The two articles I will be using are “The Kurdish Factor” and “Civil War Within Syria’s Civil War”. The first article explores the idea of Kurdish involvement in the war, and how their position could alter the course of the war. The second article examines how recent Kurdish self-governance has affected tensions and violence in Northern Syrian borders – specifically with Turkey. “Civil War Within Syria’s Civil War” discusses some of the same issues as in the CG chapter concerning conserving culture in a globalizing world. These people are now in a position where they are able to live fully Kurdish lives with aspects that were suppressed heavily by the Assad regime and of course, fading with time. But what does this mean long-term? Will the Kurds form an entirely new society and nation? Or will they simply be able to live completely Kurdish lives within Syrian borders? “The Kurdish Factor” then shows that, even though not a large representative of Syrian population, their involvement and who the Kurdish decide to ally with could drastically change the course of the war. If they turn against the regime, the regime could begin to lose a lot of support and credibility with minorities.