Development in Syria and the challenges of regional economic integration
in the context of globalization

Dr. Issam Al-Zaim

One of the challenges the Syrian economy is facing in the general context of globalization is the question of regional integration. Meanwhile the economic development process in this country is suffering from major problems: limited external financing, deterioration of the wage earners’ purchasing power, weak economic growth (GDP), high rate of population growth, lack of public & private investments, etc. The priority in this context should be done to the elaboration of a clear cut economic policy that help in raising the competing capability of the Syrian industry in particular and the Syrian economy at large. Thus Syria will be in a better position to join the different regional integration projects, i.e. the Arab world free trade zone, the Euro med partnership and/or the Middle East & North Africa economic co-operation. Such regional integration processes, based necessarily on free trade principal, will facilitate the Syrian economy integration in the world economy in a relative independence.