Why the U.S. chose YPG to fight ISIS: a crucial test for (neo)-realist notions
The U.S. decision to partner with the Kurdish militia YPG to combat ISIS in Syria has caused its longstanding ally Turkey to align with Russia and Iran, and risks doing permanent damage to the NATO-alliance, ostensibly to the detriment of U.S. national interests. Taken at face value, this seems to contradict standard notions in neo-realist theory about state behavior. Given this seeming paradox, a