DOCSLIB.ORG

Guide How to Export Syria

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Guide How to Export Syria 2020 Guide How to Export Syria Table of Contents Foreword .................................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 8 Present Day Syria ............................................................................................................................... 10 I. The Syrian Economy and the Sanctions ............................................................................... 10 II. The Syrian Economy and the Lebanese Financial Crisis ................................................. 11 III. The Syrian Economy and COVID-19 .................................................................................... 11 Map ............................................................................................................................................................ 12 Basic Data ................................................................................................................................................. 13 I – General Aspects ................................................................................................................................ 14 1. Geography and Climate ............................................................................................................... 14 1.1. Geography ............................................................................................................................... 14 1.2. Border Points .......................................................................................................................... 15 1.3. Climate ..................................................................................................................................... 15 2. Population, Urban Centres and Standard of Living ............................................................. 16 2.1. Population ............................................................................................................................... 16 2.2. Urban Centres ......................................................................................................................... 18 2.3. Standard of Living ................................................................................................................. 18 2.4. Language and Religion ......................................................................................................... 19 3. Transport and Communications ................................................................................................ 19 3.1. Transportation ....................................................................................................................... 19 3.2. Communications .................................................................................................................... 21 4. Political and Administrative Structure ................................................................................... 21 4.1. The Government .................................................................................................................... 21 4.2. The Administrative Division of Syria ............................................................................... 22 5. International Organizations and Agreements ....................................................................... 22 II – Economy, Currency and Finance ................................................................................................. 23 1. Domestic Economic Environment ............................................................................................. 23 1.1. Gross Domestic Product ...................................................................................................... 23 1.2. Employment ............................................................................................................................ 23 1.3. Inflation .................................................................................................................................... 24 1.4. Public Expenditure ................................................................................................................ 25 1 1.5. Composition of GDP .............................................................................................................. 25 Page 1.6. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) ........................................................................................ 26 2. Main Sectors of Activity .............................................................................................................. 29 2.1. Agriculture ............................................................................................................................... 29 2.2. Industry .................................................................................................................................... 31 2.3. Services .................................................................................................................................... 33 3. Currency and Finance ................................................................................................................... 34 3.1. Currency ................................................................................................................................... 34 3.2. Finance ..................................................................................................................................... 34 III. Foreign Trade .................................................................................................................................... 35 1. General Considerations ............................................................................................................... 35 2. Recent Developments .................................................................................................................. 35 2.1 Factors to consider when doing Business with Syria ................................................... 36 3. Direction of Syrian Exports ........................................................................................................ 37 4. Composition of Syrian Exports .................................................................................................. 39 5. Origin of Syrian Imports .............................................................................................................. 39 6. Composition of Syrian Imports ................................................................................................. 42 IV. Economic-Commercial Relations Brazil-Syria .......................................................................... 43 1. Recent Developments .................................................................................................................. 43 2. Brazilian Exports ........................................................................................................................... 44 3. Brazilian Imports ........................................................................................................................... 44 4. Potential Brazilian Products to the Syrian Market ............................................................. 45 5. Potential New Items to be exported by Brazil to Syria ...................................................... 46 6. Current Import Needs to Consider by Brazilian Exporters ................................................ 47 6.1 Export of Oil and Oil Derivatives........................................................................................ 47 6.2 Export of Halal Frozen Poultry, beef and Mutton meats ............................................ 48 6.3 Export of Medicines and Hospital Equipment ................................................................ 49 7. Investment Opportunities in Syria ........................................................................................... 49 8. Main Bilateral Agreements ........................................................................................................ 50 V. Market Access .................................................................................................................................... 51 1. Tariff System .................................................................................................................................. 51 1.1. The Legal Framework............................................................................................................ 51 1.2. Classification of Goods ........................................................................................................ 51 2 1.3. Tariff Structure....................................................................................................................... 51 Page 1.4. Goods Value Subject to Tariff ............................................................................................ 52 1.5. Preferential Tariffs and Special Fees ............................................................................... 52 1.6. Generalised System of Preferences .................................................................................. 52 1.7. Anti-dumping and Countervailing Duties ....................................................................... 52 1.8. Taxes and Fees ......................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Examples of Iraq and Syria
    BearWorks MSU Graduate Theses Fall 2017 The Unraveling of the Nation-State in the Middle East: Examples of Iraq and Syria Zachary Kielp Missouri State University, [email protected] As with any intellectual project, the content and views expressed in this thesis may be considered objectionable by some readers. However, this student-scholar’s work has been judged to have academic value by the student’s thesis committee members trained in the discipline. The content and views expressed in this thesis are those of the student-scholar and are not endorsed by Missouri State University, its Graduate College, or its employees. Follow this and additional works at: https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses Part of the International Relations Commons, and the Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons Recommended Citation Kielp, Zachary, "The Unraveling of the Nation-State in the Middle East: Examples of Iraq and Syria" (2017). MSU Graduate Theses. 3225. https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/3225 This article or document was made available through BearWorks, the institutional repository of Missouri State University. The work contained in it may be protected by copyright and require permission of the copyright holder for reuse or redistribution. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE UNRAVELING OF THE NATION-STATE IN THE MIDDLE EAST: EXAMPLES OF IRAQ AND SYRIA A Masters Thesis Presented to The Graduate College of Missouri State University TEMPLATE In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science, Defense and Strategic Studies By Zachary Kielp December 2017 Copyright 2017 by Zachary Kielp ii THE UNRAVELING OF THE NATION-STATE IN THE MIDDLE EAST: EXAMPLES OF IRAQ AND SYRIA Defense and Strategic Studies Missouri State University, December 2017 Master of Science Zachary Kielp ABSTRACT After the carnage of World War One and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire a new form of political organization was brought to the Middle East, the Nation-State.
    [Show full text]
  • Destruction of Chemical Weapons in Syria
    INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DESTRUCTION OF ChEMICAL WEAPONS IN SYRIA The author highlights the “unprecedented operation” carried out by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons which, together with the United Nations, has supervised this effort and international cooperation phase intended to take weapons of mass destruction out of Syria. KEY WORDS: CHEMICAL WEAPONS / SYRIA / TERRORISM / UNO / DESTRUCTION / CONFLICT / DEADLINE By Omar Locatelli ome historical facts On April 10, 2003, the Deputy Secretary for the Control Since the 1980’s Syria has been one of the of Armament and International Security, John Bolton, countries that supports terrorism according to said it was a great opportunity for Syria to get involved S the US Department of State. However, the Syrian in the elimination of Weapons of Mass Destruction that government states that they only allow for the opening was being carried out in the Middle East region taking of “press offices” of those radical organizations, mainly advantage of the alleged successful military operations of from Palestine, that call for resistance against the Israeli the United States in Iraq for their destruction. occupation of Palestine territories. The Syrian threat to use weapons of mass destruction After the 9/11 event, the United States have called Iraq, has always concerned the West. However, it was Iran and North Korea the “axis of evil” and said that they considered as a last resource destabilizing option until were responsible for the main terrorist actions in the civil war in Syria1 broke out in the regional context and in world carried out with the use of different types of actions the western interests.
    [Show full text]
  • An Uncertain Homecoming Views of Syrian Refugees in Jordan on Return, Justice, and Coexistence
    An Uncertain Homecoming Views of Syrian Refugees in Jordan on Return, Justice, and Coexistence INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE An Uncertain Homecoming Views of Syrian Refugees in Jordan on Return, Justice, and Coexistence RESEARCH REPORT Acknowledgments The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) acknowledges the support of the UK Department for International Development, which funded this research and publication. ICTJ and the authors of the report also gratefully acknowledge all of those who generously gave their time to be interviewed for this report and contributed their experiences and insights. About the Authors Cilina Nasser wrote sections V through XII of this report and led the development of the Introduction and Recommendations. Nasser is a Beirut-based independent researcher and expert on human rights who also works on transitional justice issues. She has worked extensively on investigating human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, primarily in Syria, but also in other countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, such as Yemen, Libya, and Saudi Arabia. She was a researcher at Amnesty International focusing on countries in crisis and conflict from 2009 to 2015 and, before that, a journalist who covered major events in Lebanon. Zeina Jallad Charpentier wrote sections III, XIII, and XIV of this report. Jallad Charpentier is a legal consultant, researcher, and lecturer in law, whose work focuses on the intersection between international law, human rights law, social mobility, access to justice and resilience of disenfranchised populations, refugees, and impact litigation. She has worked in the United States, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Turkey.
    [Show full text]
  • The Noble Sanctuary: Interpreting Islamic Traditions of Asylum in the Contemporary World
    The Noble Sanctuary: Interpreting Islamic Traditions of Asylum in the Contemporary World TAHIR ZAMAN A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the School of Law & Social Sciences, University of East London for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2012 i Abstract This study aims at deepening understanding of religion in the social and cultural lives of forced migrants. It considers how Iraqi refugees in Damascus mobilise religious traditions, networks and institutions in order to negotiate their new surroundings and access much needed social and material resources. In doing so, refugees move beyond the management and care of UN agencies, international NGOs and the state. This thesis argues against conceptualizing religion solely as an identity concern or in institutional terms. Instead it emphasises religion as being a holistic and experiential matter. This study provides a synchronic and diachronic examination of Islamic traditions in relation to sanctuary, refuge and the stranger. Over the course of a year, from March 2010 to March 2011, 23 Iraqi refugees and five refugee service providers participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. Ethnographic data was also collected and recorded in the field during this time. The thesis explores how Islamic traditions are interpreted in contemporary contexts in addition to demonstrating the relational dimensions of religious practice and experience. The constraints and opportunities Iraqi refugees encounter in em-placing themselves indicate that religion is a much contested notion. I make the case for a holistic understanding of religious practice and experience wherein home-making is a key concern. The challenges of facing a protracted exile and a protection impasse in Syria means Iraqi refugees are compelled to reflect upon their specific experiences of religion and to mobilize their understandings of religious traditions in innovative ways in order to construct inhabitable worlds.
    [Show full text]
  • A Sketch of North Syrian Economic Relations in the Middle Bronze
    A SKETCH OF NORTH SYRIAN ECONOMICRELATIONS IN THE MIDDLE BRONZE AGE * BY JACK M. SASSON (The University of North Carolina) Northern Syria of the Middle Bronze Age, as known chiefly from the archives of Mari and Alalah VII, slowly graduatedfrom moments of relative chaos (ca. 2I00-I850) to an age of political stability (ca. I850-I625). Under the able leadership of the Yamhadian dynasty, a feudal system of relationship created one entity out of the whole region.') The evidence at our disposal allows us even to imagine a political and economic Pax Yamhadianawhich, beginning before the fall of Mari, lasted until the rise of the Hittite State and the attacks of Hattusilis I (ca. 625). *) The word 'sketch' in the title is chosen for reasons of necessity. Except for brief illuminations from the 'Cappadocian' texts and those from Egypt, heavy reliance had to be placed on the Mari and Alalah VII documents, and then only when they show evidence of foreign interconnection. The archaeology of Middle Bronze (IIa) Syria, in which the Mari age unfolds, has not been very helpful, simply because not enough North Syrian sites of that age have been excavated. The reports from the 'Amuq region (phase L), 'Atsanah (levels XVI-VIII), testify to a wide- spread use of a painted ware rounded of form, narrow necked, buff, with simple geometric designs (cross-hatching in triangles) within bands (cf. Iraq, I5 (I953), 57-65; Chronologiesin Old WorldArchaeology, p. I72). The material from Ugarit of that age being yet mostly unpublished, one looks forwardto the reports of excavation at Tilmen-Hiiyik, which is probably the site of ancient Ibla (for now, see Orientalia 33 (1964) 503-507; AJA 68 (1964), I55-56; 70 (966), I47).
    [Show full text]
  • Monthly OTP July 2019
    Monthly OTP July 2019 ON-TIME PERFORMANCE AIRLINES Contents On-Time is percentage of flights that depart or arrive within 15 minutes of schedule. Global OTP rankings are only assigned to all Airlines/Airports where OAG has status coverage for at least 80% of the scheduled flights. Regional Airlines Status coverage will only be based on actual gate times rather than estimated times. This July result in some airlines / airports being excluded from this report. If you would like to review your flight status feed with OAG pleas [email protected] MAKE SMARTER MOVES Airline Monthly OTP – July 2019 Page 1 of 1 Home GLOBAL AIRLINES – TOP 50 AND BOTTOM 50 TOP AIRLINE ON-TIME FLIGHTS On-time performance BOTTOM AIRLINE ON-TIME FLIGHTS On-time performance Airline Arrivals Rank No. flights Size Airline Arrivals Rank No. flights Size SATA International-Azores GA Garuda Indonesia 93.9% 1 13,798 52 S4 30.8% 160 833 253 Airlines S.A. XL LATAM Airlines Ecuador 92.0% 2 954 246 ZI Aigle Azur 47.8% 159 1,431 215 HD AirDo 90.2% 3 1,806 200 OA Olympic Air 50.6% 158 7,338 92 3K Jetstar Asia 90.0% 4 2,514 168 JU Air Serbia 51.6% 157 3,302 152 CM Copa Airlines 90.0% 5 10,869 66 SP SATA Air Acores 51.8% 156 1,876 196 7G Star Flyer 89.8% 6 1,987 193 A3 Aegean Airlines 52.1% 155 5,446 114 BC Skymark Airlines 88.9% 7 4,917 122 WG Sunwing Airlines Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • B COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) No 36/2012 of 18
    02012R0036 — EN — 30.05.2020 — 045.001 — 1 This text is meant purely as a documentation tool and has no legal effect. The Union's institutions do not assume any liability for its contents. The authentic versions of the relevant acts, including their preambles, are those published in the Official Journal of the European Union and available in EUR-Lex. Those official texts are directly accessible through the links embedded in this document ►B COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) No 36/2012 of 18 January 2012 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria and repealing Regulation (EU) No 442/2011 (OJ L 16, 19.1.2012, p. 1) Amended by: Official Journal No page date ►M1 Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 55/2012 of 23 January L 19 6 24.1.2012 2012 ►M2 Council Regulation (EU) No 168/2012 of 27 February 2012 L 54 1 28.2.2012 ►M3 Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 266/2012 of 23 March L 87 45 24.3.2012 2012 ►M4 Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 410/2012 of 14 May 2012 L 126 3 15.5.2012 ►M5 Council Regulation (EU) No 509/2012 of 15 June 2012 L 156 10 16.6.2012 ►M6 Council Implementing Regulation 2012/544/CFSP of 25 June 2012 L 165 20 26.6.2012 ►M7 Council Regulation (EU) No 545/2012 of 25 June 2012 L 165 23 26.6.2012 ►M8 Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 673/2012 of 23 July 2012 L 196 8 24.7.2012 ►M9 Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 742/2012 of 16 August L 219 1 17.8.2012 2012 ►M10 Council Regulation (EU) No 867/2012 of 24 September 2012 L 257 1 25.9.2012 ►M11 Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 944/2012
    [Show full text]
  • 2.3 Syrian Arab Republic Road Network Syrian Arab Republic Road Network
    2.3 Syrian Arab Republic Road Network Syrian Arab Republic Road Network Roads Overview The total distance of roads in Syria is 97,401 km 19,490 km is paved (including 1,103 km of expressways) and 77,911 km is unpaved. Mainroad conditions and in-country trucking capacity is good and there are sufficient transport companies to meet demand. However delays in receiving GoS approvals and tax exemptions for receiving food and non-food items is a concern and this may affect on-time deliveries. The annex 'Importance of Road Transport in Syria' includes tables that give a clear idea on the importance of roads network in Syria as back bone for the country and the numbers of vehicles operating on this network. Road Construction / Maintenance The transport sector in Syria is significant to the of government because importance to the economy. Syria's transport and communication networks have expanded rapidly over the past decade to keep pace with the fast-growing population. The road network, for example, has increased by 10% in the past five years, of which 70% is asphalted. The MSR is a divided, multi-lane highway along the Damascus – Homs – Hama – Aleppo corridor with the Mediterranean ports of Tartous and Lattakia, and with Jordan to the south and Lebanon to the west. The secondary roads are in generally excellent condition and additional road construction is underway to extend the major highway network to include a link from Lattakia to Aleppo. Highways and secondary roads have weight-load restrictions (bridge classifications exceed 60 Mt). Due to the presence of potential obstacles on the road, grazing livestock for example, and times of reduced visibility due to inclement weather or dust then speeds came be severely reduced.
    [Show full text]
  • Intra State Conflict and Violence Against Civilians
    Centre for Peace Studies (CPS) Intra State Conflict and Violence Against Civilians A Study of the Syrian Civil War and the Violence Committed by the Assad Regime Against the Syrian People — Jo Myhren Rosseland Master’s thesis in Peace and Conflict Transformation… May 2017 Intra State Conflict and Violence against Civilians - A Study of the Syrian Civil War and the Violence committed by the Assad Regime against the Syrian Population. *** By Jo Myhren Rosseland Peace and Conflict Transformation 2016-2017 I Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 AIMS AND QUESTION OF STUDY 3 1.2 RELEVANCE TO PEACE AND CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION AND MOTIVATION 4 1.3 THESIS OUTLINE 6 2 METHODS AND SOURCES 7 2.1 CASE STUDY 8 2.2 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY 10 2.3 SCENARIO ANALYSIS AND PROCESS TRACING 10 3 THEORY AND CONTEXT 14 3.1 CONFLICT AND CONFLICT THEORY 14 3.2 CIVILIANS IN WARZONES 18 3.3 CONTEXT 20 3.4 WAR IN THE 21ST CENTURY 21 3.5 INTRA-STATE WAR 23 3.6 SYRIA AND THE ARAB SPRING 24 3.7 ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF SYRIA AND SECTARIANISM 26 4 EMPIRICAL CASE STUDY 27 PHASES OF THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR AND ANALYTICAL PARAMETERS 30 4.1 I. DISPERSED CIVIL REVOLT - MARCH 28TH – MEDIO JUNE, 2011 31 RATIONALE 32 ACTOR TYPES 33 STRATEGIES AND TACTICS 34 RELEVANT MILITARY CAPABILITIES 34 OUTCOME 36 4.2 II. COUNTRY-WIDE CIVIL REVOLT - JUNE 2011 – MARCH 2012 37 RATIONALE 37 STRATEGIES AND TACTICS 38 RELEVANT MILITARY CAPABILITIES 39 OUTCOME 40 4.3 III. FULLY FLEDGED CIVIL WAR - MARCH 2012 – NOVEMBER 2013 40 RATIONALE 40 STRATEGIES AND TACTICS 40 RELEVANT MILITARY CAPABILITIES 42 OUTCOME 43 4.4 IV.
    [Show full text]
  • Trend of COVID‐19 I.R. IRAN Update 398 / 23 March 2021
    No. 398 / 23 March 2021 New Lab Total Lab Confirmed Cases New Deaths Confirmed Cases Total Recoveries Total Deaths IRAN 7,290 74 1,815,712 1,555,766 61,951 Trend of COVID‐19 I.R. IRAN Update Daily Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, 19 February 2020 - 23 March 2021 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 19-Feb-20 4-Apr-20 19-May-20 3-Jul-20 17-Aug-20 1-Oct-20 15-Nov-20 30-Dec-20 13-Feb-21 30-Mar-21 Daily Confirmed COVID-19 Deaths, 19 February 2020 - 23 March 2021 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 19-Feb-20 4-Apr-20 19-May-20 3-Jul-20 17-Aug-20 1-Oct-20 15-Nov-20 30-Dec-20 13-Feb-21 30-Mar-21 COVID-19 Cumulative Laboratory-Confirmed Cases and Recoveries, 19 February 2020 - 23 March 2021 2,000,000 1,800,000 1,600,000 1,400,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0 20-Feb-20 05-Apr-20 20-May-20 04-Jul-20 18-Aug-20 02-Oct-20 16-Nov-20 31-Dec-20 14-Feb-21 31-Mar-21 Cumula�ve Cases Cumula�ve Recoveries Coronaviru��Update Islamic Republic of Iran| Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | 23 March 2021 2 COVID-19 Patients in Intensive Care, 26 March 2020 - 23 March 2021 6,500 6,000 5,500 5,000 4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 0 26-Mar-20 10-May-20 24-Jun-20 08-Aug-20 22-Sep-20 06-Nov-20 21-Dec-20 04-Feb-21 21-Mar-21 Laboratory Tests Update (Na�onal COVID­19 Laboratory Network) Total Number of Daily COVID-19 PCR Tests 69,000 67,000 65,000 63,000 61,000 59,000 57,000 55,000 53,000 51,000 49,000 47,000 45,000 43,000 41,000 39,000 37,000 35,000 33,000 31,000 29,000 27,000 25,000 23,000 21,000 19,000 17,000 15,000 13,000 11,000 9,000 0 12-Apr-20 27-May-20 11-Jul-20 25-Aug-20 09-Oct-20 23-Nov-20 07-Jan-21 21-Feb-21 07-Apr-21 Total cumulative laboratory tests as of today is 12,284,847.
    [Show full text]
  • Monthly OTP November 2019
    Monthly OTP November 2019 ON-TIME PERFORMANCE AIRLINES Contents On-Time is percentage of flights that depart or arrive within 15 minutes of schedule. Global OTP rankings are only assigned to all Airlines/Airports where OAG has status coverage for at least 80% of the scheduled flights. Regional Airlines Status coverage will only be based on actual gate times rather than estimated times. This may result in some airlines / airports being excluded from this report. If you would like to review your flight status feed with OAG, please email [email protected] MAKE SMARTER MOVES Airline Monthly OTP – November 2019 Page 1 of 1 Home GLOBAL AIRLINES – TOP 50 AND BOTTOM 50 TOP AIRLINE ON-TIME FLIGHTS On-time performance BOTTOM AIRLINE ON-TIME FLIGHTS On-time performance Airline Arrivals Rank No. flights Size Airline Arrivals Rank No. flights Size JH Fuji Dream Airlines 96.5% 1 2,340 155 3H Air Inuit 37.2% 162 1,465 196 GA Garuda Indonesia 95.8% 2 12,736 48 AI Air India 40.1% 161 16,509 38 RC Atlantic Airways Faroe Islands 95.0% 3 210 295 WG Sunwing Airlines Inc. 50.3% 160 905 225 7G Star Flyer 94.0% 4 2,160 164 WO Swoop 53.4% 159 919 222 EW Eurowings 93.4% 5 15,608 40 SG SpiceJet 54.3% 158 18,288 33 SATA International-Azores 6J Solaseed 93.3% 6 2,226 161 S4 54.5% 157 448 260 Airlines S.A. XQ SunExpress 93.3% 7 3,115 135 IW Wings Air 54.7% 156 11,242 55 TA TACA International Airlines 92.8% 8 374 272 JY Intercaribbean Airways Ltd 56.1% 155 1,760 184 FA Safair 92.6% 9 2,250 159 JT Lion Air 58.0% 154 17,320 34 B7 Uni Airways 92.5% 10 4,132 123 BJ Nouvelair
    [Show full text]
  • Of Warmongers, Fake News and the Deep State
    Stratcepts Paper 20200103 Copyright Stratcepts.net 2019 Of Warmongers, Fake News And The Deep State Stratcepts Team1* Abstract Recently, the three terms in the title have become part of American mainstream discussion, highlighted by a sharp public exchange between former US Secretary of State and Senator from New York, Ms. Hillary Clinton, and Presidential Candidate, National Guard Major and Hon. Congresswoman from Hawaii, Ms. Tulsi Gabbard. This article collects observations over the past decade from the public media in an attempt to understand some of these issues. The ’mainstream media’ narrative is that America is supporting the People of Syria to fight against oppression - from the ‘Regime’ of the ‘Brutal Dictator Assad’ and the Islamic State (ISIS). The ISIS also attacks the people of Iraq. Iranian ‘terrorists’ are interfering by helping the ‘Regime’ to oppress the Syrian people between poison gas attacks and bombing children. They are also impeding American efforts to save the Iraqi people from the ISIS. Saudi Arabia and Turkey are Allies of America, helping in the Coalition along with NATO nations and Israel, to fight. Someone. The Coalition is also bombing Yemen. And Libya. And Syria. The Russians are also meddling by helping the Brutal Dictator and the Iranians. All of this impeded President Obama’s sworn mission to degrade and eventually to destroy the ISIS. But despite all this, the Coalition has been winning. The ISIS has been defeated. Against this narrative, a few maverick voices have struck a discordant note. Senator Black of Virginia, before he retired, pointed out that the Christian minority in Syria depends on President Assad’s protection for survival against the Islamic extremists.
    [Show full text]