THE BUSINESSMAN CAN'T PLAY HIS HAND
Syria faces its most serious economic crisis since the advent of
the correctionist movement -- jargon for the coming to power of
President Hafez Assad in the early 1970s. Private-sector businessmen
with long memories say the present financial crisis is the worst since
the Ba'athist socialist revolution, which led to a series of coups
and to economic chaos in the mid-1960s.
For the private businessmen -- there are not many -- there is a
certain irony in the present situation. They are fulsome in their
praise for the peace and stability the country has enjoyed during the
past decade under President Assad, but they are sceptical about the
government's recent calls for them to play a more active role in
the economy. For despite the publicity hype surrounding incentives,
especially for the tourist industry, the private businessman in Syria
works with one hand tied behind his back and...
