Understanding the networks of the Kurdish women fighting IS

Understanding the networks of the Kurdish women fighting IS

Meghana Kumar

(not taking the second module)

Background

The YPJ or Women’s Protection Unit, which was formed in 2012, has been making international headlines of late. It appears to be playing a significant role in the fight to protect the Kurdish people from the likes of the extremist group, Islamic State (IS), the Syrian government and the al-Nusra Front, which is affiliated to Al Qaeda.[1]

One of the key reasons behind the attention is the fact that the YPJ is an all female militia group. Its roots lie in the Kurdish resistance movement and it is estimated to number over 7,000 women who fight at the frontline alongside their male counterparts from the YPG (People’s Protection Units) and the Kurdish Pershmerga. [2] A reported recent suicide attack by a 20-year-old YPJ fighter in the Syrian town of Kobane, which resulted in the deaths of IS fighters, has pushed the group further into the spotlight.

Apparently, the group receives no funding from Western nations – its key source of funding and supplies is its community.[3] The militia members are unpaid and the group operates on a volunteer basis – the women can leave when they like.[4]

Primary Question

Given that the group was formed so recently, little is known about the way it operates and the network connections within it. I have a few main questions and would use this project to understand more about the relationships within the YPJ – who are the connectors, where are the key relational ties and what are the factors motivating the girls and women to join. Were these women connected prior to joining or are they only connected by virtue of being part of the YPJ? In addition, I would want to know how many of them have connections to the YPG and the Pershmerga and identify who the boundary spanners are.

 Data

In order to conduct the analysis I would need to know if and how the women were connected before they joined the YPJ and who they interact with the most while in the group. I would also want to identify the attributes of those women who display the most connectivity and whether they are the ones who also have the greatest access to resources such as arms and other supplies. It would also be useful to identify whether the women that are better connected to the YPJ’s male counterparts and by virtue of this may have better access to resources, are the ones who are also the ones who are the most connected within the YPJ itself.

The biggest challenge with this project would be collecting the data and gaining access to the thousands of YPJ fighters.

Important Network Measures

Key network measures will include density, eigenvector and degree. It will be interesting to note who the most connected / influential nodes are and who is connected to them. Given that the YPJ are carrying out planned operations against groups, which have more sophisticated as well as a greater number of weapons, it is important that those who do have access to supplies in the group are not operating on its fringes.

Conclusion

A social network analysis of the YPJ is not only interesting from an academic point of view as to the way different militias organize but could also help identify key women in this group that outside actors could work with in the fight against IS.

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[1] “YPJ: The Kurdish feminists fighting Islamic State”, The Week, 7 October 2014, available from

http://www.theweek.co.uk/middle-east/islamic-state/60758/ypj-the-kurdish-feminists-fighting-islamic-state

[2] Ibid.

[3] Elizabeth Griffin, “These Remarkable Women Are Fighting ISIS. It’s Time You Know Who They Are”, Marie Claire, available from

http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/inspirational-women/these-are-the-women-battling-isis

[4] Ibid.