The tyranny of the map haunts Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). Turkey's offensive in Afrin, the northwestern canton largely controlled by the YPG, is reminding Syria's Kurds that their journey to independence, or even autonomy, must always proceed beneath the geographic shadows cast by Ankara to the north and Damascus to the south. The Syrian civil war's chaotic conditions distracted Kurdish enemies and facilitated the gains attained by the YPG since the conflict began in 2011 . It also helped that the YPG was useful to some of the big powers that entered the fight, particularly the United States. But the current Turkish offensive in Afrin reveals much about the weaknesses of the YPG's position. The Kurdish militia cannot expect the permanent protection of the United States and Russia, the two extraregional powers capable of prevailing on Turkey to halt its campaign.