Samantha Teal: A "Neighboring Revolution" Is Under Attack

The Neighboring Movement Podcast

One of the most globally important examples of neighbor power and possibility is under full-scale military assault. Today we bring on Samantha Teal, a media activist with the Rojava Information Center, to give us insights of life on-the-ground in North and East Syria, where a revolution for women's liberation, direct democracy, and ecology- with neighbors at the center of politics and life- is under attack from drones, planes, and artillery of the Turkish state.

In this episode, Ian and Samantha cover both the incredible stories of hope coming from the region governed by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, colloquially known as "Rojava," and the realities of war. Most of the episode is spent painting the picture of how the "Rojava Revolution" has made neighbors living on their blocks the most important political actors and imagining how Western countries might take neighboring farther to reimagine governance.

Samantha works for the Rojava Information Center, the best resource connecting international media outlets to live updates from on-the-ground. The best source for news, analysis, and explanations of the system is their website.

Ian also posted a blog on The Neighboring Movement website that goes much more in-depth into the context behind the Rojava Revolution. In 2018, he also made a documentary on the system of neighbor-powered direct democracy in North and East Syria. You can check that out here.

Finally, if you want to help the people of NES in their struggle, see the above blog post.