements reveal a strict centralized approach that reproduces the same mistakes made by the previous regime in dealing with Syrian components
Murhaf Abu Qusra, Defense Minister in Syria's interim caretaker government, made controversial statements about the future of armed forces in Syria, saying: "Regarding their presence within the Ministry of Defense, this doesn't make sense. We're saying they can enter the Ministry of Defense within its structure and be distributed in a military way, there's no objection to that. But remaining as a military bloc within the Ministry of Defense, this means a bloc within a large institution and this is incorrect."
These statements ignored the successful experience of the Syrian Democratic Forces in managing north and east Syria regions over 14 years, where they succeeded in establishing an effective administrative and military model, and proved their ability to fight terrorism in cooperation with the international coalition.
Abu Qusra added in his statements: "There was a meeting with the SDF leadership but they're dealing with it with some procrastination," and continued: "The conditions set are conditions that achieve, let's say, the integration of all regions under the new administration. This is the right of the Syrian state."
This strict centralized view reveals a clear disregard for the demands of various Syrian components for self-administration and decentralization, which was emphasized by SDF commander Mazloum Abdi in previous statements to Saudi Arabia's "Al-Sharq" channel.
The interim Defense Minister stated: "We are in a race against time, today it matters to us," while observers see this rush to restructure the armed forces aims to impose a fait accompli before the end of the interim caretaker government's term in early March.
Abu Qusra's statements contradict the principles of decentralization and federalism that have proven successful in many countries, where local military forces can work in coordination with central command while maintaining their identity and specificity, as is the case in many successful global models.
The military integration plan proposed by Abu Qusra faces widespread criticism, especially with his decision to grant military ranks to foreign fighters, while refusing to recognize the specificity of local Syrian forces that have proven their efficiency in protecting and managing the region.
Levant-Agencies
