What’s different in Damascus? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East
▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/09/syria-president-assad-new-government-changes.html
Damascus has been suffering from a latent conflict between two political and economic currents for nearly a decade and a half. The first is liberal par excellence, while the second is more socialist and conservative. This conflict has been out in the open on several occasions, especially when events took a political turn.
The main liberal wing was represented by former Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdullah al-Dardari, a staunch advocate of liberal policies, who took office between 2003 and 2008. The socialist current, on the other hand, was represented by former Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Qadri Jamil, a communist who took office in 2012, until his dismissal in October 2013.
Read more: ▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/09/syria-president-assad-new-government-changes.html#ixzz3CpDGdXVO