Bashar al-Assad attempted unsuccessfully to employ the same strategy in He hedged against defections by deploying only the most loyal one-third of the Syrian Army, but in so doing he undercut his ability to prosecute a troop-intensive counterinsurgency campaign because he could not use all of his forces. These dynamics have weakened the Syrian Army in some ways but also honed it, such that what remains of these armed forces is comprised entirely of committed regime supporters.
Pro-Assad militias have become the most significant source of armed reinforcement for the Syrian Army. The mostly-Alawite shabiha mafias are led by extended members of the Assad family and have been responsible for some of the worst brutality against the Syrian opposition. The local Popular Committees draw their ranks from minorities who have armed themselves to protect their communities against opposition fighters.
The regime has employed artillery, air power, bulldozers, sectarian massacres, and even ballistic missiles to force Syrian populations out of insurgent held areas. This strategy ensures that even when the rebels win towns and neighborhoods, they lose the population. When private sector importers want to access U. The Central Bank and the Ministry of Economy and Trade must also approve the import certificates of private merchants.
Given the lack of transparency and absence of separation of powers between the Central Bank and the regime apparatus, there are myriad other ways that the regime can use this currency that are unknown. The authors contacted the Financial Tracking System FTS of the United Nations, which stated that they do not have data on the amount of money exchanged into Syrian pounds and tracking such information was beyond the scope of their mission. Skip to main content. Written By. Karam Shaar.
Media Queries. Contact H. Business Insider Bill Bostock. October 21, In the News. Defense One Tara Copp. October 8, Washington Post Anne Gearan.
July 26, July 23, Jordan, US reaffirm 'enduring strength' of partnership. Jordan News Riley E. July 20, Al Jazeera Sean Mathews. July 18, Critical Questions. By Natasha Hall , Will Todman. July 12, View all content by this expert. Even people in his most cared-for areas are sick of living under his rule. His chances of standing trial, either locally or internationally, would be significantly higher. Justice is much more likely to be served on the weak. Augusto Pinochet, the infamous dictator of Chile from to and its army commander-in-chief until , was indicted for various crimes from Spain and later from London under the principle of universal jurisdiction, with the courts declaring themselves competent to judge crimes committed in another country by a former head of state, despite the existence of local amnesty laws.
Worse still, Assad could face the fate of Adib al-Shishakly, another Syrian dictator who succumbed to public pressure at the height of an insurgency in the mids and resigned, citing a desire to not drag the country into civil war. He fled to Brazil, only to be assassinated a decade later by a fellow Syrian, who was orphaned as a result of his military campaign against Jabal al-Druze.
Bashar al-Assad has killed far more innocent civilians to date than Pinochet and al-Shishakli combined. He makes them look like angels.
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