There is a long history of the Kurds negotiating with Assad.
In a perfect world, they would not want to live under him, but they know they must have someone to keep Turkey and Iran from eating them.
I thought for a while that the unspoken cooperation between the US military and the Russian Military had done much better at this than the State Department has a history of doing. Soldiers are pragmatic and direct.
But the actions of Turkey and Iran have both gone outside that envelope.
Some credit needs to be given to the US and Russian military in dealing with this as well as they have.
The Kurds have had direct meetings with the Russians. And the Russians appear to have advised Assad to work with the Kurds. Which is warranted.
That does not mean that those relationships will always suit Assad.
I read a Yahoo news report that spoke as if the US had lost the battle. Headshake.
Yes, Iran did mess things up big time in Iraq. Turkey and Iran are both making coordinated power plays aimed directly at the Kurds.
Game is not over yet.
There is double dealing with 1 or both of the 2 dominant Tribal Families in Iraq. I have opinions about both of them based on previous discussion with Syrian friends. It is unclear exactly what the Kirkuk deal really was, it is clear that the Quds Commander in charge of the PMF is stabbing the US in the back. Some of it is due to his next in command being killed by a sniper. Iranians are crazy enough to try anything, but they do understand force and they know if provoked enough, we will use it. This is no longer Obozo’s America.
I did hope to get an historical perspective on the the relationship between the Assad's Syria and the Kurds, and should they place their trust there.
I already know the answer for Turkey and Iraq.