In this issue:
Unlocking Access:Banking compliance challenges
A handful of sanctioned individuals make it difficult for Syrian banks to re-establish ties with the rest of the world. Freezing their assets, boosting compliance, and signaling reform could reopen doors.
International Oil Companies eye a return
Sanctions relief has reopened Syria’s oil sector, but unresolved legal claims, political fragmentation, and high security risks leave most energy giants cautious.
Public Sector restructuring after Assad
Payroll audits, workforce restructuring, and legal reform drive public sector overhaul, but fiscal costs and fragmented implementation raise doubts.
Opaque Appointments: Advisors under scrutiny
The Secretary-General cancelled dozens of ministerial advisory roles, exposing improvised and opaque hiring practices at the highest levels of power.
External Contribution – Elise Baker
States have collected over $1 billion from Syria’s war. That money should fund a Syria Victims Fund to deliver justice.
Interview: Abdussalam Haykal, Minister of Telecommunications
On digital transformation, infrastructure, security, Starlink, outages in Suweida and elsewhere, and the path forward.