August 2009

This article moved to Forward's new website:

http://www.forwardsyria.com/story/6/Normalization%20in%20exchange%20to%20settler-ization?

This article was moved to Forward's new website:

http://www.forwardsyria.com/story/97

“We spotted that most of those who work in interior design in Syria are intruders on the field,” May al-Assar, CEO of Stad. “They hadn’t really got a proper education which is specialized in interior design, they are mostly non specialists who depend mainly on their work experience.” That is when the decision was made to create the Stad Center (al-Monfared) for learning and development, a Syrian pioneer in the field of interior design, with plans to get into the field of garden design.

Indicating Syria's economy may not be as immune to the global downturn as initially thought, the IMF lowered its assessment for the country’s growth, while exogenous factors are affecting output in the vital agriculture sector, putting an extra strain on the budget. 

Maintaining a family legacy is never an easy task, and one many in the younger generations simply choose to ignore in favor of their own personal pursuits. For Vahe Hovagimian, however, continuing the long tradition of the Hovag Bros, a company started in 1958 and dealing mainly in industrial electricity and automation, was perhaps the most natural choice he could make.

Salma is telling her neighbor about the ongoing rural reading campaign; Sabah is preparing for her next order of Italian cheese; and Sondos is wondering how the international financial crisis will affect her business. What do Salma, Sabah and Sondos have in common? Where they come from and how far along they’ve come.

As the dust settles in Iran and international media attention dries up, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to be sworn in soon for a second term as Iran’s president, following one of the most contentious and attention grabbing elections the region has seen for several years – but who decided that? Was Iran right to accuse foreign states of “meddling?”

 

June’s presidential election in Iran was controversial for various reasons including an apparent 600 irregularities in the electoral process in addition to the result itself, delivered just 15 minutes after polling booths closed. These factors, coupled with demonstrations across several major cities, saw Iran’s election rise to the top of international news attention overnight.  

Still, it appears international media outlets took it upon themselves to offer a very one-sided view of the aftermath, with round the clock coverage of demonstrations (the same week a nuclear North Korea was launching several missiles, threatening the entire Pacific region). Indeed, what was rarely pointed out was that counting of votes had been ongoing throughout the polling day and, as such, a result could have been reached quicker than perhaps expected. When interviewed by a Lebanese newspaper in June, the Iranian envoy to Lebanon said the demonstrations and public protest, although suppressed using heavy-handed tactics, were "a shining example of political democracy and freedom."

Soon, international satellite television will feature a tourism ad inviting the world to Syria. Gorgeously crafted, the commercial features the country at its best: its beautiful natural landscapes, ancient history, and modern city centers. It truly does make the country proud, all the more so because it was produced entirely by Syrians.

The Information Technology industry is taking up a big slice of the gross domestic product in the US and pretty much the world. However, the Syrian market for IT-related products has for some while been weak. Despite all of this, nine years ago, father and son Mohamed and Abdulsalam Haykal started Transtek, a technology company that makes ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning ) software, specialized and integrated systems that are deployed across a company to help it manage resources and information as well as optimize for productivity and cost.

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Syrian people are often labeled “fashion followers,” spending a great amount of time visiting fashion stores to purchase the trendy and stylish. Making the right choice of catchy clothes, however, becomes ever harder as the Syrian market is stuffed with more brand names, Chinese imports and national lines.