November 03, 2014 – Selection of Articles and Reports on Syrian Economic, Business and Social Issues

The following is a selection of articles and reports written in the last week on Syria, related to economic, business and social issues:

Bearing the burden: “Refugees living in Lebanon are consuming and therefore contributing – although at minimal levels – to the country’s national consumption, a main component of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The paltry 1 percent GDP growth Lebanon is expected to generate in 2014 is believed to be due to the refugees’ consumption, economic analyst Sami Nader said.”

The launch of the 2nd part of the safe gaurding project: “The Safeguarding Documentations Project aims to digitize property registries in order to protect the legal and property rights of the Syrian people.”

Syrian civil society in Lebanon: challenges and opportunities: “Instead of empowering Syrian civil society and helping it to build its capacity, the aid community is rendering us more fragile. (Syrian CSOs)…have a better grasp of their communities’ needs, a deeper penetration of society, and a cost effectiveness which will be much needed in the future.”

How the West buys ‘conflict antiquities’ from Iraq and Syria (and funds terror): “Smuggler Abu Khaled told Time that the Assad regime was selling antiquities to pay its henchmen. Senior Free Syrian Army fighters told the Washington Post that looting antiquities was “a vital source of funding.” Another smuggler told Le Temps that Islamist fighters take control of trafficking when gaining territory.”

Syria’s 3 ½-year conflict roiling the economy: “The knock-on effects of the latest fuel price hike and continued bombings have already impacted the price of bread, yogurt and milk. The price of a loaf of unsubsidized bread rose to 97 cents from 85 cents — more than four times the 21-cent price tag before the crisis. Milk rose to $1.13 from $1. Before the crisis it was 30 cents.”

Lawyers, Guns, and Mujahideen: “Anwar Majanni, one of a small number of judges to have defected from the regime and a representative of the opposition interim government’s Ministry of Justice, is opposed to the application of anything but Syria’s prewar civil code. Majanni branded the opposition courts as unprofessional bodies that use “Islamic law” as cover for the arbitrary rule of the armed groups that back them.”

Turkey fuel smuggling: only fumes left: “Oil smuggling was a booming business until about six months ago, when Turkish authorities ramped up a multilayered crackdown that has significantly disrupted the illicit trade.”

Greening the Rubble: Syrians Embrace Urban Farming to Stave off Starvation: “Several community groups have begun to grow food inside their war-torn towns to stave off starvation. Urban farming has emerged as a coping strategy, to fill in the gaps between sporadic food deliveries.”

Logistics of the Syrian and Iraqi War: “Even if war is not always good for business, it is at least a business. Whether dealing in arms, antiquities, oil, grain, taxes or international aid, the Islamic State is building the basis for the sort of exploitative economy whose inequities and corruption (ironically) helped its star rise among the poor and discontented.”