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Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0111/p04s01-wome.htm
Even with Sanctions, Syrians Embrace KFC and Gap
[Christian Science Monitor] Julien Barnes-Dacey - The political bitterness between Washington and Damascus has not dampened the appetite for U.S. products in Syria - nor has it stopped American companies from finding a way past sanctions in order to do business in the country. America's iconic brands are popping up all over Damascus despite years of that country's own self-imposed economic isolation and U.S. trade sanctions imposed in 2003 to punish the Syrians for meddling in Lebanon. Cargill, one of America's largest private companies, is currently building a sugar refinery in the town of Homs. "Sanctions on Syria haven't worked. Officially, trade has gone up between the two countries and the Syrian market is full of American goods," says Andrew Tabler, Syrian analyst for the Stanley Foundation.