Syria

For all the political uncertainty and international isolation faced by Syria, its short-term economic story is surprisingly positive. According to recent preliminary figures announced... 2006-06-16

The Syrian regime is proving its resilience to inernational pressure following the withdrawal from Lebanon in April 2005. This is partly thanks to its ally Iran, whose nuclear ambitions... 2006-06-14

Our real GDP growth forecasts remain unchanged: we expect 3% growth in 2006 before the economy returns to its trend rate of growth of 2.5% from 2007 onwards. This scenario assumes... 2006-05-18

There have been some positive developments since President Bashar al-Assad took office in 2000, following the death of his father Hafez al-Assad. The new president introduced limited... 2006-05-05

On February 11, President Bashar al-Assad reshuffled his cabinet, appointing a new vice-president, foreign minister and interior minister. As the anniversary of the assassination... 2006-03-10

Our expectations for real GDP growth in 2005 and 2006 have improved to 4% and 3% respectively, as we anticipate that high oil prices and the ongoing regional boom will continue to... 2006-01-17

International attention focused on Syria once more in mid-December, as UN Special Investigator Detlev Mehlis presented a second report on the assassination of former Lebanese prime... 2006-01-11

BMI View: Our real GDP growth forecast for 2005 is 3%, followed by 2.5% for 2006. Growth in recent years has been driven largely by oil exports. However, not only does oil growth... 2005-11-09

Syria has come under intense pressure, following the release of the interim findings of the UN investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik al-Hariri.... 2005-10-31

In the light of new data and recent worrying findings by the UNDP, our outlook is now more pessimistic.