March 23, 2015 – Our Weekly Selection
Our weekly selection of articles and reports on the Syrian economy and society.
A daring plan to rebuild Syria — no matter who wins the war: “With the battle still ongoing, a huge team of Syrian planners plots the restoration of Aleppo and beyond.”
Fuel Subsidy Policy and Popular Mobilization in Syria: “Implicit fuel subsidies accounted for almost 11 percent of GDP in 2004, and rising global oil prices, declining Syrian crude exports, rampant fuel smuggling and growing fuel imports created strong incentives to raise prices.”
Syrian seedbank wins award for continuing work despite civil war: “Syrian scientists who risked their lives preserving the region’s ancient farming heritage with nearly 150,000 seed samples are presented Gregor Mendel award in Berlin.”
Syria says reclaims 120 looted antiquities from Palmyra ruins: “Syria has retrieved more than 120 antiquities looted from cemeteries in the millennia-old oasis city of Palmyra following years of destruction and war pillaging, its director of museums said on Wednesday.”
French President Calls for Preservation of Iraq, Syria Art: “Hollande symbolically made a speech Wednesday in a room of the Louvre museum in Paris exhibiting major artifacts of the Assyrian palace of Khorsabad in northern Iraq — an ancient site that was attacked by IS earlier this month.”
Report says nearly 650,000 besieged in Syria: “Nearly three times as many Syrians are living in besieged communities as the UN’s official figures, according to report by the Syrian American Medical Society.”
The Syrian Revolution Is a Class War: “Subsidies for fuel, food, fertilizer, and pesticides were slashed even as their prices on the world market skyrocketed. These cuts tripled diesel prices overnight in May 2008 and doubled chemical fertilizer prices a year later.”
10 Facts About Hunger In Syria: “Since the start of the crisis, 50 percent of Syria’s public bakeries have been damaged, increasing bread prices by 300 percent on average and up to 1000 percent in the hardest hit areas.”
As the Syria crisis enters fifth year, UN Humanitarian leaders urge end to conflict: “Nearly half of all Syrians have been forced from their homes 3.9 million people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, while a further 7.6 million are displaced within Syria) – making this the largest displacement in the world.”
PM Urges Ministry to Secure Storage for Crops: “Prime minister calls for storage facilities for strategic crops and curbing price increases.”
Are ISIS earning MORE than $2billion a year?: “New study of terror group’s income suggests previous estimates are far too low.”