Tuesday, February 25

The European Union, Syria's largest trading partner before their civil war in 2000, has finally lifted sanctions on the Middle Eastern country after a new government took power from dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Before 2000, the European Union used to be Syria's largest trading partner, and an abundance of oil and other natural resources allowed the country's market to begin growing into a healthy economy of the Middle East. This dependence on Syria continued for over a decade longer, with Italy and Germany as the second and third-largest importers of Syrian goods, after Iraq.

However, the country's civil war in 2011 changed everything. In 2000, Bashar al-Assad took power from his father, but votes showed that over 99.7% of the population agreed with the Parliament's decision. Uprisings began to take place against Assad, and the situation quickly escalated into a full-out war. This war crippled the country's economy, with exports plunging over 85% after sanctions were imposed by many of their large trading partners, including the EU.

Assad's government maintained control over a large portion of Syria, but the remaining parts were split up between several different groups. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) took control of the northeast, Turkish-backed rebel forces took control of parts of the north, and a group by the name of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham took control of a smaller portion of the northwest.

Then, several months ago, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham moved into Assad's territory, taking control of the major city of Aleppo before invading the capital, Damascus. Read more into their invasion here. Assad quickly fled the capital for Moscow, where he took refuge, and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham became the new rulers of Syria.

Now, the group has elected a new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is aiming for reform across the country. He has maintained that the economy is key to Syria's success, but economical growth is not possible when major sanctions are in place.

Due to this, the European Union removed a multitude of sanctions this week, including sanctions on oil, gas, electricity, and transportation. They have also pulled back restrictions that had been placed on the Syrian central bank, allowing the country's economy to resume its growth. With this development, it could possibly return to where it once was before the war, which would be huge for Syria as a whole.

However, the EU has confirmed that they are not removing all sanctions, as they must ensure that the situation in Syria remains under control. Because of this, they have kept many sanctions as well, including sanctions on weapons and surveillance equipment.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Well, only for about 15 seconds. It takes that long for humans to lose consciousness in space due to lack of oxygen to the brain, and they quickly die within the next few minutes. In 1965, a technician was inside a vacuum chamber and accidentally depressurized his suit. After 12 to 15 seconds he lost consciousness, but his suit was repressurized at 27 seconds.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): In order to have faith in his own path, he does not need to prove that someone else’s path is wrong. (Paulo Coelho)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Quip (noun, KWIP) - Quip can refer to a clever, usually taunting remark, or to a witty or funny observation or response usually made on the spur of the moment.

In a Sentence: They traded quips over a beer and laughed themselves silly.