American theorist Bookchin inspires Öcalan’s popular eco-democracy, launched in Rojava

Abdullah Öcalan’s model of democratic confederalism, with social ecology as a key principle, was inspired by the political ideas of Murray Bookchin, Vincent Gerber told independent journalist Serkan Demirel in an interview with Medya News. Additionally, the Autonomous Democratic Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) adopted this paradigm, making it still relevant in the 21st century, said Gerber, a historian and environmental activist.

“There was a political connection: Öcalan was looking for a way to make a revolution without creating a new state, and inspired by Bookchin’s political ideas, he tried to establish a sort of confederation of communes linked together by ecological principles ” Gerber said. In the early 2000s, imprisoned Kurdish leader Öcalan exchanged letters with Bookchin (1921-2006), an American anti-capitalist social theorist.

“While Bookchin focused more on ecological issues, Abdullah Öcalan focused more on feminism or women’s freedom,” Gerber said. “Inspired by Bookchin’s thoughts, Öcalan aimed to develop an alternative (social theory) based on bottom-up politics, without waiting to seize power by force of arms.”

AANES integrated Öcalan’s model of democratic confederalism into its Recently launched Social Contracta new constitution, engaging in groundbreaking work determining pathways to a popular eco-democracy led by women for the war-torn region known as Rojava, including unprecedented elections scheduled for August 2024.

Historian Gerber stressed that it was “great wisdom” to question the existing nation-state system, expose its inadequacies and work towards a more inclusive future for Rojava. The multi-ethnic northeastern Syrian region, which has been waging a unique social revolution since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, “allows many different people to express themselves,” Gerber said.

“According to Bookchin, this is the purpose of democracy: to allow all voices to come together under one roof, regardless of nationality, culture, history and similar factors. To put everyone on an equal footing,” he added.

Debbie Bookchin continued her father’s work, recently interviewed by Medya News about him American tour with the Emergency Committee for Rojavaformed after the invasion of Afrin in Syria in 2018, and in partnership with the Institute of Social Ecology.

Gerber also condemned the prolonged solitary confinement imposed on Öcalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), in the Turkish high security prison on the island of Imralı. The political prisoner had absolutely no contact with the outside world, including a visit from a lawyer or his family, during the last three years of his 25-year imprisonment. “This isolation is a shame,” Gerber said.

Gerber compared Öcalan’s situation to that of South African icon Nelson Mandela, a parallel established frequently by supporters of the Kurdish cause. “Mandela was also imprisoned for similar reasons, accused of ‘terrorism’ and many other things,” Gerber said. “When he came out, he was hailed as a hero and a savior…. Why don’t we accept that Öcalan is in the same situation?