Feature
Syria’s post-Assad economy falters as US stalls on sanctions relief
Three months after Syria's rebel takeover, all eyes are on Ahmed al-Sharaa and whether he can stabilize the economy as promised.
You're reading an excerpt from Al-Monitor Washington, where we break down the latest in US-Middle East diplomacy. To read the full newsletter, sign up here.
DAMASCUS, Syria — Throngs of people stand outside a bakery in the Bab Touma neighborhood of Damascus waiting to buy cheap bread. Separated by cage-like metal barriers, the lines have barely moved since Ammar Shriki got in the queue half an hour ago.
Shikri, 57, has been out of a job for six months and recently arrived in the Syrian capital from the coastal city of Latakia to search for work. Today he’s spending what little money he has to buy his family bread, a mainstay of Syrian meals.
Like many of the city’s residents, Shikri is looking to Syria’s new government for hope.
