in Syria… This is from an excellent WSJ article on Syrians trying to survive by trading goods among warring factions:
“In wartime Syria, economic survival frequently trumps politics and ideology, prompting foes to trade across front lines that have carved up the nation. It is up to a band of gutsy and resourceful truck drivers to make that happen—to crisscross the battlefields delivering food, oil, cars, appliances, even livestock, in some of the most dangerous commercial transactions in the world.
Drivers are exposed to airstrikes from the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Russian warplanes lending him support. They also face Islamic State militants who require them to grow beards, and who mete out punishment for contraband such as cigarettes and alcohol.”
Read the whole thing from the WSJ: http://www.wsj.com/articles/in-syrias-mangled-economy-truckers-stitch-together-warring-regions-1464106368
Here is Syria carved up by different factions:
Here is the oil part:
“At its peak, Islamic State was making between $40 million and $50 million a month from selling oil, according to Martin Reardon, an analyst with the Soufan Group, a security-consulting firm. That has declined to an estimated $24 million a month, contributing to a nearly 30% decline in Islamic State’s revenue, according to IHS Conflict Monitor, which conducts terrorism and insurgency analysis.”
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