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The Sanctions Age
The Sanctions Age is a podcast that explores how sanctions are changing the world.
Twenty years ago, the U.S. Department of Treasury had imposed sanctions on fewer than 1,000 companies and individuals. Today, more than 10,000 entities have been targeted.
Leaders around the world are imposing sanctions in response to wars, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, human rights violations, and technological competition. As a result, a growing list of countries are targeted by sanctions, export controls, and investment restrictions, including China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, and Syria.
The Sanctions Age invites the people who understand sanctions best—economists, historians, lawyers, policymakers, and journalists—to explain their use and significance. Understanding sanctions is the key to understanding politics and economics today.
We are living in The Sanctions Age.
The Sanctions Age
The Shadow of Sanctions in Syria
On December 8, 2024, Bashar Al-Assad fled Syria, bringing an end to the 13-year civil war that had devastated the country. Syrians who had endured years of conflict and deprivation, took to the streets in celebration. They were suddenly able to imagine a new future for their country. Assad’s fall caught the international community by surprise, and policymakers in the region, in Europe, and in the United States were forced to adjust their policies, opening lines of communication to Syria’s new leader, Ahmad Al-Shaara. Over the last six months, one issue has dominated the debate over Syria policy—lifting the Syria sanctions.
Karam Shaar is the founder of Karam Shaar Advisory, a consulting company. He currently serves as the Chief Economic Consultant to the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Syria and a Senior Consultant at the World Bank. He is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the New Lines Institute.
The Sanctions Age is hosted by Esfandyar Batmanghelidj. The show is produced by Spiritland Productions.
To receive an email when new episodes are released, access episode transcripts, and read Esfandyar's notes on each episode, sign-up for the The Sanctions Age newsletter on Substack: https://www.thesanctionsage.com/