Syria This Week (STW #2)
Assorted Links: August 8 - August 14, 2025
Syrian-U.S. “SYNC’25 II” conference… Step to boost the global tech industry: “several projects the ministry is working on, […] “Barq” project, which aims to provide high-speed internet at workplaces and homes. […] the “Silk Link” project, which will provide a new backbone fiber-optic infrastructure across Syria, aiming to transform the country into a regional hub for data transmission and international connectivity.”
Jordan-Syria-US meeting held in Amman to discuss Syrian reconstruction: “It also focused on supporting ‘the Syrian government’s efforts to consolidate’ a ceasefire in the Druze-majority Syrian province of Suwayda, as Syria’s minority communities continue to express concerns for their safety. […] Damascus said the sides had agreed to form a working group “to support the Syrian government’s efforts to consolidate the ceasefire in [Suwayda] province, and work to find a comprehensive solution to the crisis”..”
Why Syrian Products Fail to Compete Against the “Flood” of Foreign Goods: “the crisis stems from decades of a closed, protectionist, monopolistic economy lacking modern management and development tools. He explained that the rentier model dominating domestic production created a fragile structure focused on assembly and packaging rather than investing in quality or modern technology. As a result, Syrian industries were ill-prepared for direct competition with advanced foreign goods. The shift toward a free market economy occurred without ensuring fair competition conditions, leaving local products directly exposed to European goods, which often outperform them in quality and come at lower prices—making them preferable to low-income consumers.”
Syria forums in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi eye $500bn reconstruction investment push: “In a move to mobilise international capital for Syria’s estimated $500 billion reconstruction effort, the Syria Recovery & Investment Forum is launching two new editions this September — in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi — following the success of its July event in Dubai.”
Syria Tries To Rebuild A Functioning Economy After Years of Corrupt Dictatorship: “Syria has made clear it wants to maintain control over its finances, rejecting World Bank and IMF loans, planning to issue bonds and treasury bills to finance spending instead.”
Türkiye aims for over $2B in exports to Syria after new trade accord: ““We will participate in the 62nd Damascus International Fair to be held on August 27–September 5 with our Turkish booth,” he said. “We believe this event will present opportunities for mutual investments.”“
Additional Read:
Development as Marketcraft: “In economic development, this means building the institutional and incentive framework that allows markets to deliver economic growth, technological capabilities, and inclusive prosperity. […] In a seemingly fractured global economy, embracing marketcraft thinking can help policymakers strategise for development. Developing countries cannot rely on passive spillovers from trade and foreign investment. Sustained catch-up growth depends on the institutional capacity to absorb, adapt, and internalise productive knowledge.4 Marketcraft here means embedding learning incentives into the legal, financial, and organisational infrastructure, including procurement rules that reward capability gains, FDI frameworks that mandate technology transfer, and standards bodies that diffuse technical know-how“