Syria’s Assad in a Desperate Search for Cash

President Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria found an opportunity to get hold of a bit more revenue from an unexpected source.

The fuel shortage has led the Syrian government to scrounge around from such strange sources as oil fields under the control of Kurdish rebels in the north of the country. They sell fuel to the government at a discount.

The Syrian president is resorting to novel and brutal means to address the shortfall, including seizure of control of private companies, drug trafficking and the imposition of additional taxes and fees.