Syria: War-Torn or War-Born?

Abstract

This paper outlines the current economic problems of Syria’s war-time economy and the frameworks and policies needed to rebuild post-conflict Syria. The paper covers the monetary, fiscal, military, and foreign exchange issues, and GDP growth and agriculture. It then draws conclusions and recommendations from related economic literature and the experiences of other countries that underwent post-conflict recovery. The paper recommends that the future post-conflict Syrian government build a new economy rather than rebuild the old economy that led to the civil war; the new economy should be based on new values of inclusiveness and openness.