Syria Calls Arab League Sanctions 'Economic War'

Assad regime further isolated as former allies decide to stop doing business with him.

Over the weekend, the Arab League voted to impose sanctions on a member state – Syria – for the first time in the organization's history. And today, Syria's foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, called that move a "declaration of economic war" and hinted at retaliating, although without mentioning just how. The League introduced the sanctions as punishment for Syria's failure to end the brutal crackdown on civilians that's already claimed well more than 3,500 lives. The regime of President Bashar al-Assad had said they would implement a an Arab League-backed peace deal three weeks ago, but no signs of peace have been forthcoming. Should the Assad regime choose to retaliate economically, it's unclear just how they'd do so. Petroleum is by far their biggest export, and that goes mostly to other member states of the Arab League. Refusing to trade with Iraq or Lebanon, the two countries that said they won't be implementing the sanctions and two of Syria's biggest trading partners, would likely just lead to fewer funds flowing into Syrian at a time that their regime desperately needs them to stay afloat. Ruthlessly crushing a protest movement doesn't exactly come free.