Page 18 - RedFlagJune14

REDFLAG | 14 JUNE 2021 PUBLICATION OF SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE REDFLAG.ORG.AU

18

SYRIA

IRAN

Iran's dictatorship

in Syria

This article has been adapted from a seen as being loyal to the regime. We’ve witnessed tances from Syrian workers in Lebanon, many of
presentation by Leila Al Shami, co-author periodic protests against the regime due to the whom have now lost their employment.
of Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution economic situation and a number of pro-Assad The situation is also further exacerbated
and War, at a forum on ten years of the commentators have actually been arrested due to by the current wide-ranging sanctions on the
Syrian Revolution. It was first published in their criticism of the economic situation and the country, which have increased since the Unit-
Rampant magazine. regime’s handling of it. ed States passed the Caesar Act in late 2019.
There is a number of reasons for the current sit- Unlike previous sanctions (which Syrians tend
uation. The primary one is the wholesale destruc- to support), which targeted those individuals af-
n giving an overview of the current situ- tion of the country by the regime and its Russian filiated to the regime—either political, military
ation in Syria, with a vast array of issues ally, including physical infrastructure, housing, or security figures—these sanctions have been
that could be discussed, I will focus on agricultural land and production facilities. more controversial as they also target business-
two specific topics: the socio-economic Another is the scale of regime corruption and es and sectors dealing in oil, electricity, IT and
I situation and Iran’s role and presence in widespread crony capitalism, which enriches the other sectors.
Syria. The first reason for choosing these is to be pockets of those individuals connected to the re- Thus, they contribute to a shortage of goods
forward looking, as these issues are here to stay gime. This was a problem prior to the uprising and and services, which negatively impacts the civil-
for the foreseeable future. Secondly, because these has since been greatly exacerbated. For example, ian population. While humanitarian aid is ex-
issues refute the currently popular discourse that many regime loyalists or family members of the empt from sanctions, many NGOs have reported
Assad has won, and shows that his control over the president have been awarded lucrative contracts being affected because people are very nervous
country is incredibly fragile. to construct luxury residential areas while a sig- about doing business in Syria. While some people
The socio-economic situation in the country nificant proportion of the population no longer are using the sanctions issue to rehabilitate the
is desperate and is affecting communities across has access to housing. regime and not hold it accountable for its crimes,
Syria, with 83 percent of Syrians living below the Another example is a Russian company, Stroy- we need to be clear that sanctions are not the
poverty line and struggling to make ends meet tansgaz, being granted 70 percent of all revenues main cause of the current crisis.
or afford basic necessities. The United Nations generated from the production and export of Finally, the coronavirus pandemic has also had
World Food Programme reports that food prices phosphate, which is equivalent to millions of an impact because Syrians are totally dependent
have increased by 376 percent since October 2019. dollars annually over the next 49 years. This takes on humanitarian aid, and donor countries are
The price of bread—a staple—has increased 247 money out of the country as a reward for Russia’s cutting their budgets because of the financial
percent since last year. There are shortages of support of the regime. pressures on them at home.
basic foods and fuel, and electricity blackouts are The economic and financial crisis in Lebanon I think it’s fair to say that parts of the coun-
common. The Syrian currency has completely has also exacerbated the situation, as many Syri- try are now living under Iranian occupation.
collapsed. The salary of a state employee is now an businessmen and individuals deposit savings Iran has supported the regime since the early
equivalent to around US$20 per month, as op- there. For example, the current wheat shortage days of the conflict. It sees Syria as a key part
posed to $400 per month in March 2011. was compounded by this because all the main of the so-called axis of resistance to the US
This situation has caused widespread anger wheat importers have bank accounts in Lebanon. and Israel—a Shia bloc crossing Iraq, Syria and
among the population, even among communities Also, many Syrians were dependent on remit- Lebanon to the Mediterranean. So losing Syria