The Sanctions Age

The Sanctions Age

Syria's Complicated Path to Economic Recovery

Vittorio Maresca di Serracapriola with Josefine Petrick - Season 3, Episode 4

Apr 21, 2026
∙ Paid

Listen to This Episode


Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Buzzsprout


It has been over a year since Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad fled to Moscow and a new government took power in Damascus. Assad’s ouster triggered one of the most rapid reversals of a sanctions regime in recent history. The European Union and the United States essentially raced to be the first to lift sanctions on Syria and most restrictions on engagement with the Syrian economy were removed by December 2025.

Encouragingly, the Syrian economy is outperforming expectations. But the path to economic recovery and reintegration into the global economy has been far from smooth. Today’s guest today works directly on issues of sanctions relief, banking reform, and economic recovery in Syria.

Vittorio Maresca di Serracapriola is an economic analyst based in Beirut. He works at Karam Shaar Advisory, where he advises companies and institutions trying to re-engage with Syria. He is also a member of the Bologna Initiative for Sanctions Relief.


Season 3 of The Sanctions Age is produced by media.winter in Berlin.


The rest of this email is for paid subscribers and includes the host Josefine’s reflections on her conversation with Vittorio and a full episode transcript. If you would like access to this additional content and want to support the show, please subscribe by clicking the button below.

A huge thank you to our paid subscribers!

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Bourse & Bazaar Foundation.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 Esfandyar Batmanghelidj · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture