أعلن وزير المالية السوري محمد يسر برنية، ٧ نيسان الماضي، أن الموازنة السورية حققت ٤٦ مليون دولار فائض السنة الماضية ٢٠٢٥. وفي منشور على منصة لينكدإن قال الوزير إن هذا الفائض هو الأول الذي تحققه سوريا منذ سنة ١٩٩٠. وزارة المالية على صفحتها فيسبوك نشرت موجز أداء الموازنةالعامة للدولة لسنة ٢٠٢٥، إذ بلغ إجمالي الإنفاق العام ٣.٤٤٧ مليار دولار بزيادة ٤٥.٧٪ عن إجمالي إنفاق ٢٠٢٤، ذهب ٤١٪ منها نحو زيادة الرواتب والأجور إضافة لقطاعات الصحة، التعليم والحماية الاجتماعية ونفقات أخرى. وحسب الوزارة بلغ إجمالي إيرادات الموازنة ٣.٤٩٣ مليار دولار بزيادة ١٢٠.٢٪ عن إجمالي إيرادات ٢٠٢٤، نحو ٣٩٪ منها حصة رسوم جمركية مع تحسن الحركة الجمركية وضبط الفساد. وتوقع الوزير برنية أن يرتفع الانفاق العام سنة ٢٠٢٦، إلى ١٠.٥٢٦ مليار دولار نحو ثلاثة أصعاف إنفاق ٢٠٢٥ مع الاهتمام بالإنفاق الاجتماعي والاستثماري، ومرشح لزيادة أكبر سنة ٢٠٢٧ لتمويل المشاريع التنموية، إعادة الإعمار ، وبرامج مكافحة الفقر. في المقابل يقدر الوزير ارتفاع الإيرادات سنة ٢٠٢٦ إلى ٨.٧ مليار دولار ٢٨٪ من...
First: What Are the Caesar Sanctions?
The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act is a U.S. legislative measure enacted following documentation of grave human rights violations during the Syrian conflict. The law was named after the pseudonym of a military photographer who leaked thousands of images showing torture and deaths in detention centers.
The Act is distinguished by the fact that it does not target the Syrian government alone; rather, it relies on extraterritorial secondary sanctions, meaning it penalizes any foreign entity that engages economically or financially with the Syrian state or its institutions.
Second: When Was the Caesar Act Imposed?
The Act was passed in December 2019.
It entered into force on June 17, 2020.
It was designed to remain in effect for five years, with the possibility of extension or repeal through legislative action.
Third: When Was the Caesar Act Lifted?
The Caesar Act was officially lifted on December 18, 2025.
Its repeal was included within the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
With the repeal, the specific legislative framework governing Caesar sanctions, including its secondary sanctions, formally ended.
Fourth: What Was the Most Dangerous Aspect of the Caesar Act?
The most dangerous component of the Caesar Act was its comprehensive secondary sanctions, which included:
Targeting any foreign entity (companies, banks, states, or individuals) that dealt with:
The Syrian government
The Central Bank of Syria
Key sectors such as energy, construction, aviation, and engineering
Isolation from the global financial system:
Denial of access to the U.S. dollar
Asset freezes
Prohibition of banking transfers
Paralysis of reconstruction efforts:
Any participation in reconstruction projects was sufficient grounds for sanctions.
The danger of these provisions lay in the fact that they transformed sanctions from a political pressure tool into a de facto international economic blockade, even affecting states that were not politically hostile to Syria.
Fifth: Economic Impacts of the Caesar Act Prior to Its Lifting
1. The Financial Sector
Near-total paralysis of foreign transfers.
Severe international banking isolation.
Rapid collapse of the Syrian pound.
Acute inflationary pressures.
2. Energy and Infrastructure
Major difficulties in importing oil and petroleum products.
Severe electricity and fuel shortages.
Disruption of industrial and agricultural production.
3. Investment and Reconstruction
Near-complete halt to foreign investment.
Suspension of housing and infrastructure projects.
Rising unemployment and economic contraction.
Sixth: Social and Living Impacts
Widespread deterioration in living standards.
Expansion of poverty and food insecurity.
Sharp increases in the prices of food, medicine, and basic services.
Continued emigration and brain drain.
Despite humanitarian exemptions, banking restrictions and fear of sanctions rendered these exemptions largely ineffective in practice.
Seventh: Expected Impacts After the Lifting of the Caesar Act
1. Economically
Gradual resumption of international banking relations.
Improved availability of energy and essential goods.
Opening the door to investment and reconstruction.
Potential gradual stabilization of exchange rates and prices.
2. Socially
Slow improvement in purchasing power.
Potential creation of new employment opportunities.
More favorable conditions for the return of some refugees.
3. Politically and Diplomatically
Reduction of international isolation.
Opening of channels for economic and political cooperation.
Continued international monitoring of human rights and security issues.
Eighth: Post-Lifting Challenges
Continued international caution in financial and investment engagement.
Positive effects will not be immediate.
Persistent structural weaknesses in the Syrian economy requiring deep reforms.
General Conclusion
The Caesar Act was among the most severe sanctions regimes affecting the Syrian economy.
Its most dangerous feature was secondary sanctions that effectively blocked international engagement with Syria.
The Act was officially lifted on December 18, 2025.
Its removal represents an economic and political opportunity, but the extent of benefit depends on reform, stability, and the restoration of international confidence.
Comments
Post a Comment