Syria: the New Zone

[rich]

the more you read about Syria, the more one thinks of the Zone in GR:

from today's Financial Times:

Syrian activists and western officials have long accused the regime of
making secret oil deals with Isis, which controls nearly all of Syria’s
petroleum-producing east. But an FT investigation shows co-operation is
strongest over the gas that generates Syria’s electricity. Interviews with
over a dozen Syrian energy employees have revealed agreements that are less
about cash than about services — something they may find more valuable than
money.

The business deals do not translate into a truce. The two sides continually
attack one another’s employees and infrastructure. The regime points to
these clashes as proof that such understandings do not exist. In a written
statement, Syria’s Ministry of Oil and Natural Resources said: “There is no
co-ordination with the terrorist groups regarding this matter.” But it
acknowledged some of its employees work under Isis “for the sake of
preserving the security and safety of these facilities”.

But others describe the fighting as part of a struggle for better terms,
where neither seeks to destroy the other. “Think of it as tactical
manoeuvres to improve leverage,” said the owner of one Syrian energy
company, who met the FT but asked not to be named. “This is 1920s Chicago
mafia-style negotiation. You kill and fight to influence the deal, but the
deal doesn’t end.”
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