A Look At Syria's New War Millionaires

The Economist: Syria’s new war millionaires

For the new elite, peace would be bad for business

AMID the ruins of Syria, Mohieddine Manfoush has carved out a kingdom built on cheese. An unremarkable man with 25 cows to his name before the conflict began, Mr Manfoush now has his own militia, a herd of 1,000 cattle and a company whose dairy products have become ubiquitous in Damascus.

For those with the right connections and an appetite for risk, the war has opened up lucrative sources of revenue. For Mr Manfoush, his new-found wealth is directly bound to the regime’s preferred tactic of siege warfare. This has proved effective at isolating, containing and strangling rebel redoubts into submission without consuming too much of the regime’s dwindling manpower. The sieges have generated lots of money, too.

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WNU Editor: I have seen this played out before .... when the economy breakdowns, numerous opportunities present themselves. In the case of Syria .... the war caused the breakdown of the economy .... hence the opportunity for the black-marketers to profit from it. The same story can be said in Venezuela, eastern Ukraine. parts of Iraq, parts of Afghanistan, North Korea, etc..