Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Post-Assad Syria is facing its biggest stress test yet. Here’s why that
matters
Surrounded by Turkey, Iraq, and Jordan, and also bordered by Israel and
Lebanon, Syria is an Arab republic in West Asia. Most of its 26 million
population are Arabs and Sunni muslims, and about 10% are Kurds. The republic
was established in 1953 and was ruled by the notorious Assad family until its collapse
in 2024, when the nation’s capital, Damascus, fell to its opposing coalition. The
country is now ruled by a transitional government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, a
former rebel commander. After decades of international isolation and sanctions
because of the former regime’s repression of civilians and support for
terrorism, the interim government has been trying to bring the country back
onto the global stage and invite foreign investment. Turkey, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia, the UAE, and the EU have invested handsomely so far, which has helped
Syria rebuild key infrastructure from a nearly bankrupt state. However, despite
the government’s ambitious long-term plans, ordinary citizens' daily lives haven’t
improved much, and people are struggling with a cost-of-living crisis. Economic
strain, especially in food and fuel, leads to social unrest. How will Syria’s transitional
government manage the nation until the next presidential election that is supposed
to take place before December 2029?
Read the article and learn about Syria’s status.
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