The Syrian Regime Confront Caesar Act in NES Field

2020-04-08
Writer: Akram Hesso
The act of the Syrian regime by setting the value of soft and hard wheat at the price of 200 S.P. per one kilogram, to which the delivery bonus of 25 S.P. is added, is an exploitative and monopolistic behavior of the sustenance of NES people. As well as, a cunning attempt to evade the Caesar Act, and a forced participation of NES to withstand the consequences of Caesar Act along with them.
The Syrian regime is completely aware of the fact that the new price does not commensurate whatsoever to the costs of production, nor is it in line with the reality imposed on the lives of citizens; due to the low Syrian currency index against hard currencies. However, it perceives that buying the agricultural season in this manner, as an opportunity to take revenge on the international coalition, through its partner on the ground in NES.
The intransigence of the Syrian regime on not accepting the political solution, and on the other hand, the exploitation of the Astana Trinity of the Astana military track, especially in light of the American withdrawal from East Euphrates due to the end of ISIS announcement, which opened an additional access to prolong the life of the Syrian crisis, has made USA realize that the regional and international military conflict in the Syrian field is unable to reach any political settlement in Syria.
Hence, the US took the first punitive actions against the Syrian regime that began since the middle of last year 2019, by depriving the regime of dollarization, after many countries started to transfer money to Syria in Syrian pounds, where transfers were made in dollars to avoid American sanctions previously, the Central Bank of Lebanon in particular, which the United States imposed on refraining from transferring money orders to Syria by foreign exchange, especially the dollar, which resulted in depriving the regime of about $ 90 million a month, which reached through Lebanon, and also starting the implementation of Caesar Law sanctions.
These measures caused internal chaos in Syria, which prompted the regime to issue Decree No. 04 in Syria on January 19, which imposed severe penalties on all those who promote and deal with the dollar in order to alleviate its demand. Consequently, this led to a false stability in the exchange rate locally, because it is expected that this pressure along the implementation of Caesar law, will push the exchange rate of the Syrian pound against the dollar to more than four thousand pounds per dollar in the middle of this year.
As a result of the economic embargo on the regime also, and its prohibition from obtaining international funding for reconstruction, the Syrian citizen has ended up obtaining bread via a smart card, according to the decree stated by Rifaat Suleiman, the Deputy Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection in the Syrian government for the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan, which will be implemented on the first of next April.
In addition to the many internal issues in the Syrian regime dominated area, which led them to attempt to overburden the NES with the adverse impacts of these punitive measures, with the aim of being relieved of this immense pressure.
Reverting to the new purchase price, we find that the Syrian regime have found in the reward granted a good opportunity to persuade the farmers at a new price, which is false basically. This is due to the awareness of the Syrian regime that this reward will return to them through spreading the hands of their employees and agents in plundering and looting farmers through the facilitated bribe of the grains delivery process that the poor farmer pay based on the principle of "Your brother is not a hero rather forced.”
Regarding the new purchase price, which if compared to the old one and based on the current and previous price, we realize that the new purchase price of one kilogram of wheat reaches 200 S.P. which equals 110 S.P. per one kilogram according to the current purchase price of the dollar in terms of purchasing capacity in comparison with the prices of last year. This is in case the dollar remains at its current price purchase and unchanged upwards.
Needless to say that everyone is aware of the severity of applying Caesar Law to the daily life, however in return it is very beneficial to us as the people of NES in some of its aspects, the following in particular:
1- Hindering the reconstruction process that Turkey, Russia and Iran are seeking. As to prevent them from ethnic cleansing, by keeping the private properties intact and not transferring them to others under the pretext of reconstruction.
2- The sanctions imposed on Turkey regarding its military incursion against the Kurds in NES, which are the same as those adopted under the Caesar Law to protect civilians in Syria. However, this does not justify not acting to address its adverse impacts.
Therefore, herein lies the most significant question, which has overwhelmed the largest productive sector in the societal economy, directed to the Self-Administration in NES, and its economic team; which is: “How will they deal with this situation imposed on us by the Syrian regime, who attempt at switching these sanctions onto our areas, through its exceptional means?”
Will the Self-Administration and its specialized staff work on gaining the remaining time to make bold decisions, which will create some kind of peace in the hearts of these economically collapsed people, in order to prevent the agents of the regime from monopolizing their only resource?
Will the Self-Administration take into consideration saving the largest and most intense sector in NES from complete and inevitable collapse after bearing the consequences and severity of unsuccessful decisions in the 2019 season? Or will we hear the frivolous contentions like; "the stock market - small and large numbers and…. etc." in order to avoid historical responsibility that will never be merciful?