NE Syria (DAANES)

The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) governs large parts of northeast Syria through a model emphasizing local participation, ethnic and religious inclusion, and decentralized decision-making. Established in 2018 and guided by a "social contract" that affirms equality, plurality, and democratic governance, DAANES has become a regional example of how communities can self-organize amidst conflict and reconstruct civic life on inclusive terms. At a time when Syria as a whole faces deep fractures, DAANES offers a concrete vision of how power can be shared, institutions democratized, and diverse groups — Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians, Turkmen, Christians, and others — enabled to shape their future.

In the years of Syria's broader conflict and state collapse, the northeast region charted a different path. What began as grassroots self-organization during the civil war evolved by 2018 into DAANES, a governance structure anchored in local councils, civil institutions, and a commitment to pluralism. The Social Contract adopted by DAANES explicitly situates the region as part of a united Syria, while instituting democratic, gender-equal, decentralized administration.

DAANES covers multiple cantons or regions — including Jazira, Euphrates, Raqqa, Manbij, and Deir Ez-Zor — and has developed legislative, executive, and justice councils across these areas. Its governance architecture gives voice to women, ethnic minorities, faith minorities, and youth, creating space for communities that historically were marginalized under the centralized rule of the Assad regime. At its core, the DAANES model promotes four key dimensions: safety, addressed through local security structures that protect civilians from extremist backlash; equal citizenship, embedded in its legal and institutional design regardless of ethnicity, language, or religion; decentralization, with power resting in communes, districts, and cantons rather than a distant central authority; and reconciliation, implied by its inclusive social contract and the rebuilding of civil society networks across communities divided by war.

The region also faces significant challenges: balancing local autonomy with national unity, resisting external military pressure, addressing resource scarcity, and transitioning from wartime governance to stable peacetime institutions. DAANES has criticized the national transitional government's Constitutional Declaration for failing to represent Syria's diversity, underscoring that inclusive governance remains contested.