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Conflict coverage · Syria

Caesar Act sanctions take effect

June 2020Key event

Explore the system14 analytical layers in this conflict
SanctionsEconomicRefugees, sanctions and reconstruction

The US Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act — named for a defector who documented deaths in regime custody — imposes secondary sanctions on dealings with the Assad government, deterring reconstruction and investment and deepening the currency collapse already underway.

Why it mattersCaesar defined the late-war economy: it made reconstruction impossible under Assad, contributed to the impoverishment that hollowed the state, and its December 2025 repeal became the transition's biggest economic event.

Where this fits

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