External Actors and VNSAs: An Analysis of the United States, Russia, ISIS, and PYD/YPG

Abstract

The Syrian civil war has been an arena for violent non-state actors (VNSAs) and external state actors to combat with or through one another. In this battleground, two VNSAs have risen to prominence in their ability to influence regional and global dynamics, namely, the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (Partiya Yekitiya Demokrat (PYD)) and its armed wing People’s Protection Units (Yekineyen Parastina Gel (YPG)) and the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). As the patrons of the two main blocs that are currently engaged in the Syrian conflict, the United States and Russia have both colluded with the PYD/YPG to fight against ISIS. While the sides may seem to have the same friend and foe, the rationale and the modality with which they have engaged with the two VNSAs vary significantly. This manuscript provides a comparative account of the engagement of the two main external powers involved in the Syrian civil war, the United States and Russia, with the two outstanding violent non-state actors, PYD/YPG and ISIS. For Washington, combating ISIS quickly overshadowed its other priorities and gradually determined the scope and characteristics of its political and military involvement. The PYD/YPG and its affiliates emerged as the main vessel for the United States to push back against ISIS on the ground. Meanwhile, combating ISIS has been only one of Moscow’s numerous goals in Syria, and ISIS presented a convenient justification for Russia’s military engagement. In this equation, the PYD/YPG’s ability to coexist with the Syrian regime made it a natural partner for Moscow, and the PYD presented Russia with an added tool to influence dynamics in the Syrian civil war. These differences have influenced the extent to which the two countries were influenced by the VNSAs in turn and will come to shape their policies in the near future.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬