Dario Azzellini, a well-known political scientist, sociologist and documentary filmmaker, stressed the importance of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s theories in a recent interview with Miheme Porgemol of Özgur Politika. Azzellini, known for his work on social change in Europe and South America, compared the dynamics of social movements in Nicaragua, Mexico and Venezuela with Öcalan’s social theories in the Middle East.
Azzellini highlighted the grassroots approach of democratic confederalism and people’s assemblies promoted by Öcalan. He noted: “Democratic confederalism and similar practices are crucial examples. Building democracy and autonomy is a process that takes time and involves a lot of trial and error”. Azzellini underlined that Öcalan’s model allows for peaceful coexistence between different peoples and attributed the severe legal and political embargo against Öcalan to the potential of his ideas to promote lasting peace.
Discussing the Democratic Nation model, Azzellini explained that it stands in contrast to the nation-state model produced by European capitalist modernity, which prioritises ethnic homogeneity. He remarked: “The Democratic Nation model opposes homogenisation and relies on the democratic coexistence of diversity”. This model, according to Azzellini, provides a framework for institutions to be built autonomously by communities themselves, rather than by the state.
Azzellini affirmed the universal applicability of Öcalan’s model, but stressed the need for each society to develop its own democratic model based on its traditions, needs and communication structures. “There is no one universal model of democracy that fits all,” he said, criticising proponents of liberal democracy for their one-size-fits-all approach.
Reflecting on his experience with communal councils in Venezuela, Azzellini drew parallels with the communes in Rojava. He noted that democratic structures need to be tailored to specific community dynamics, such as population density and daily interaction patterns. “For example, a democratic structure for a neighbourhood where people meet and talk every day is different from one where families are more isolated,” he explained.
Azzellini linked the international political and legal embargo on Öcalan to the opposition of regional and global powers to a democratic solution led by the people of the region. He concluded: “In a democratic solution, governed by the people of the region and centred on the interests of the people of the region, there is no interest of any involved country and no regional or global power that remains silent or even supports the political and legal embargo on Öcalan.”
Dario Azzellini holds a doctorate in political science from the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main. He is a researcher at the Institute for Sociology, Politics and Development Research at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria. His work focuses on social transformation processes, democratic planning, participatory democracy, worker participation and self-management. Azzellini is also a documentary filmmaker, with notable works on social movements in Nicaragua, Mexico and Venezuela. His articles have been published in numerous academic journals and he serves on the editorial boards of WorkingUSA and Cuadernos de Marte.
