Donald Trump has made the historic announcement of lifting years-long sanctions on Syria during his West Asia visit. This move could bring major changes to the lives of the people residing in the war-torn country.

But the country must also modernise monetary policy, rewire banking and reconnect with global markets, argues Abdulkader Husrieh

“All areas of life for Syrians were impacted by the sanctions,” Benjamin Feve, an expert on Syria’s political economy, told MEE. Feve, a senior research analyst at Karam Shaar Advisory, said that contrary to what is often reported, it was not the sanctions themselves that destroyed Syria’s economy.

Abu Aqouleh added that lifting sanctions would create job opportunities in the logistics sector and attract new investment in storage and support services