An economist's role in the fall of Syria's government

The Indicator from Planet Money

NPR

Business

4.7 • 9.5K Ratings

🗓️ 12 December 2024

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

In 2012, Karam Shaar had to leave his home country of Syria due to the civil war. But he still wanted to make a difference. Through his economic analysis, he uncovered concerning patterns about how the Assad regime and its cronies were siphoning money from humanitarian aid. Today on the show, the story of how one Syrian exile contributed to the resistance while on the other side of the world.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	NPR.
0:10.9	This is the indicator from planet money.
0:13.3	I'm Jerry M words.
0:16.6	On Sunday, half a century of the Assad family ruling Syria came to an end.
0:23.4	Syria's brutal 13-year civil war that led to this moment had many players.
0:29.2	And today we want to put a spotlight on one of them, an economist.
0:33.6	It's like a dream. Honestly, it's like a dream.
0:36.8	Today on the show, the story of one Syrian exile who made a real contribution to the resistance while on the other side of the world.
0:45.0	He tells us how lines of computer code and spreadsheets can help bring down a long-standing dictatorship.
0:57.7	This is a story-standing dictatorship. This message comes from Wise, the app for doing things in other currencies.
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