Business Not as Usual: The Rebellion of Syrian Businessmen through the Revolution

Abstract

Prior to the 2011 revolution in Syria, state-business networks were seen as being strongly dominated by the hand of the Assad regime, with business tycoons having symbiotic ties with the regime [1]. Even after the eruption of the revolution and with the prolongation of conflict, the business community is still generally considered to be the regime’s business backbone and is seen as non-reactive toward the domestic conflict [2].Although the business community has remained silent on the surface, at the grassroots level, some have supported opposition and personally taken part in and helped the civil uprising with in the country. They did so not only before their departure from Syria, but also after relocating in host countries. This suggests that the long-term, strict statebusiness ties have gone through a gradual political transformation through the conflict.