[ad_1]
A report in the US magazine “Foreign Policy” said that Assad’s Syria came to resemble Saddam’s Iraq in the 1990s, after sanctions against the regime pushed the country into famine.
The report noted that the civil war in Syria led to the destruction of much of the country’s infrastructure due to blind bombardment by the regime and its Russian allies, leading to a decline in many sectors, the most important of which are agricultural production. , power generation and other industries.
In recent months, images have spread on social media of hundreds of Syrians queuing in front of bakeries for subsidized bread and having been at service stations for hours.
More than 80 percent of Syrians now live below the poverty line, according to Foreign Policy, which has led to high crime rates in the country and the proliferation of gangs smuggling goods, weapons and drugs, and kidnappings for ask for ransom.
While these problems are closely related to decades of corruption, mismanagement and brutal attacks by the regime in areas controlled by opposition factions, some critics say the sanctions imposed on Syria have contributed to worsening conditions, according to the report.
Compared to what happened to the former Iraqi president’s regime in the 1990s, the report believes that Saddam Hussein remained in control of the situation in his country despite the sanctions and was not overthrown except through the military action.
According to the report, the objective of Caesar’s sanctions imposed on the Assad regime is similar to what happened with Saddam Hussein, and is aimed at forcing the Syrian regime to change its behavior towards its people.
The report quotes the head of the Heinrich Paul Bennett Schiller Foundation’s Middle East and North Africa division as saying that “there is no dispute over sanctions against Assad and his associates, but other sanctions targeting the financial and energy sector have had negative effects. in common people. “
