RIAC and ISPI Joint Report
RIAC and ISPI Joint Report
This Report brings together experts and scholars in an effort to ponder on possible post-pandemic trends in the Southern Mediterranean. The aim is to help readers navigate the future of the Southern Mediterranean region, by offering new insights and guidance to regional and non-regional governments, civil society, and the public at large.
After the Storm: Post-Pandemic Trends in the Southern Mediterranean
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... has become the gateway to the outside world for many Syrians. Passengers are required to provide COVID-19 test results on arrival and departure. Many official border crossing points in Syria are still closed, which is also holding back the spread of COVID-19.
Syria is receiving foreign aid to combat the pandemic, including from China, the UAE and Russia. A total of 1.5 million medical and 67,848 respiratory masks, as well as 1.3 million pairs of gloves, were delivered through the
World Health Organization
...
... Washington’s Arab allies, even against the backdrop of positive signals sent to Damascus, such as the telephone conversation between Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Bashar al-Assad, when the parties discussed aid to Syria in combating the COVID-19.
The Caesar Act and Russia’s Economic Presence in Syria
Nothing Good Can Come of it for Moscow?
Despite the obvious obstacles that the Caesar Acts creates for Russian companies, the are a number of examples where the reverse is true in terms ...
... Yourself”
At present, Russian policy towards Syria is dictated by a general focus on maintaining the necessary level of participation, but not a thorough immersion. This is due to the limited capabilities of Moscow, the lack of resources in the context of COVID-19, low oil prices and sanctions. Moscow’s victories in Syria as of now become losses in the future, as economic threats increase for Damascus. They are primarily associated with the US sanctions policy aimed at preventing any third-party business contacts with Syria and rebuilding the country; lack of effectiveness ...
On June 26, 2020, the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) conducted an online expert discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on the changes in the "rules of the game" in the Syrian conflict
On June 26, 2020, the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) conducted an online expert discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on the changes in the "rules of the game" in the Syrian conflict.
The panelists ...
... like that on several other foreign political issues, rather ambiguous, not to say hypocritical. On the one hand, they introduce all kinds of "exceptions," "authorisations” and “special licences” for providing humanitarian aid to Syria and some other states during the fight against COVID-19. This procedure is detailed in a relevant paper by the US Department of the Treasury dated 16 April 2020 (
Department of the Treasury, Washington DC, Office of foreign control, Fact Sheet: Provision of Humanitarian Assistance and Trade to Combat ...
... regulators. Even NGOs can be hit by sanctions. The alternative is smuggling and semi-legal schemes, which increase costs several times over, and are fraught with the danger of criminal prosecution.
Other countries face a similar situation. The first COVID-19 cases have been registered in Syria, a country that is in a state of war. The strict oil embargo has resulted in a shortage of petrol, which is needed by both the military and medics. Cuba has faced fuel shortages as a result of a U.S.-led embargo for years now. Venezuela and a number ...
