Title: Revolution and Cooperatives: Thoughts about my time with the economic committee in Rojava
Author: By Internationalist Commune
Release date: Oktober 2020

What is a cooperative? As the name suggests, a cooperative is about an cooperation. People cooperate instead of competing against each other. An Internationalist from the Commune is describing his experiences and insights into the economical works in Rojava and touching fundamental questions about another way of economy, one that is part of a Democratic Modernity and not of Capitalism.
The goal of the cooperatives is “to build a spirit of social responsibility for the development of a moral and political society, making themselves the foundations.” as well as “The production of the basic necessities of society according to the conditions of the war economy”.
As he is discussing with the people he is developing a deep inside into the current economical reality in Rojava and the attempt to solve huge questions.
“You have to renew yourself continuously. Water that flows continuously is always clean. Water that stays in the same place and doesn’t renew itself begins to rot and becomes polluted. How do we renew ourselves? Through practice and education. It is not the case that someone gets an education then goes into practice, no, education continues with practice. So as long you don’t cut yourself off from your population and continue education you will always have this system of discussing your experience and deciding what step to take next. With your population, you are continuously renewing yourself and are able to fight stagnation and the road that leads to capitalism.”[1]