4.22.2013
COR 330-09
Prof. Esckilsen
Blog Post #5:
European Union Assists Syria
This
article from the BBC discusses a new change being made by the Council of the European
Union in regards to Syria. As many of us know, Syria is currently in the midst
of a massive civil war between President Bashar al-Assad’s loyal forces and the
uprising Free Syrian Army rebels. So far, the war has gone on for over two
years and has done some serious damage. All across the nation, tens of
thousands of lives have been taken, and the economy continues to suffer. In
hopes of reducing this economic hardship, the European Union has decided to
lift the oil embargo that was previously put on Syria.
The changes
to this embargo will allow European companies to “import crude oil and
petroleum products from opposition-held areas” (The BBC). This shows the EU’s
support for the FSA rebels, and disregard for al-Assad and his military. Essentially,
the European Union wants the opposition in Syria to prevail against its oppressive
government. Reactivating oil trade between Syria and Europe will allow the
rebels to make significant monetary gains. Exporting crude oil from Syria will
potentially yield a high profit, while importing equipment and technology will
allow oil extraction and other related processes to improve.
Even though the Syrian oil embargo
is being eased up, some restrictions and rules will still apply to their
trades. First of all, the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and
Opposition Forces must approve each individual transaction. As it stands today,
it is believed that “most of the oil fields” in Syria “are now controlled by
rebel groups” (The BBC). Capturing these locations was great foresight by the
opposition, as they must have realized how beneficial Syrian oil could become
once the embargo was lifted. Although the state of the country is still looking
quite grim, the economic future of the Syrian rebels may be looking up thanks
to the European Union.
Sources
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22254996
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