r/neoliberal • u/gary_oldman_sachs Max Weber • 27d ago

Rebel technocrats start to disentangle Syria’s corrupt state News (Middle East)

https://www.ft.com/content/7efc20db-6da9-47d0-96e3-94b0f230134c
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u/kaesura 27d ago edited 27d ago

except : Ghazal described “organised corruption” and rampant bribery in government circles, the result of “crumbs” meted out to government employees whose average salary had been reduced to the equivalent of $25 per month, a result of the crippling economic crisis that has gripped the country since 2019. The bloated and ineffective state was key to the regime’s undoing, after its rapacious ways spread discontent across Syria.

Corruption is actually a big thing that drives muslims into supporting islamists . Taking bribes isn't righteous for muslims. in general, the more hardcore muslims in the middle east are less corrupt. it just destroys their repuation if they aren't. it was one of the reason that the taliban appealed to afghans as the government was taking so much bribes for so little service.

So that's part of the success of idlib is much less corruption than the assad regime making government and businesses much more functional . (jolani and his supporters of course take a cut of some stuff. they aren't saints)

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u/blitznB 27d ago

The Kabul government may have been one of the most corrupt in human history. Usually when a government steals the pay and food from its own soldiers they revolt/coup the government. The US prevented that for better or worse.

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u/kaesura 27d ago

yeah that's the issue of US /Foreign governments funding governments/factions

It's allows the government to ignore the economy and public good will since they are getting propped up by outside powers. They can just focus on maintaing their power and sucking up to their backers

same thing allowed the Syria state under Assad to get so bad.

in contrast, idlib recieved inconsistent foreign funding with alot of it coming from conditional ngo help. so hts needed to focus on delivery services to its population to grow the economy to increase their own funding and popularity.