Fighting has returned to northeast Syria. Government forces are again pushing to take control of areas still held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). A temporary truce is now in place, but after more than a year of talks, Damascus and the SDF have failed to reach a real agreement on how these areas should be governed or protected.

The SDF is a Kurdish-led force that became a key U.S. partner in the fight against ISIS. That partnership once gave Kurdish leaders influence and a sense that greater self-rule inside Syria might be possible. Today, the political ground has shifted. And not in the Kurds’ favor.

As Syria expert Ibrahim Al Assil explained the situation during an event at the Atlantic Council this week. He noted that as President Ahmed al Sharaa’s government gained international acceptance, Kurdish forces steadily lost power. Kurdish leaders misjudged how quickly this would happen. They also underestimated Turkey’s role. For Ankara, Syria’s Kurds have........

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