On Tuesday, the US imposed fresh sanctions on Syria, targeting the country’s central bank and several individuals and entities close to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Among those targeted are Assad’s British-born wife, Asma al-Assad, and several of her family members who are based in London. The sanctions target her father, Fawaz Akhras, along with her mother, brother, and uncle.
“The Assad and Akhras families have accumulated their ill-gotten riches at the expense of the Syrian people,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.
The sanctions were implemented under the Caesar Act, a bill that was passed last year and implemented in June. The act allows the US to sanction any individual or entity, regardless of nationality, that does business with the Syrian government. The act specifically targets the energy and construction sectors of Syria to impede the country’s reconstruction effort.
On top of the crippling sanctions, the US also maintains a small occupation force in Syria’s northeast, where most of the country’s oil fields are located. The US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces recently inked an oil deal with a US company to develop and export crude from the region.
This is an outright criminal inhumane action, targeting the Syrian people , preventing the rebuild of their country after eight years of war.
“The Assad and Akhras families have accumulated their ill-gotten riches at the expense of the Syrian people,”
If true, they must be reminded that that is our job, not theirs, even though it is not much of a gas station pretending to be a country.
This is bizarre. Assad’s wife comes from wealthy family. He graduated from Harvard in investment banking, and is very active in various causes. She has taken in patronage of various Christian monasteries that were endangered during time ISIS made inroads into country side. She visits them often with Assad and their children. And she survived breast cancer.
It is shocking to see our government attack decent people. Christians of Syria are protected. All three heads of major religions (Sunni, Shia, Christian) supported from the beginning Assad Government and refused to support factions, and allow hate and militancy to engulf society.
Yet, decency, saving the society from the brink of disaster are not valued. What do we value?
Do we have any values at all? Or is everything for sale?