Country Profile

Tags: Civil Society in West Asia

Syria is situated in the Middle East and borders Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French administered the area as Syria until granting it independence in 1946. The new country lacked political stability, however, and experienced a series of military coups during its first decades. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic. In September 1961, the two entities separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. Syria lost the Golan Heights in 1967 to the Israelis, while civil war in neighboring Lebanon allowed it to extend its political and military influence in the region.

In November 1970, Hafez al-Asad, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. Since then, Syria is in fact a republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime.

Following the death of President al-Asad, his son, Bashar al-Asad, was approved as president by popular referendum in July 2000. During this time Syria knew a short period of more open political and social debate known as the ‘Damascus Spring’ (2000-2001). However, it did not take long before under the rule of Bashar al- Asad the activities en persons associated with the Damascus Spring were suppressed. Since that time it has been difficult for local organisations and activists to cooperate openly with Western organizations.

Syria’s population is about 22 million of which 90.3% are Arab and the remaining 9.7%, Kurds, Armenians, and other. In Syria 74% is Sunni Muslim, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo).

The government has made reform of its under-performing, state-run economy a top priority.

Syrian economic growth slowed to 1.8% in 2009 as the global economic crisis affected oil prices and the economies of Syria's key export partners and sources of investment. The modest economic reforms Damascus implemented in the past few years, include cutting lending interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating all of the multiple exchange rates, raising prices on some subsidized items, most notably gasoline and cement, and establishing the Damascus Stock Exchange - which was set to begin operations in 2009. In addition, President Bashar al-Asad signed legislative decrees to encourage corporate ownership reform, and to allow the Central Bank to issue Treasury bills and bonds for government debt. Until today the economy remains highly controlled by the government, political power is held by a small elite and the opposition is repressed.

This text is based on information from:

CIA factbook: click here

BBC Middle East: click here

Source Syria Map: CIA - The World Factbook