|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/import-ban-will-intensify-syria-unrest-1.877373
Import Ban Will Intensify Syria Unrest
(Gulf News-Dubai) Sami Moubayed - Syria's Ministry of Economy on Thursday banned the importation of foreign consumer goods - cars, electronics, clothes, food and anything classified as "luxury items" - in order to "preserve" Syria's foreign currency reserves. Banning imports will drive a wedge between the Syrian regime and the business community which, to date, has been fully supportive. The new ban will please Syrian smugglers who will now make a fortune - as they did in the 1980s - from smuggling these products across the border from Lebanon. Furthermore, as winter approaches, ordinary Syrians will have a hard time purchasing heating fuel now that their government has ended its decades-long subsidy.