Strapped for dollars, the Syrian government is forcing its citizens to pay up
Syrian pounds are pictured inside an exchange currency shop in Azaz, Syria February 3, 2020. Picture taken February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
A decade since the start of the popular uprising, the Syrian lira is in an unprecedented freefall after years of armed conflict, an economic crisis in neighboring Lebanon, deep-seated corruption and cronyism, and Western economic sanctions targeting Syrian government officials as well as Syrian-operated industries.
As Syrians battle for basic necessities with nearly 90 percent of Syrians living below the poverty line and 60 percent food insecure the Syrian government has offered little reprise. Indeed, it has done the opposite: extorted Syrians through administrative costs, border fees, and ever-expanding laws and policies meant to disenfranchise Syrians of their properties and assets. With living conditions in large parts of Syria deteriorating in an unpreced
Asma Assad s many lives, from banker to warlord and princess
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Stand By Your Dictator
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