Study Calls for Using Western Sanctions to Change Syria Structure

Arab World

March 31st, 6:30am

London - Asharq Al-Awsat

A Syrian military defector using the pseudonym Caesar, while also wearing a hood to protect his identity, testifies about the war in Syria during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 11, 2020. (AFP/File Photo)

A study has called for a new approach in dealing with the sanctions imposed on entities and individuals affiliated with the Syrian regime and its allies. The study called for using the sanctions as a means to help Syrians change the current structure in the country instead of being a tool that the status quo forces in Syria would use. According to statistics, the European Union has imposed sanctions on 350 entities and individuals supported by the Syrian regime since anti-government protests erupted in the spring of 2011. Further, data showed that the US sanctions, including those under the Caesar Act, targeted more than 100 persons. Rim Rurkmani and Zaki Mahshi prepared the study on the consequences of sanctions on the political scene in Syria for the Conflict Research Program at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The sanctions passed through three phases, from April 2011 until mid-2020, they said. The first started at the end of April through sanctioning a number of influential figures, and ended in August 2011 when the sanctions started impacting the Syrian economy. The second phase began in August 2011 and ended in May 2014 when the US expanded the scope of sanctions to include foreigners dealing with Syrian banks and financial institutions. The third phase, which is ongoing since May 2014, includes US sanctions targeting financial institutions in Russia. The study revealed that the sanctions reduced the financial resources and the Syrian regime’s flexibility in transactions. But instead of changing its attitude, the regime found new channels and resources.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2891711/study-calls-using-western-sanctions-change-syria-structure