Syria's Financing To Rebuild, Part V

Nadene Goldfoot                                                    

    Damascus, Syria;  Decembeer 21, 2024.  

Rebuilding Syria is estimated to cost at least $216 billion, according to a late 2025 World Bank report, with some estimates ranging up to $343 billion or even over $400 billion, representing a massive undertaking nearly ten times the country's pre-war GDP, covering infrastructure, economic revival, and addressing deep-seated damage from years of conflict.  Yet Jolani is asking for 7 trillion dollars for the work.  That's what you do in the Middle East, start with a large number and then come down to an satisfactory number for both.  

                      Damascus, before the Civil War

Syria is left as a fractured nation recovering from a long civil war, characterized by massive displacement, severe economic hardship, destroyed infrastructure, and ongoing instability, with a new government facing challenges integrating diverse armed groups and addressing persistent humanitarian crises, particularly in the northeast (Kurdish-controlled SDF) and south (Druze areas). While the Assad regime fell in late 2024, large parts of the country remain contested, with the Kurdish-led SDF holding significant territory and ISIS remnants persisting, leading to internal conflict and fragile security. It seems like they have to get rid of ISIS.  

The Bible, primarily in Isaiah 17,; Isaiah was a prophet of 740-701 BCE, who prophesies the destruction of Damascus, stating it will cease to be a city and become a heap of ruins, its royal power ending, with only remnants left like Israel's faded glory. Other prophets, including Jeremiah and Amos, also foretold divine judgment on Damascus for its cruelty, mentioning fire consuming its palaces and its people falling in the streets. These prophecies connect Damascus's fall with the judgment of Israel, ultimately leading the remnant to turn back to God. "God will punish the nations near Israel.   Amos 1:3-2:3: Amos was a prophet from Judea in the 8h cent.BCE The Lord says, ‘The people in Damascus have done more and more wrong things. So I will certainly punish them!

"Yes from the heart" - posters of President Bashar al-Assad are everywhere in government-controlled parts of Syria

They have been cruel to the people in Gilead. They used their iron weapons to tear them into pieces.  I will send a fire to destroy the palace that King Hazael built. It will destroy the strong buildings of King Ben-Hadad.  I will also break the strong gates of the city of Damascus. I will remove all the people who live in the Aven valley. I will remove the king of Beth-Eden. Their enemies will take the people of Syria far away to Kir as prisoners.’ That is what the Lord says.

So now we're repeating some of the same problems we had in 800 BCE, 10 centuries ago.  But we see Damascus being much larger and some still standing.  

Life in Damascus today is a complex mix of post-war normalcy, ongoing economic hardship, and vibrant cultural resilience, with people navigating shortages through queues and cash-based systems while enjoying burgeoning arts scenes, though security remains a concern for travelers, as the conflict officially ended in late 2024 but instability persists. 

Syrian reactions to the October 7th attacks were mixed, with the Assad regime blaming Israel for regional instability and condemning its response, while opposition-held areas saw large-scale protests expressing solidarity with Gaza, juxtaposing their own suffering under the regime with the Palestinian plight. Militant groups linked to Iran fired rockets from Syria into Israel, prompting Israeli strikes on Syrian targets, though Syria largely remained quiet otherwise as the conflict expanded, impacting aid to Syrians. 

• Rocket Fire: Iranian-backed groups in Syria fired rockets into Israel, prompting Israeli airstrikes on Syrian military targets. 

Broader Impacts

• Regional Spillover: The conflict exacerbated existing regional tensions, drawing Syria into the broader Iran-Israel confrontation.
• Aid Diversion: The war in Gaza threatened to divert crucial international aid away from Syria, compounding existing humanitarian crises there, noted The New Humanitarian.
• Resource; 
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68684068
•  https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/international-reactions-hamas-attack-israel#:~:text=Around%20the%20globe%2C%20representatives%20of,immediate%20de%2Descalation%20of%2 0violence.
• Syrian Contact